I have 60 grand of student loan when I finished BSN

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I had my ADN in 2014, then I went back to school two months later for BSN, now I just graduated from BSN, and the student loan I owe is little over 60 grand..Oh load. I had to pay over 600 a month for 10 payment. That seems a lot to me. Any suggestions? any programs that can reduce or forgive my loan? Thank you very much!

I Have 90k with MSN and undergrad... But I work in SF at two different hospitals both in the ED. I make well over 300k with both of my jobs combined... So I say don't worry about it cuz I don't... Just get a job that pays well...

Haha, this is cute! I'd like a well paid job too. But just not yet.

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She had a four-year degree completed by 19? Remarkable! I see a lot of posts about Philippine graduates having to do extra classes, take more courses because their BSN degrees aren't considered adequate nursing education to get a state license. it's good your girlfriend's school prepared her well because it looks like there are a lot of foreign schools that don't!

Most Phillipino BSNs are able to register easily in both the USA and Canada. For most who don't, the biggest challenges are the English proficiency tests, and in some states, the CGFNS exam (a nursing exam probably tougher than the Nclex which is used to test/assure ability to ace the Nclex, and therefore a pre-req. for the Nclex in many states). Some, I know of cases for sure in Canada and the UK, have also been challenged when trying to upgrade their education, mainly because, until recently, they had a 10 year pre-college education instead of a 12 year one as most countries globally do. Otherwise, as far as their BSN itself, it does meet the standard of US nursing education.There could also be individual deficiencies here and there, may depending on which courses were taken or omitted during the course of the education where one might need to make up. I personally had my RN Diploma from Africa accepted easily without any remedies needed in both the USA and Canada,

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I am appalled at the responses here, I have $100k in debt for my BSN and I'm adding an additional $30k for my MSN. Why so much? Because when you live with your family in an urban area where the schools are all so impacted by foreigners and you get put on wait lists of 4 years, and then you start core and have to repeat your core sciences because they expire in 5 years, and those classes are all impacted so you have to wait and re-apply. The situation isn't ideal, which is why all of these private schools have opened up that offer no waiting and accelerated programs. Why am I upset? Because the OP was asking for help, not be told they are a fool for incurring debt. We don't know the reason why they chose the schools they did. I thought as nurses we are to assess first, isn't there something in the code about beneficence? I'm sure not seeing it here in a lot of these posts. When I graduate, I can easily make $80-100k a year, isn't it better to take on that debt than to sit around waiting for a program to open up? Regardless, a lot of people incur huge debt for school. It's all over the news, it's even a part of political platforms. Criticizing someone for a decision made in the past is not helping them, it's going to prevent them from seeking help in the future.

I did not know how much loans other BSN got, that is why I asked. I only knew one of my ADN classmate, he only had 5000 loan for his ADN, while my ADN cost me over 30k almost 40K. I did borrow extra, because my ADN was an accelerate program, I could not work if I wanted to graduate.

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You can pay that debt off in two years if you work hard, scrimp, save and work a lot of overtime.

Thank you very much! I feel much more eased after reading the comments. I think I will be fine. :p

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I couldn't pay off $60,000 on an RN wage in2 years and I'm pretty frugile. I have to be I'm a nurse. If the irs didn't tax the heck out of your wage, you lived at home with parents, had no house or car payments and ate ramen noodles from the parents basement you may have a chance I suppose. Ha ha good luck:) Wait here's another idea drain the broth from your ramen and that can be your next meal, posh... How about the good ole work place starts paying the BSN prepared nurse more!

Amen to that.

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How long ago? The military is tightening up on enlistments lately, and I have seen in several military forums - Air Force, Navy, Army, which are the only ones to have Nurse Corps - that they are not paying off nursing student loan debts now because of it. And, as you also mentioned, high amounts of debt (of any kind, not just Student Loans) are a bar to enlistment. High levels of personal debt make for unfocused, less than optimally performing Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors, prone more to risky financial behavior in the future. It's a trend they have seen for decades, and have had to devote significant resources to, in order to help them get out of it. I don't mean by making loans or paying off debt, but by getting counseling and guidance resources established to help show folks with less than stellar money management skills the way out and to STAY out of serious problems. I've seen some get the axe for writing bad checks repeatedly. It WILL get you in deep trouble very quickly, and their best way to avoid dealing with the situation in the beginning is not to enlist them at all.

I applied AF for a nurse position. Was not selected. Says I need hospital experiences, OR is the best. Well, I cannot get in the OR as a new RN, they want experiences too, maybe I am just having a bad luck.

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From the Loan Repayment Program | Indian Health Service (IHS) website -

"The IHS Loan Repayment Program (LRP) can help dedicated health professionals like you chart a course for a long-lasting and successful health care career. The LRP funds IHS clinicians to repay their eligible health profession education loans — up to $40,000 — in exchange for an initial two-year service commitment to practice in health facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Opportunities are based on Indian health program facilities with the greatest staffing needs in specific health profession disciplines. As an LRP participant, you are eligible to extend your contract annually until your qualified student debt is paid. Many health professionals enter this program because of the financial benefits but find the cultural and professional rewards to be so great that they spend their entire careers working in Indian health."

So, read carefully, for an INITIAL commitment of 2 years, you get $40,000 paid off, AND if you extend for a year at a time, you get an additional $20,000 per year paid off. SO - you could POTENTIALLY see the whole kit and caboodle paid off after three years of service.

