Looking for $$ for school...

[foreverLaur]

I'm having a hard time finding legitiate scholarships to help out with nursing school. My full-time job wouldn't let me go part-time so I have a PRN job only. My family is helping me out some, but it isn't cutting it. My stafford loans are only $900/quarter and that only covers tuition + fees. It does not cover books and supplies at all. I don't make enough to pay rent, utilities, my dog (who I had long before I considered nursing school), car payment, gas, food, etc. You get the point - my bank account is quickly dwindling and living on the street doesn't sound too appealing.

I cannot take out any more loans. The interest rates are awfully high and I already have a ton of loans from my first undergraduate degree. I don't qualify for a lot of loans because I am "typical" in that I am a white female, not specific cultural/racial background, my parents went to college, they don't work for any of the organizations that sponsor students, etc. I have no children and I am not married.

How does a single white girl with no kids get a scholarship to nursing school without having to make a commitment to work at a certain place or state for a set amount of time?? I am getting married in 1.5 years and my husband's job can require him to move on a dime so that really isn't an option for me...

Please help

[Ginnym1981]

Have you tried consulting your financial aid department?

My school's scholarship packet is due in March so I have to wait until next year to apply for those but my nursing program has a special one that I just applied for. (our dean emailed us the info)

I also get a childcare grant through OSAC which is my states website...maybe try looking up your states website.....Google this: (insert your state) Student Assistance

Good luck! It's pretty time consuming but worth it!

[3xmom]

If your not married yet, and don't live with your parents, you should be able to obtain a pell grant--maybe not the full amount but every little bit helps. If you are currently working for a hospital have you checked to see if they have any sort of financial assistance available, thats how my sister got her ADN, the hospital she worked for paid for it.

[foreverLaur]

If your not married yet, and don't live with your parents, you should be able to obtain a pell grant--maybe not the full amount but every little bit helps. If you are currently working for a hospital have you checked to see if they have any sort of financial assistance available, thats how my sister got her ADN, the hospital she worked for paid for it.

I don't qualify for a Pell Grant because I already have a bachelors degree. I am contingent at the hospital so I do not qualify for any benefits (including tuition reimbursement). It is also a university medication center so they only offer tuition reimbursement at their own program (which I intend to take full advantage of for my masters). I also work at a pharmacy, a job that I took as they offer $2,000 a year of tuition reimbursement. However, they recently dropped that benefit as they lost a ton of money in 2010.

I have met with two financial aid counselors at my school. We sat down and went through all the available scholarships and determined I qualified for a whole whopping 1 of them, for $500/yr, which I didn't get. I also don't qualify for a lot of scholarships because they want a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher. My first degree I slacked off big time in because I didn't like what I was doing and didn't know what I wanted to do. I graduated, discovered nursing, and started taking prerequisites. I now have a 3.9 GPA there over 40 credit hours, but I still don't qualify since my cumulative (with over 200 credit hours) is still below a 3.0.

I filled out the FAFSA and all I qualified for was $900/quarter of subsidized stafford loans.