stressing- how do you pay for nursing school

gamecock_24 · Nov 10, 2011

FIRST - get your mom to take you off her income tax as a dependent. You have to your return separately - even if you had very little or no income. This will set up your status as 'independent' and make you eligible for financial aid. That's what I did with both my kids when they graduated HS. It hurt my tax return, but the overall payoff in terms of financial aid was worth it.

Avoid private loans if you possibly can. That's a real trap - it essentially mortgages your future. Talk to college financial aid counselors. They have current information about potential sources of private funding such as little-known scholarships and grants.

Good luck!!!

I just want to say that is not necessarily true. When my husband was attending college we could not get him declared as an independent student. He had not lived with his mother since the start of his senior year of high school and was never filed on his parent's income taxes as a dependent. We tried may avenues to get this resolved, but because he was not 24, not married (we were engaged at the time), and he did not have a child he still did not qualify for independent status. He was also working. On top of all of that his mom refused to provide her tax information so he could get some financial aid.

I would contact your school's financial aid office and find out why you are getting so little in loan money??? Also inquire about grants or scholarships that your school may offer. Also as others have mentioned do not buy a $2000 computer unless it is mandatory that you buy a specific computer. Also take the advice of others that have mentioned purchasing your books from other sources. You would be surprised at how much that can really save you!

GOOD LUCK!

skyegirl · Nov 11, 2011

I just want to say that is not necessarily true. When my husband was attending college we could not get him declared as an independent student. He had not lived with his mother since the start of his senior year of high school and was never filed on his parent's income taxes as a dependent. We tried may avenues to get this resolved, but because he was not 24, not married (we were engaged at the time), and he did not have a child he still did not qualify for independent status. He was also working. On top of all of that his mom refused to provide her tax information so he could get some financial aid.
I would contact your school's financial aid office and find out why you are getting so little in loan money??? Also inquire about grants or scholarships that your school may offer. Also as others have mentioned do not buy a $2000 computer unless it is mandatory that you buy a specific computer. Also take the advice of others that have mentioned purchasing your books from other sources. You would be surprised at how much that can really save you!
GOOD LUCK!

I am sorry, but something there doesn't add up. If he files his own taxes, which he should be doing by 24, and he is "head of household", there is NO WAY that he wouldn't qualify for independent status.

gamecock_24 · Nov 11, 2011

I am sorry, but something there doesn't add up. If he files his own taxes, which he should be doing by 24, and he is "head of household", there is NO WAY that he wouldn't qualify for independent status.

He was under the age of 24 when all of this took place and he did file his own taxes, but he was living at my parents house because my parents took him in while we were still in high school because his dad was an abusive alcoholic and his mom was not worried about him. We spoke to several financial aid officers and spoke to somebody with FAFSA.

Here is the information from the FAFSA website which indicates that he did not qualify as an independent student.

If you can answer No to all of the following questions, you are considered a dependent student on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA):

Were you born before January 1, 1988? He was not born before the date at the time he applied for financial aid.
As of today are you married? We were engaged not married at the time.
At the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.)?He was trying to earn a Bachelor's degree.
Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training? Not in the military
Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?See Answer above
Do you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012?Again answer was NO
Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2012? No dependents
At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of the court?No
As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor?He was never emancipated as a minor because he was 18 when he moved in with my parents.
As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you in legal guardianship?No
At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?No
At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?No
At any time on or after July 1, 2010, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?No

If you are considered a dependent student, your parents must answer the parental questions on the FAFSA.

If you can answer Yes to any of the questions above, you are considered an independent student and information about your parents is not required on the FAFSA .

Note: Health profession students may be required to provide parental information regardless of their dependency status.

If you have a special circumstance that prevents you from providing parental information you may be able to submit your FAFSA. However, your FAFSA will be incomplete. You must contact the financial office at your college and provide them with documentation to verify your situation.

So according to the information provided by the website based on dependent and independent status he was still considered dependent. Like I said we spoke to several financial aid officers at his school concerning his situation and there was nothing we could do for him to be considered as an independent student.

kids · Nov 11, 2011

On my FAFSA, I had the option to put my parents' information and they did encourage it because I'm a healthcare student, but it wasn't required. I've been in the workforce for a little over 2 years, so I'm not sure if that had something to do with it being encouraged but not required.

Click the second link (to the fafsa website) that I posted. It states:

Health profession students must provide parents' information on the FAFSA. Although your parents' information is required on your application, your parents' signature is not required.

