How did/do you pay for nursing school?

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  1. How did you pay for nursing school?

    • 145
      Student loans
    • 73
      Scholarships
    • 83
      Grants
    • 9
      VA loans
    • 93
      Work through school
    • 49
      Other

225 members have participated

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Nursing school is expensive. Many people have used student loans, scholarships, VA loans, grants, and even worked through school to pay for their education. The main reason for this thread is to provide information for people who can't afford the rising costs of nursing school. Many people aren't aware of the resources that are available. You don't have to give specifics but it would be great to see how people are paying for school. Please share how you paid for nursing school. Give any links or resources that you may have. Click Like if you enjoyed it. Please share this with friends and post your comments below!

Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.
Not to mention part of your post was helpful. And no it's not obvious, given the sheer amount of fools who spend as much money as a starter home at for-profit schools with poor reputations and abysmal placement stats, coming out with a student loan payment that rivals my rent, apparently not reviewing projected salary versus student loan payment. In other words, hope they like overtime!

thank you for your "concern" but I already made my INFORMED decisions for my education. I'm not going to change it now so there is no reason to tell me where to go to school.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
thank you for your "concern" but I already made my INFORMED decisions for my education. I'm not going to change it now so there is no reason to tell me where to go to school.

You certainly are defensive about such an "informed" decision.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
thank you for your "concern" but I already made my INFORMED decisions for my education. I'm not going to change it now so there is no reason to tell me where to go to school.

*** Just a friendly hint. When you choose to post things about yourself to a public message board you pretty much need to expect that people will reply. If having anyone comment on or question the things you choose to post about yourself is too much for you I would suggest not posting to a public message board.

I wish you sucess in your chosen career.

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To attend I am paying from my 401k. I have no other money. I have to pay myself. And the programs are very expensive. And in my area the BSN is practically required at hospitals and the CNA is becoming obsolete there as well.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
To attend I am paying from my 401k. I have no other money. I have to pay myself. And the programs are very expensive. And in my area the BSN is practically required at hospitals and the CNA is becoming obsolete there as well.

**** I am curious. Since you are paying out of your own pocket have you considered a short term relocation to an area where nursing school would be cheaper?

This is the first I have heard of CNAs becomeing obsolete. What are they using instead? Are they useing some other form of UAP or are they increasing the RN staff to allow the RNs do to primary care?

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
**** I am curious. Since you are paying out of your own pocket have you considered a short term relocation to an area where nursing school would be cheaper?

This is the first I have heard of CNAs becomeing obsolete. What are they using instead? Are they useing some other form of UAP or are they increasing the RN staff to allow the RNs do to primary care?

Some of our area's hospitals have removed patient care techs and supposedly increased RN staff. If I had to guess, this is probably in response to RN complaints about techs not doing their jobs. And them not doing their jobs is in response to them having 25 patients on a floor that they are expected to bathe, do vitals, pass ice, snacks etc. and respond to any ADL request that a nurse tries to put off on them.

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Loans loans loans!

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Have used a VA loan twice now, to buy a house, but never heard of such a thing for education- perhaps they meant using the GI Bill?

I paid cash for prereqs and used my GI Bill for one semester, as well. For nursing school, I took out loans, got one small scholarship as well as a small grant, and used my GI Bill. My first year of nursing school, I had the old GI Bill and for the 2nd, I had the new, post-9/11 GI Bill. If I had had the post-9/11 GI Bill for both years, my loans would be about 1/3 of what they are now. The old one barely covered my childcare costs, while the new one covered a substantial part of my tuition, along with housing allowance which more than covered childcare, as well as a book stipend.

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A few grants, and out of pocket. I owe around 3,000 in loans right now, but I don't plan on taking out anymore loans. I start clinicals in January at an ADN program and will pay out of pocket. Its a public school so tuition isn't too badWhen I do my RN-BSN, I'll probably pay for that out of pocket as well unless my employer covers it. I'll only have 4-6 classes to take though so it won't be too bad hopefully.

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grants..

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Congenital Heart Disease.

A combination of: academic scholarships, state/federal grants, loans, and a relatively small amount of help from my parents. Thankfully, I came out not too ​far in debt!

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*** First, prereqs for an LVN program!? I have never heard of such a thing. Wow they get you between a rock and hard place. You can allow the CC to rob you of years of your life, or allow the private to rob you of your money. Here in Wisconsin a high school graduate can be working as a licensed LPN 10 months from when they start LPN school. Of course there are no prereqs, except background check, CPR, immunization titers, GED or HS diploma, and at some schools CNA, but no college class prereqs.

Working in 12 months, here. Western Pennsylvania might be an excellent place to look for a LPN school. Every county has a "career center" that used to be called a vo-tech, and they all have a LPN program that starts at least two 12-month full-time day LPN classes per year and possibly a third LPN class that's 2-year part time. And there's a school just over the line in Youngstown, Ohio that offers a "night" LPN school. Really it's afternoon shift 3PM - 10PM or 11PM. And one outside of Warren that tried an 18-month fulltime LPN, but I don't know whether they still offer it now. Ballpark total cost on the 12-month programs is $12,000. It was just $9,000 in 2006-2007.

No prereq classes, since these are vocational programs. Taking college microbiology and A&P will definitely help you on the entrance exams, though. No prereqs, except background check, CPR, immunization titers, GED or HS diploma, and a good score on the entrance exam. Most schools use WorkKeys or TEAS, I think. I have not heard of any school requiring a CNA.

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