Trade schools

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2016

To put it simply, there are no good student loan companies. I would try to avoid student loans at all costs, but if you have to the stafford loans offered by the federal government have some protection for the borrower and usually have a lower interest rate.

I am currently at 70K, 40K for a BA in biology from a private four year university and 30K from nursing school. I am currently enrolled in an RN to BSN program that I am funding through scholarships and tuition reimbursement through my employer.

sk8erboi9405 · Jun 22, 2016

To put it simply, there are no good student loan companies. I would try to avoid student loans at all costs, but if you have to the stafford loans offered by the federal government have some protection for the borrower and usually have a lower interest rate.
I am currently at 70K, 40K for a BA in biology from a private four year university and 30K from nursing school. I am currently enrolled in an RN to BSN program that I am funding through scholarships and tuition reimbursement through my employer.

What state are you from? is 30k normal you? I'm from Southern California and our average is 60k for nursing and if you want a 3 year BSN it's 120k-140k

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2016

Are you looking at for profit/private universities? That will skew your numbers towards the higher end. I recommend going to an in-state public university. There is no point in going to an ivy league school for a BSN degree.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2016

Here are my trade school numbers...

Private nonprofit trade school LVN program, southern California, 2005: I accrued $19,995 in private student loan debt and paid it off in 2007.

Private for-profit trade school LPN-to-ASN program, Oklahoma City, 2010: I accrued $12,700 in federal subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans and paid them off in 2013.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2016

I'm from Southern California and our average is 60k for nursing and if you want a 3 year BSN it's 120k-140k

I assume you are considering the infamous West Coast University if it's costing $140k for a BSN degree. Please do not attend this school of questionable repute. The ball and chain of staggering debt will have you weighted down for life.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Jun 22, 2016

I graduated with zero debt by attending a community college. Best decision of my life. I live debt free.

sk8erboi9405 · Jun 23, 2016

The one thing about community college though, is trying to get your classes. Both prerequisites and waiting 4 years to get accepted into a nursing program

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Jun 23, 2016

I finished community college with $8,000 of debt. My local community college (which I did not attend) charges $275 per credit. Then you have to find a job in a market that strongly prefers BSNs.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2016

Moved to our General Nursing Student forum.

LPNtoRNin2016OH, LPN · Jun 24, 2016

I've done both - trade school for LPN and currently community college for my bridge program. I am in the Midwest so prices will be lower for me in general but my 12 month LPN program ran me $15k and my community college education will be about $25k because I had no pre-requisites and needed to take those in order to apply.

There were not many loans that serviced the trade school I went to, at the time federal loans weren't even available to them. I had to go through Sallie Mae (AKA THE DEVIL) with a variable interest rate. My payment on that loan is $200/month so it was doable on an LPN wage but I did not get a good education. Not saying this is the case will all of them but I was completely under prepared once I got on the floor. The school was very unorganized in general. Because my loan is private, it is not deferrable and cannot be combined with other loans (although I was told this may not be the truth always, looking into that currently).

So because of that I went to community college for my bridge program where I have been able to pay for school entirely through FASFA. My loans through the government are a fixed interest rate and I can do an income based repayment plan if needed. My nursing program through the CC is a bit unorganized but I have gotten a good education so far and we have great clinical sites.

Not all college nursing programs are wait lists, mine is GPA based which is super helpful in the competitive environment...Good luck with your choice!