DarkBluePhoenix · Nov 11, 2011

Luckily my fiancee is going to pitch in and help me quit my job for the first semester. Afterwards I will apply to challenge the CNA test (mine will expire before the semesters over and I still haven't had luck finding a job...) and try to work as a CNA at the clinical site my school goes to...that is IF I get into the program.....

I would, like everyone else said, try to get Nurse Assistant certified and work part time as that, if you can try to get into a hospital (unlikely) because they pay the best. If you can only work at a nursing home then I guess thats what you will have to do and they barely pay over minimum wage....

A friend of mine is trying to save up before she starts whatever program she gets into....but the rest she has to get a loan to live off of...that is what you may have to do. Be careful though, because nursing jobs aren't plentiful and you may not find a job for months after graduation, granted you graduate and pass the boards.....

You gotta do what you gotta do

bhanson · Nov 11, 2011

I am sorry, but something there doesn't add up. If he files his own taxes, which he should be doing by 24, and he is "head of household", there is NO WAY that he wouldn't qualify for independent status.

Unfortunately that is how it works. There is very specific criteria they use to determine if parental income is figured into your expected family contribution (EFC).

I am 23 and file my own taxes. I completely support myself and have not had parental financial support for a while. I am still required to list my parents' income on the FAFSA and it is figured into how much I am eligible for.

CrazierThanYou · Nov 11, 2011

I am sorry, but something there doesn't add up. If he files his own taxes, which he should be doing by 24, and he is "head of household", there is NO WAY that he wouldn't qualify for independent status.

I had the same situation. I'd been claiming myself on my taxes since I was 16 but until I had a baby at 24, I still had to include my parents income.

I have 3 laptops that all came from ebay for around $150. They work great. If you shop around, you can find books for super cheap usually. By investing some time in looking at probably every single used book source online, I found a $70 book for $5. It does take some time but I almost always save tons of money.

Can you find a cheaper school? Tuition at mine only runs about $800 a semester, not too bad. I pay for it myself unless my dad kicks in a little. I already have a degree so I can't get Pell.

I also work weekends as a CNA/med tech at a memory care center.

Good luck!

CNA2day · Feb 1, 2012

thanks for the replies.

unfortunately I have to buy that EXACT computer for nursing school or they actually KICK YOU OUT of the program! I also can NOT buy it used as the warranty has to be in my name or they will KICK ME OUT! Isn't that just a ripoff!! Obviously the school is getting some money back on students purchasing these things!

I do plan on buying my books online if I can. My school seems to be tricky and somehow gets books printed only for the school... you can not find them anywhere else and the isbn numbers do not match. This year I had to buy a book for $150.00 (speech book). It had to be ordered from the bookstore(it didn't exist anywhere else), when I got it it had my school name printed on the front and was THREE HOLE PUNCHED!!

what a ripoff!!!

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions... I am still not sure what I will be doing but I am not freaking out as much!

Raven Sierra, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2012

On my FAFSA, I had the option to put my parents' information and they did encourage it because I'm a healthcare student, but it wasn't required. I've been in the workforce for a little over 2 years, so I'm not sure if that had something to do with it being encouraged but not required.

Likewise for me. I'm 30 and married for almost 8 years. I haven't been supported by my parents since my marriage. I just did my FAFSA renewal, and it was optional for me to include my parents' information. Obviously, I did not.

anonymousstudent · Feb 1, 2012

2K for a computer?! What???? Probably a piece of crap too...

Work. Pay as you go. If you don't have enough money, go slowly, and save so that when you actually start the nursing portion of your education, you can move through it.

Don't take a loan. And yes people, it is possible. I worked and scrimped and saved so that I could do this without carrying forward debt.

Wrench Party · Feb 1, 2012

1) Buy your books online. If you just need them for reference, you can get older editions dirt cheap.

2) Try to work part time during school. Every little bit counts.

3) My little Lenova laptop cost $300. I have a hard case for it so it won't get damaged.

4) Try to apply for as many scholarships as you can. I did this last year and ended up with one. It took the

stress to save everything for my tuition, off of my list of worries.

5) Try to save money by avoiding driving by yourself- take public transportation, carpool, etc.

coonkine · Feb 2, 2012

Work for a year to save money to cover what your pell grant won't (5550) OR rely on loans.

If you will be 24 next year, you will be considered an independent student for the that school year (ex, you turn 24 in Oct of 2013, you will be considered independent for 2013-2014).

If you make little-no income, you will have a EFC of 0. If not, you can appeal to your finaid office to adjust your EFC on the basis you will not be working like you did the previous year in school (loss of income; they will let you know the documents you need to support your appeal. If you have them to justify your appeal, they will grant it).