Paying for Nursing School

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So Ive gotten accepted into a BSN program:) im very excited but the tuiton is a little pricey Ive had to take out a lot of loans to fund my education.Ive talked to a lot of RN's I know and they tell me this is perfectly normal and some people tell me to "stay away" from loans.My question is how does everyone feel about loans did you guys need a lot to pay for RN school?Any suggestions of scholarships and such would be great also!!

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Specializes in LTC.

Most of my education was funded through scholarships. I did take out a total of 10, 000 for some of my classes and live off money. I really don't want to get any more loans. My goal is to complete my RN ADN and have my employer pay for BSN.

At my current job they do have tuition assistance. I don't even have to pay upfront.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

I think that it's excellent that you are carefully weighing the pros and cons of taking out loans. HOWEVER, I think that one of the problems with seeking advice on AN is that, while it's great that we can get supportive advice on here, the advice is most relevant to a specific region.

In my opinion, you should consider how much you will earn as a nurse, how soon you willl be able to work/how you'll repay the debt and the availability of cheaper programs.

For example, in my area, the community colleges are lottery - not wait list, which means you might get in or might not- it's totally random. I've heard that it's taken 3-4 years of applying 2 times for some people to get in.

The alternative entry level LVN + bridge ADN programs cost $60K! So, in my opinion, as much as I think debt is bad, a person has to consider taking out loans if they are serious about going to nursing school.

As for me: I'm not willing to pay that for an ADN, but I will not eliminate a certain BSN program in my area (SMU) just because it costs $60K.

Some of my friends at school have mentioned that if a person takes out loans in these amounts, it's important to find work and then live just like you are still a starving student for the first year or 2 while you focus on paying them off.

HTH!

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I am taking out student loans for school because that is the only option for me. I admit I am nervous about not getting hired anywhere right away and having to pay back the loans without any income. I would consider this possibility before you take out loans. Do you have a back up plan to pay them back if you aren't working? For me, its a gamble and hope its worth the risk.

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I have avoided loans so far! I have had financial aid for most of my stuff. I am in an ADN program, so it's relatively cheap. My hubby is a teacher and doing summer school to pay for my fall and spring semesters and books so we don't have to have loans. He will do the same next summer too. he's pretty awesome!

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Thanks everyone for your responses @vintagemother I love your idea of still living like a student after I graduate thats a great idea.But I live in FL and its very hard to get in an Rn program here and I got in on the first try so what i will do is try to get good with the HR's where i do my clinicals so I can get a job LOL!@ vegasmomma I understand 100% I feel any thing worth having is not easy or cheap LOL! So we just have to roll with the punches this is the career we chose!!

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