Living While in CRNA School

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Wondering if someone could help me... I'm hoping to start school next July. I plan to save money and work during breaks and such. I will take out loans for school but does any one know how to get money to live off of for the duration of school. I would just like for someone to point me in the right direction as far as money to live off of. What type of loans, grants, etc. are out there for living expenses for a graduate student? Any information or comments would be helpful.

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I am lucky and have a spouse. I do know that those who are single live off of their school loans and any money that they have saved prior to school.

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Specializes in heading for NICU.

My hubby is getting a masters degree right now, and his loan through CitiBank pays out the maximum allowable for his courses, which means at the end of each semester we get money back. The tuition is paid and the rest is sent to us via check. We are using that extra money which is a about $4000 every semester to pay for my nursing schooling. It's not enough for someone to live off of depending on your situation, but it does help, so maybe if you save up as much as you can first and then get a loan that pays out the max, then you might be able to do it. Of course the lower your tuition costs are the more money you get back. His tuition is around $400 per credit hour, I'm not sure what the cost is for CRNA school though. If you own a home you could also open a line of cedit, like a home equity line of credit that can be used for emergencies or to cover your bills here and there. The best thing to do is cut back on every expense you can and live as cheaply as possible while you're going to school. It can be done!

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
I am lucky and have a spouse. ....

Good strategy. I've known many couples who would take turns working: as one spouse studies for another academic step upward, the other spouse works; then, next step accomplished, vice versa.

I'm also reminded of a successful couple I know: she's an OB-GYN doc, he's an entrepreneur whose latest venture is a winery. People ask him, "John, how do you make a go of it, just growing grapes and making wine?" He tells them, "First you marry an OB-GYN."

!

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loans, loans, and more loans. that is how everyone i know does it. also, there aren't many breaks in this grad program so don't expect to supplement your income much with that. if your single you will be fine. if your not, then you will need to take out supplemental loans to make it. it can be done though. a lot of us are doing it right now.

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Single, out-of-state student here with 10 months to go before graduation. made it through the first year with leftovers from Federal Loans, cashing in my retirement (not the best idea) and taking out a 30K loan from Bank of America.

Second year starts and all the loaners got together and now give loans based on what schools say their "projected costs" should be, even for credit based. my school only stated 23,104. already in the hole to start my second year off.

the thing that will absolutely kill you are existing credit cards while in school. you need to pay these off cards ASAP and don't use them during school. yes, lifestyles for us all have decreased since school start, but it is what you have to do to survive. auto loans don't exactly help either.

think $300 bucks a month might help and aren't afraid of 16 guage needles? go donate plasma with all the homeless and crackheads in your hometown. you might even see some broke students from your college there also.

don't laugh, it makes the majority of the toyota tacoma payment each month.

now i just gotta find some *other* dontation center and i will be set....

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Specializes in Surgical Services.
Single, out-of-state student here with 10 months to go before graduation. made it through the first year with leftovers from Federal Loans, cashing in my retirement (not the best idea) and taking out a 30K loan from Bank of America.

Second year starts and all the loaners got together and now give loans based on what schools say their "projected costs" should be, even for credit based. my school only stated 23,104. already in the hole to start my second year off.

the thing that will absolutely kill you are existing credit cards while in school. you need to pay these off cards ASAP and don't use them during school. yes, lifestyles for us all have decreased since school start, but it is what you have to do to survive. auto loans don't exactly help either.

think $300 bucks a month might help and aren't afraid of 16 guage needles? go donate plasma with all the homeless and crackheads in your hometown. you might even see some broke students from your college there also.

don't laugh, it makes the majority of the toyota tacoma payment each month.

now i just gotta find some *other* dontation center and i will be set....

Who buys plasma?? I am so poor and I have another year of RN school...

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Single, out-of-state student here with 10 months to go before graduation. made it through the first year with leftovers from Federal Loans, cashing in my retirement (not the best idea) and taking out a 30K loan from Bank of America.

Second year starts and all the loaners got together and now give loans based on what schools say their "projected costs" should be, even for credit based. my school only stated 23,104. already in the hole to start my second year off.

the thing that will absolutely kill you are existing credit cards while in school. you need to pay these off cards ASAP and don't use them during school. yes, lifestyles for us all have decreased since school start, but it is what you have to do to survive. auto loans don't exactly help either.

think $300 bucks a month might help and aren't afraid of 16 guage needles? go donate plasma with all the homeless and crackheads in your hometown. you might even see some broke students from your college there also.

don't laugh, it makes the majority of the toyota tacoma payment each month.

now i just gotta find some *other* dontation center and i will be set....

Haha, the *other* donation center is better (I donated plasma in my undergrad days)- pays more, takes less time, you can donate more often, and no needles. Shouldnt be too hard to find, you just have to get over the stigma of going into one of those places, and unfortunately for most nurses, you have to be a guy. :rolleyes:

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Who buys plasma?? I am so poor and I have another year of RN school...

If you are at a large enough city to support a nursing program, there should be a plasma donation center near you. Type "plasma donation center" and your town in for Yahoo! search and see what comes up or talk to some lab people at your hospital.

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Haha, the *other* donation center is better (I donated plasma in my undergrad days)- pays more, takes less time, you can donate more often, and no needles. Shouldnt be too hard to find, you just have to get over the stigma of going into one of those places, and unfortunately for most nurses, you have to be a guy. :rolleyes:

Ain't one near me, unfortunately. Atlanta is too far to drive. No such stigma exists on my part.

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Specializes in CVICU.
Single, out-of-state student here with 10 months to go before graduation. made it through the first year with leftovers from Federal Loans, cashing in my retirement (not the best idea) and taking out a 30K loan from Bank of America.

Second year starts and all the loaners got together and now give loans based on what schools say their "projected costs" should be, even for credit based. my school only stated 23,104. already in the hole to start my second year off.

the thing that will absolutely kill you are existing credit cards while in school. you need to pay these off cards ASAP and don't use them during school. yes, lifestyles for us all have decreased since school start, but it is what you have to do to survive. auto loans don't exactly help either.

think $300 bucks a month might help and aren't afraid of 16 guage needles? go donate plasma with all the homeless and crackheads in your hometown. you might even see some broke students from your college there also.

don't laugh, it makes the majority of the toyota tacoma payment each month.

now i just gotta find some *other* dontation center and i will be set....

So even with grad programs they limit the amount you take out to what your program says is the max cost for the year?

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So even with grad programs they limit the amount you take out to what your program says is the max cost for the year?

If you apply for a loan, say through Sallie Mae and still have a job with verifiable income, then this org will loan you about 40K if you want it. Try and apply for a loan after you have quit your job and it is solely credit based, even with co-signer, they all got together this year and changed things. Try it yourself and see what your school allows. Go to bankone.com or bankofamerica.com and act like you are going to apply for a loan. It will ask what school you plan to attend and it will show you the loan amount for that school. You don't have to follow through with the loan application, just look at what your school allows.

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