Money for school when "we do not participate in federal student loans"

[RightMeowRN, ASN]

So I have been accepted to and start the RN program at the tech college I attend this coming January. I have a 4.0 GPA so far on all the core courses. I've been paying out of pocket for these classes, but there should be the ability to get student loans. The school will not provide loans unless they are local and private. If your taxes do not say you're dirt poor or homeless, they are unobtainable. I've been told "there is simply nothing we can do for you". As household income on paper appears too high. I've never heard of a school that will not get you fed loans to help offset the financial hardship full time schooling places on an individual and their families. I feel lost and don't know what to do as tuition is due in 2 months. Has anybody been through this situation?? Thank you in advance!!

[elkpark]

Welcome to allnurses! :balloons:

It may not be a matter of the school not choosing to offer federal student loans as much as it is that the school doesn't qualify for federal student loans (doesn't meet the federal government's standards for schools to be eligible to participate), although some schools do just choose not to participate. Here's a link regarding the requirements:

https://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/attachments/0910FSAHbkVol2Ch1School.pdf

A school has to qualify in order for its students to be eligible for aid, and it sounds like your school is telling you that it doesn't.

I hope you are able to find a solution -- best wishes!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I wholeheartedly support what Elkpark said. Most schools WANT to participate in the federal student loan program. If the school you plan to attend does not, find out WHY before investing any money there. It may be that they are of such poor quality that they don't qualify to participate. Make sure they are a reputable program that is properly accredited and that other institutions respect them enough to accept the academic credit they offer.

Good luck to you.

[RightMeowRN, ASN]

Thank you for the replies. It's heartbreaking to have gotten a high score on the HESI/perfect GPA/accepted into the RN program only to find out there is no aid available to help pay for the tuition and cost of living during the RN program

[shiftingtides]

I would maybe look into another program. I hate to say it, but even most for-profit schools qualify for federal aid/loans. That this one does not is a red flag to me (and I'm not against for-profit schools in general because they can be a good option in some cases).

If you're doing that well in classes and on testing, hopefully you can find another program. Unless by some (tiny) chance this program is very affordable and a semester off would allow you to save enough to pay for it.

[beekee]

Huge red flag. I would venture a guess that this school and the nursing program are not accredited. You want to make sure your nursing program is accredited by either ACEN or CCNE. If it is not, it may adversely impact your ability to find a job and pursue a higher nursing degree.

The Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing (ACEN) accredits all types of nursing education programs including master's, baccalaureate, associate's and diploma. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits programs that offer only master's and baccalaureate level nursing degrees.