Potential male student needing help!!!

Skeletor · Feb 7, 2009

Since you're black, you'd qualify to apply for one or more of the many Negro College Fund scholarships:

http://www.uncf.org/forstudents/scholarshipresults.asp?Alphabet=&Major=97&Class=&State=47&Score=&Flag=1&Title=&suc=Y

Good luck Terence:cool:

notthereyet0 · Feb 8, 2009

Terence:

I have a degree also and I qualify for the guaranteed federal loan program, not sure what the name is. I am going to a state school and live at home so the expenses are mostly covered by the loan. I will pay it back when I get a job or have my employer pay it(wouldn't that be nice?) Ask at your financial aid office. Also, since you are African American, you will qualify for a lot more resources than some of us so take advantage of what you can!! Good luck.

UVA Grad Nursing · Feb 8, 2009

The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation has given a number of schools money to make nursing more diverse (in terms of ethnicity and gender). These are for accelerated BSN or Direct-Entry MSN programs. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/NewsReleases/2008/RWJawards.html

My program is one of the recipeints, and all men and all students of color were awarded $10,000 scholarships this year. I also awards available for the cohort entering this year. We've already submitted a grant request to continue this in the 2010 entering cohort as well.

CAguyinMO · Feb 9, 2009

Hey there, Terence. Welcome to the forum and the world of pre-nursing. It is absolutely *not* correct that you do not or will not qualify for student loans because you already have a bachelor's degree in another field. You will NOT be eligible for federally funded and most state-funded grants. But you should be eligible for the main federal student loan program (the Stafford loan program).

In addition, there's no reason why you have to spend a lot of money to get a nursing degree. Check out the programs at your local community colleges. You can get a two-year degree for very little money. You'll likely have to get onto a waiting list, but getting an associate's degree at a community college, if that's the route you want to take, can be relatively inexpensive.

Good luck!

Donn

VCUBen · Feb 10, 2009

Well Ca Guy this idea would only be revelant if he has a BS becasue if he were looking to go on to grad nursing school a BSN and/or BS are required. I am a male nursing student as well but i didnt get a dime becasue i was male. Male nursing is on the rise and the only reason UVA is giving that much money is becasue they can. Alumni is a wonderful thing. UVA has a great nursing school but it is very diffciult to get into, especially their Accelerated programs. Either way nursing is the way to go in my opinion so stay with it. Money is the last thing you will have to worry about these days it is possible to work enough while in undergrad to support yourself if you scale down your life and if you have other people to support. Worst case scenario you get a stafford loan and you will be straight. Nursing schools in your state will be a lot cheaper and NC has some world class ones. Start looking in you neighborhood first. In-state staus is like a gift from the FIN-AID Gods.

Good luck,

Feel free to ask me anyother questions, I have truly been their, done that with paying for college via finaical aid.

UVA Grad Nursing · Feb 11, 2009

VCU:

I am with you 100% about looking at instate programs. This can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the large, private schools that are tuition-driven. Most of my graduate students (including the Direct Entry students) are in-state (approximately 80%) which allows my financial aid to go farther both in terms of my instate students (nearly everyone is getting some scholarship ranging from 25-100%), but in terms of diversifying my Direct Entry class. I give out over $1 million/year in grad scholarships and stipends. (including 100% scholarship to all PHD students).

NursingMajor 704: definitely look at your instate schools there in NC. But if you have your heart set on something out of state, consider moving first and then becoming an instate student there. The law, medical, and MBA programs here in Charlottesville have hundreds of students who moved to VA just for the purpose of applying as an instate student (and saving tuition dollars). I considered doing the same before I went off to grad school myself in Ann Arbor.

TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP · Feb 19, 2009

Since you have your bachelor's already, you can enroll in a master's-entry program which will make you eligible for federally-backed GradPLUS loans. In fact, this gaming of the system is one of the reasons schools are moving from doing ABSN programs to DE-MSN programs.

Rook · Feb 21, 2009

You can go into an accelerated BSN track (3 semesters) if you want. I'm not sure who told you you cant get federal loans but me and my gf (she has a masters) got 5-6K/semester for a school that cost 3.5K/sem and I had a BS plus made $24/hr. You could still get federal loans as well from the govt as well as pell grants if you don't make much money so apply. Always take federal money even if you don't need it. Its cheap money given that you can deduct the taxes from your future taxes.

Also some hospitals will pay for your education if you agree to work at the place for say 6-12mo/semester used.

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Feb 24, 2009

In addition to all the other advice above, check out www.fastweb.com. There are a lot of scholarships out there with plenty of money to be had. Fastweb is a good metacrawler as you can refine your search criteria.

I also have a BS & didn't qualify for PELL grants, but was able to getting enough scholarship money so that I wound up only paying for my fees & books.

Good luck.