100k in debt after school!?

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 23, 2009

The debt will be a huge burden. Is there any way you can get a part time job and reduce the amount you have to borrow? Or is there any hope that you can get a grant or scholarship to help you reduce the size of that loan? That debt may be bigger that you will be able to comfortably afford. Anything you can do (such as a part time job) may well be worth the effort in the long run.

But ... do your homework. Find out "for real" what you can expect to make in the first few years of employment after graduation. Do NOT take the word of the people at the school. Remember, they are part salespeople trying to sell you their product. Be sure you know how much you can realistically expect to make as a new grad RN (not as an RN with several years experience) and how much it will cost you to live. It would be more "do-able in some communities than in some communities.

Boog'sCRRN246, RN · Sep 23, 2009

This isn't very constructive but...I'd rather be on a 5 year waiting list than graduate with $100k in debt hanging over my head. And I don't know how likely it is that you will be making $70k/year as a new grad anyway.

pcawiz · Sep 23, 2009

70k a year? wow you better be working lots and lots of overtime to get that. On average what i find in CA is most get like 25-33 an hour. I've seen some jobs on the low end as low as 18 an hour! As far as the loan you do have to consider interest rates and how long you'll be without work. Right now it is hard to predict how long it will be to find a job, but here in the bay area there are hundreds of us looking for work. On a positive note, do remember that you will be needing continuing education credits to renew your RN so you can always climb the great nursing ladder or maybe even skip a few steps! RN --> BSN --> NP/MSN, ect . Also another thing to consider is getting a LVN job or CNA job at a facility. Sometimes they offer loan assistance and/or tuition reimbursement! Even some retail jobs offer tuition reimbursement! Granted it's only like 2000 a semester or year in retail, it's still FREE money! Have you looked into scholarships? They also have a few nursing scholarships or the school might have a few you can apply for. Best of luck!

Ms.TinyRN · Sep 29, 2009

That's very high I just Finshed LPN school here in GA and received a Hope Grant I did not pay anything for my LPN. I have 30K from my BS in Biology. I choose to do LPN first so I would not get any more Loans now I plan to work somewhere where there is tuition re-emburstment. Try that first because that is a lot of money for just an LPN and RN degree. Also look for service cancelable loans for nursing students.

caliotter3 · Sep 29, 2009

If I were you I would look into WGU. Their website is http://www.wgu.edu. For $4250 each six months for two years (estimated time to completion), you can get your BSN in the LA and IE area. My math tells me that the total comes to $17,000.

Theone40 · Oct 1, 2009

A 100000 loan after you grad would be about a 900 to 1000 dollars a month you most likly have to get a private loan and they are about 10%or more depending on fico.......so if you can pay a grand + rent(mortage) +car payment + addition expensices.....then i say go for it.........i went to west coast for info and saw the huge amout of people that are intresed in their BSN program which is 120000.....but i doubt any of them have actually sat down and done the math of how much it is actually going to cost per month.....i would not go on what the reps say on what you will be making ....they will say anything to you to get you to go......and if you have any classes youve taken at a JC that helps bring the cost down plus and you can challenge some of the classes and if you pass that would also bring the cost down...

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Oct 1, 2009

that's alot of pizza's... wow... being a RN you make very good money ,, but i don't know.. is there anything cheaper?

Lovely_RN, MSN · Oct 1, 2009

Please don't do it to yourself.

I have 65k in loans (from previous BA at a university) and went back to school for my RN thinking I was guaranteed a good job and now I can't even find an RN position. I have two years experience as an LPN and employers won't even consider me. I can hardly sleep at night for thinking about how I will pay the loans I have right now and if I owed 100k I would be ready to jump off a bridge. What if you graduate and can't find a job? Then what? How will you pay those loans on an LPN salary?

These academic advisors are shills. All they are interested in is signing up another person and generating more income for their college so that they can keep their jobs. They make it seem like it's going to be so easy to find an RN job and that you will be making money hand over fist. Well nothing is guaranteed and if there is any other (cheaper) way for you to get your RN then I think you should go that route.

What if you want to get your BSN or an MSN when you are finished? You would have to rely on your hospital for tuition reimbursement because how much more could you afford to borrow after owing 100k for an ADN?

rubybaby73 · Oct 1, 2009

This was the same question I was asking during my LVN program (i graduated last yr). My instructor said- do it, it's an investment you can afford to make. You will be an RN, making money and it won't be a problem.

As of right now, it took me almost a year to actually be able to take my NCLEX, I have not gotten my results yet- so naturally I'm not working. I'm checking all the local places to find and LVN job or have an idea of what's out there.. and I can't find a thing! What I do find I'm not qualified for- they all want 1-2 years min of experience! I can't even pay the loans I have now.. I have no idea how I'll pay the loan from an RN program.

Instead I am looking at the community college program. With my LVN license I can apply to the second year of the RN program and believe it or not they have spots. I hear frequently that the wait for this program could be a few semesters.. but I'm willing to wait- to avoid the 100k in debt.

good luck to us all! :nurse:

Heather

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Oct 1, 2009

I am sorry you spent so much money getting your LVN, you must have gone to a private school? You can get your LVN at a JC for a fraction of what your debt is right now. Find a job as a LVN and get on a waiting list. Community Colleges are incredibly cheap in California. You can get your RN for under $4,000...

From a local JC in California.

Cost of the Program (approximately $3,615 total):

a. Enrollment fee ($20/unit) - $1,200

b. Required textbooks for the 4 semesters will cost approximately $1,000 - $1,500.

c. Students are required to have uniforms, white shoes and a watch with second display. See dress

code in student handbook for specifics. Approximate cost is $100-150.

d. Cost of fingerprinting/Background checks approximately $65.

e. Immunizations for students who do not have the required immunity to several communicable

diseases may cost over $220. Most are available through the Student Health Clinic for reduced

fees or at no cost to the student.

f. CPR certification costs about $50.

g. The school pin (optional) for graduation costs approximately $60-$130.

h. Licensure application costs about $300.

Music in My Heart · Oct 1, 2009

You must also consider the challenge of finding a well-paying, full-time job after graduation.

The experience of myself and my classmates is that that is not to be taken as a given.