how to pay for school

Yes, I used financial aid (student loans, loans are all I am eligible for) to pay for all of my prereq classes. I start my clinicals this fall and have already got everything set up for my financial aid for the Fall and spring semesters.

You'll be able to still apply for financial aid for the next year. You apply every year that you will be in school. You don't worry about paying it back until you are out of school. Repayment starts at 6 months out of school.

Just do your best and try not to worry about the cost. I am already 16K in debt with student loans and I'm not any where close to being done. I haven't gotten into nursing school yet.

You can also look into grants. I know of a few hospitals that will pay for your schooling if you agree to work for them after you graduate for a set number of years.

Are you by chance a military spouse? If so, I know of a few programs that are worth looking into.

no im not a military spouse. I research that my efc code means I don't have to pay anything. But, I'm just confused with the pre-req and nursing school. I am going to a nursing session this month to get a review of the program maybe I can ask then. Thanks

I am using a Pell grant to pay for my school. I am attending one Community college for my pre-req's, and everything is paid for with money left over. I will be transferring to another community college for the nursing program. The financial aid department is very helpful once you have done your FASFA(sp?) online. They should be able to tell you what to do. I feel very blessed. Three years ago, I would not have qualified for anything, but with a decrease in income, it is all covered. I'm going for an ADN, then getting by BSN after I start working as a nurse. Several hospitals in our area provide the classes onsite for employees.

Don't assume that just because your EFC is 0 that you will get everything covered 100%. You'll need to talk to your school's financial aid office.

My boyfriend went to 4.5 years of college at a state school, with anywhere from $3 to $45 as his EFC, depending on the year. He ended up with more than $20K in student loans. Loans are considered part of financial aid.

Look into scholarships as well. There are many out there that are just for financially needy people.

I am a single mother of two and my entire education (pre-reqs & nursing school for the 1st year (FY09-10)) has been paid for by financial aid with money left over every semester that I place in a savings account! Your EFC (expected family contribution) of 0 indicates how much you are expected to pay for your education. However, there are many things that will determine if it will cover all your expenses (i.e. public vs private school, in-state vs. out-of-state resident, commmunity/tech college vs. 2-year vs 4-year college, etc). You will not necessarily have to take out any loans. Trust me it can be done without them! You may also want to look into the HRSA program, ROTC opportunities, military nurse candidate programs, or the MANY nursing scholarships available to you.

BTW, the aid I receive is: PELL Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Army ROTC scholarship & monthly stipend, Project Success nursing stipend. It has proven to be more than enough for me to work with.

Good luck!!

thanks for a lot of info im gonna do some research

You can also look into grants. I know of a few hospitals that will pay for your schooling if you agree to work for them after you graduate for a set number of years.

Are you by chance a military spouse? If so, I know of a few programs that are worth looking into.

I am a military spouse! could you please give me what ever info you have?

Your EFC is actually more of an index, rather than a dollar amount. Its is somewhat complicated,but to be succinct, 0 represents the greatest amount of assistance needed. If your selected school is like mine, you wil get a combo of grants and loans, usually Staffords that are at a low fixed rate. My first year of school I had a 0 EFC and I received a Pell grant, state grant and Stafford loans. I attend a private school and the grants and loans covered by tuition and books.

That is great you are a military spouse - I am not, but I have friends who are and it helped out quite a bit when it came to paying for school.

Good luck!!!

You might want to also check out www.fastweb.com

I think it's a great website. You answer a bunch of questions and then the website will show scholarships/grants/loans that you might be eligible for.

There is also alot of information on the website on various topics and I'm sure there would probably be articles of interest to you.

I have subscribed (it's free) to fastweb for a long time. Fastweb will send emails from time to time to let you know that there is a new scholarship that you might be interested in or that a deadline is coming up for a particular scholarship or to tell you some info on a certain topic. The only thing that I don't like about Fastweb is the amount of advertisements. Don't worry though, when you click and are sent to a page regarding some school, just scroll down to the bottom of the ad and click "No thanks". It's very annoying but the positives outweigh the negatives.

Also, check out smaller groups like your local Rotary club, etc. Sometimes, they offer scholarships. And being a mom going to school, there have got to be scholarships out there for moms going to school!

Good luck in all your endeavors!

Jeanne

You should be able to use your student loans for pre reqs and nsg school. You should also try to see if you are eligible for any scholarships too. Just don't try to be like so many ppl I see that "live" off their loans and get into even more debt.