Student loans, ugh!

[Brian, ASN, RN]

Student loans are a way of life for many of us. And...with the cost of an education rising every year, it often takes years to pay them off. How many years are you planning to take to pay off your student loans?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I've been paying them off for 7 years... probably have about 5 left, unless I hit the lottery.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Been paying for seems like forever, and will be for a few more years. But I was lucky. I went to school when interest rates were crazy low, my payments are tiny and at 1.025% interest I really didn't care if it was taking me 20 years to pay off my loans.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

When I returned to school to attend an LPN-to-RN completion program in early 2009, I amassed $12,700 in federal student loans. The subsidized ones were at 5.6% interest and the unsubsidized ones were at 6.8% interest. The loans went into repayment status in October 2010 and I had them paid off in full by October 2013.

I will start an online BSN degree completion program on May 1st and will pay for the tuition with cash as I go. I initially applied for financial aid, but the financial aid department at the school kept screwing it up, so I opted for self-pay.

[NurseSN45696]

I am in the process of applying for student loans so this thread caught my eye! I've gotten the max in federal and am now beginning to search for private

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Zero. College paid in full by an awesome set of parents.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Too long. College is becoming unavailable to so many people due to cost. Something needs to be done.

[rachel0609, ADN, RN]

Too long. College is becoming unavailable to so many people due to cost. Something needs to be done.

I don't quite understand this comment, yes there are a lot of over the top expensive schools out there . If you work hard, get good grades, apply for scholarships, grants etc. there are plenty of affordable schools and options to getting a good education . My parents weren't in a position to help with my education, I worked and put myself through school. Was is easy , no, but it made me work harder knowing what was at stake.

So I'm sorry, but I don't agree with your comment that college is becoming unavailable.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I don't agree with your comment that college is becoming unavailable.

Although college is not unavailable, we cannot forget that the cost of tuition is rising faster than wages.

Since 1978 the price of college has increased in absolute dollars by 1120 percent, more than any other good or service in the U.S. economy.

The Price of College Has Increased 1120 Percent Since 1978, So Is It Worth It? - The Daily Beast

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I will have my own student loan payments due this year. My other degrees (LPN and ADN) were paid out of pocket by myself and a wealthy aunt who saw the value of education, a passionate niece and a family that refused to help. So I would clean her house, weed her garden and she would give me book or tuition monies to help offset my cost of living and keep me from working 2 full time jobs.

With my BSN, I have student loans (plus my kids, lol), but I will be paying on mine for a few years. I'm hoping to get mine paid off in 3 years max. I will be working some overtime to help offset the cost.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I'm on the 25 year repayment plan, thanks to high interest rates and putting the loans in deferment/forbearance. I'm almost at the end and I will be so glad to finally be rid of them once and for all! I think it is the most dangerous and toxic debt out there and many people are drowning in student loan debt without a decent paying job to pay them back. We are lucky that at least nursing pays a living wage and we have the opportunity for overtime that many others with a BA degree don't have!

[EyeheartNursing_RN]

Sad to say but my student loans will be my lowest priority. I will pay on time and hopefully be done in less than 15 years.