Can you do this for only three years, IF you qualify, of course, and see it all gone and the rest of your life Student Loan Debt free?? OR would you rather struggle through the next 10 or 20 or who knows how many years dealing with the "Interest Monster"??

It's sure something to think about, especially if you are single and unencumbered. Think about where you were three years AGO, and imagine yourself just now DONE with three years of service and loan repayment. That wasn't so long ago, now was it? Some people say, "I can do anything for a week, a month, a year, two years" - well, what about three?

You're asking an awful lot of whatever agency, service, or employer is involved, to pay off FOR YOU, or forgive FOR YOU, a very large voluntary debt, which you undertook apparently without really understanding all of its long term ramifications. And this in addition to paying your salary and benefits, relieving you of a student loan of that size - (read it "FREE education!) I don't think it's too much to ask that you be required to bring something significant to the table as well. Do you?

I am certainly NOT saying this is something that you MUST do. Not by a long shot, because I'm not your keeper, your parents, or your master, but I am trying to bring some reality to the situation, as others have done. If you expect someone, anyone, to do such a large "favor" for you, then you should consider it only fair that you contribute something to their benefit as well. It's not going to be easy, no matter which route you take, but I can't possibly see an easier way out of your current predicament than this!

The service is also done in Alaska Native communities, as they mention above, not just in Indian Health Service, if for whatever reason you happen to have a preference of one over the other.

My very best wishes to you as you find all your options for finding your way out of the Student Debt Maze, in which too many people find themselves interminably entangled. It's not fun to get yourself out, but you can sure have MORE fun after you do!

Yes, I did it. Twice! But, manageably, and quite a few years apart! My first student loan balance, which was combined with a part time job during prerequisite classes of two semesters; a VERY partial Pell Grant which paid for exactly one semester; a work-study grant which paid me to WORK 20 hours per week at an on-campus job for a semester - I became my A&P Professor's Lab Assistant part time after I passed both his classes with an A; and some grants from "Bank of Mom" who considered she was getting off cheap, after having provided 0 assistance in the past for any of her four children to go to any college after high school, and I was 34 at this point. Oh, the loan balance to be paid off after graduation? $600. Paid off in six months. In 1993. The second time around was more, but it also has been permanently retired. It can be done, but sometimes you just have to get creative about it.

I would love to take the advantage of the IHS program. My son does not want to move no more. We've moved enough, he is in middle school now and finally have some friends and in the honored class, if we move, he will lose them all again. I don't know. Maybe I will just have to save as much as I can and pay them off as soon as I can, and raise a healthy happy kid who will hopefully not bring much troubles home for the long run.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

This thread grew huge! I have a lot of debt. I am back in school for my MSN and my organization is helping a lot. Paid almost nothing for my BSN and a little for my ADN. My trouble is a private masters in teaching that I didn't know was going to bite me in the butt. I am in deferment, but I pat interest and more when I can. I should have a 6 figure job when I am done, and I am old. I will do the best I can to pay it and if it outlives me, so be it.

I am one that lives my life with no regrets. I drive cars forever. I am 50+ years old and have had a total of 5 cars. My husband has a good job and is a great coupon cutter and thrifty shopper. We have 2 boys that have Type 1 diabetes, which is not a cheap disease. They will not go without braces for their teeth. It is all a matter of balance. We are not debt free but we live modestly and vacations are usually museum/state parks. We don't eat out (maybe once a month). My husband did not go to college so he has no debt and we both have good life insurance for the boys when we are gone. It's all good. I know debt-free is ideal, but I am not going to stress about it.

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Specializes in ICU.

I don't know why people are getting mad. I'm actually about a start a program that costs 65K for a BSN. Living in LA it's pretty normal. Actually the West Coast University costs $160K for a BSN so maybe you're even lucky? Just get a job ASAP after graduation and slowly pay it off, it's America, everybody is in debt for something. Good luck!

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Apply for the HRSA loan repayment through the government. The next application cycle should open in January. I am a finalist this year. One of my co-workers had over $100,000 in BSN student loan debt and received 80% of her loan debt paid for 3 years of employment at our hospital.

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Specializes in ICU.

Regarding the nurse in the Philipines who graduated at 19, I worked in a teaching hospital with tons of resident physicians, interns, and medical students. Most of them were from countries outside the United States. I found that in a lot of other countries, students don't go to school for 12 years like we in the US do, but many only have to go 10 years or less to be considered a high school graduate. My fiancée, who is an anesthesiologist, graduated high school at 15, college was 3 years instead of 4, then medical school was 3 years instead of 4. By age 21, he was a full-fledged MD. He was surprised that we go so long here in the US. Also, he said our 12th grade math was like their 8th grade math.

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On a more positive note...it's difficult to finish your BSN under any life circumstances so I commend you for doing it! I have a federal nursing job and they have an education debt reduction plan offered to nurses under certain circumstances (critical care areas, particular med-surg floors). I don't owe as much as you, but I do owe a significant amount and they are paying it for me. You continue to make the payments and you get a reimbursement check from them each year for 5 years. Whatever you pay, they will match and reimburse. I have simplified it, but it's actually a relatively complicated program. But if you're willing to put in a few years and shuffle paperwork, the payoff can be big. Good luck!

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