Paying for nursing schools?..ouch!!

student4ever · May 31, 2005

I recently graduated from UWSP (unversity wisconsin stevens point) .. I obtained a BS degree in Health promotion. My GPA is a meesly 2.93...hardly good enough to get into a public nursing school...however I've heard that the private schools are easier to get into. I am currently undergoing tranfer evaulations from a few of these campuses and looks like I may be able to get in one of them.
As I am a poor mofo, I recieved financial aid throughout earning my prior degree. I still have no money, however I still wanna be a nurse! My prior major supplied many prereqs needed for nursing school making the process easier. This fall I will get my CNA. Hopefully I will get picked up by a nursing school in the spring!
What are the odds of getting hired by a hospital and have them co-pay for your education, providing I have all of my previously listed credentials? I've heard of instances where people who were CNA's, signed a contract obligating them to work for their hospital for a few years in turn for helping them with school costs.
Is this just crazy......NE one got ant ideas of how to pay for school? Will financial aid pay for two BS degrees?
I have a few questions about paying for nursing school.

Many hospitals have programs for tuition reimbursement or scholarships, both of which usually require working for that hospital for a certain amount of time in order to consider their "loan" forgiven. Most hospitals though require you to have been an employee for a certain amount of time before you're eligible for tuition reimbursemnt - not sure about scholarships. My hospital's program has you working 2 hours for every dollar they pay towards school - to me that sounds really high, especially if you're considering a private school, since they cost more than state schools. The nursing scholarships at our hospital have you working one year at the hospital for every year you recieve the scholarship, but those are often based on GPA, though financial need does factor in. Check with the financial aid departments at the schools you're interested in. A lot of private schools have pretty good financial aid/scholarship programs because they know it costs a lot to go to a private school. Perhaps a combination of hospital tuition program with financial aid/scholarship through your school could cover the majority of your cost?

I don't know much about whether or not you can get federal aid for a second degree - it wouldn't hurt to fill out your FAFSA anyways, and call them to find out how likely it is you could get any loans. From what I understand, it's pretty easy to get those loans, so maybe they would - especially for nursing, given the shortage of nurses right now. Good luck, I hope you can find the financing to realize your dream - somehow that always seems to be the toughest part for most people!

Tony35NYC · May 31, 2005

Hello,

If you already received federal aid for one bachelor's degree it is unlikely that you will receive it again for another bachelor's degree. I tried it, and it was refused. Still, you should fill out the FAFSA because you may qualify for other types of aid, including scholarships, that require proof of financial need. Here's a valuable piece of advice: don't just rely on what the financial aid office tells you. Go to the nursing department and ask about scholarships and financial assistance specific to the nursing program. Some states offer special loans or debt forgiveness programs to students who agree to work in underserved communities for a certain period. Also check out discovernursing.com.