Need advice: Paying for Nursing school

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I'm a current student making a transition to Nursing. Previous degree in Psychology. Overall GPA is a 2.7. Last 60 a 3.0. Worked for two hospice companies as a patient care representative, one volunteer and one paid. No CNA license (yet).

I'm not even sure I will get accepted at any accelerated nursing programs but i'm going to apply anyway for the spring/summer semester of 2017. My biggest problem, though, is that i've already racked up 60k in student loan debt. Now i'm looking at applying to programs that are around the same sum of money for a year's worth of education. Being six figures in debt is terrifying..

However, i'd feel much better if I knew there were hospitals that would pay a good chunk of if not all of my student loan debt from that nursing degree. Do some hospitals do this? Also, i'm looking in to the Rural health initiative to see if there are programs that will pay for my student loans in exchange for 3-4 years or more of service in an underserved part of the country...Do these opportunities exist?

I'm dreading having to skip out on a one year program to apply at a 2-year CC program just because I can't afford to pay the tuition.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I found this page through a google search: Complete Guide to Student Loan Forgiveness for Nurses | Student Loan Hero

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Specializes in Emergency.

I would also look for scholarships. I am not in my nursing program yet, but I am searching for scholarships and paying attention to application criteria and deadlines so that I'm prepared and ready to apply when it's time. I also have previous student loans in the 10s of thousands and don't want more if I can avoid it!

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I'm a current student making a transition to Nursing. Previous degree in Psychology. Overall GPA is a 2.7. Last 60 a 3.0. Worked for two hospice companies as a patient care representative, one volunteer and one paid. No CNA license (yet).

I'm not even sure I will get accepted at any accelerated nursing programs but i'm going to apply anyway for the spring/summer semester of 2017. My biggest problem, though, is that i've already racked up 60k in student loan debt. Now i'm looking at applying to programs that are around the same sum of money for a year's worth of education. Being six figures in debt is terrifying..

However, i'd feel much better if I knew there were hospitals that would pay a good chunk of if not all of my student loan debt from that nursing degree. Do some hospitals do this? Also, i'm looking in to the Rural health initiative to see if there are programs that will pay for my student loans in exchange for 3-4 years or more of service in an underserved part of the country...Do these opportunities exist?

I'm dreading having to skip out on a one year program to apply at a 2-year CC program just because I can't afford to pay the tuition.

I'm in a similar situation. I have a master's degree so I'm already in triple figures.Trust me..you do NOT want to be there. I'm opting for the CC route--paying cash for all of the non-nursing classes (A&P 1 and 2, pharm) and then saving enough money to pay for tuition over the next two years. That's the plan anyway.

Could you work at a hospital that pays for your college?

Here's another guide to financial assistance:

Page not found | Discover Nursing

60% of your debt will be forgiven if you work in areas of high need. You would apply through the Nurse Corps Repayment Program:

Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program

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You're not going to find an employer that will offer you enough money to cover an ABSN program. Most tuition reimbursement programs are less than $10k per year.

You obviously have used all your stafford loans, so unless you can get a parent PLUS loan or a private loan you are pretty much screwed.

Go to a community college and get your ASN

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Specializes in Emergency.
You're not going to find an employer that will offer you enough money to cover an ABSN program. Most tuition reimbursement programs are less than $10k per year.

You obviously have used all your stafford loans, so unless you can get a parent PLUS loan or a private loan you are pretty much screwed.

Go to a community college and get your ASN

I was maxed out and appealed for more loans successfully. I even received more PELL funds.

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I was maxed out and appealed for more loans successfully. I even received more PELL funds.

It can't be much more though, can it? Certainly not enough to cover an ABSN program. I would go the ASN route. I have a BA and that made the most sense for me to do.

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Specializes in PACU.

I would pay down that $60K you already have before even starting nursing school. The highest student loan forgiveness I have seen so far was $25K, which I believe required a 3 minimum commitment. You do NOT want to be in triple digit debt. It can hold you back from owning a home, etc. and will take a huge chunk of your take home pay for a significant portion of your career.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

It's a long shot, but some rural hospitals do offer tuition assistance or even scholarships in return for a work commitment. You may want to investigate this if you can. Tuition reimbursement benefits in healthcare are usually very low.... not unusual for them to be

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I get a lot of information from Youtube and other online resources check out this video on federal program which pays up to $120K in loans in exchange for work

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You do NOT want to be in triple digit debt. It can hold you back from owning a home, etc. and will take a huge chunk of your take home pay for a significant portion of your career.

Totally agree with this advice! Most definitely get your current student loan debt down before taking out any more. You'll thank yourself later.

Definitely make sure you fill out a FAFSA. I'm not sure how much money you make, but you never know if you may qualify for any grants. It would not hurt to fill it out, even if you're pretty positive you would not qualify. Do it any way!

Apply for as many scholarships as you can. There are literally so many scholarships for so many things, the more you apply to, the better your odds!

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I would do a two year degree, work as a nurse, save your cash, then do the ABSN (perhaps with tuition assistance from your workplace). There is no way I'd accumulate more debt to cut my schooling by a year. When all is said and done with my BSN, I'll have zero debt, despite it taking longer to achieve.

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