how in the world does one pay for nursing school!

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  1. did you take out personal loans for nursing school?

    • 24
      no
    • 2
      yes - paid off
    • 18
      yes - still paying on them

44 members have participated

Hi all,

I am a stay at home mom with two bachelor's of science degrees (psych and addictions counseling) and am wanting to start Marian University's (Indianapolis, In) accredited, accelerated, online BSN program this August. The cost is around $750 per credit hour (i know, right?) for nursing classes in the program. Since it is accelerated, they strongly recommended you don't work during school and my federal aid is capped at $6500 or so per semester. Therefore, how in the world could anyone afford this program, especially if you aren't working?? Private student loans?? Any moms out there with a similar experience and if so, how did you finance your education?

How were you able to get grants? Maybe it is different from state to state but they said I did not qualify for any grants. Yes I know I would start clinical work the first semester

you're correct --- there are no grants for 2nd BS degrees :( ---> I'm in the same boat... however, I'm 45 and doing the traditional 5 semester route (there are no ABSN programs near me) and my state offers 2k per semester for any students seeking BSN doesn't matter that it's a 2nd degree so I'm paying a little over 2k out of pocket per semester...

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Specializes in Emergency.

I paid for fees & books only. Didn't qualify for grants, but there is a lot of scholarship money out there.

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Mao819' I appreciate your thoughts. While I was in college 14 years ago, I was there on tennis scholarship and started out pre-med but due to the extensive time commitment of my college athletics (which helped pay for my schooling), I had to switch majors. Unfortunately, most people truly don't know what they want to do until they actually get out into the working world. My friend, for example, had a negative, life changing experience when her first child was born and it made her realize that she wanted to be a nurse so that she could help others in a similar situation.

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Because I have a family I went to community college at $130/per credit hour. After I become an RN I hope to work somewhere that will pay for my BSN. I did get grants because I have 5 kids and my husband is the only one working but has a good job. It still has been hard because not only do you have tuition, but books, and tests to pay for and lots of other stuff. It costs a small fortune to say the least. There are several middle-aged people with bachelor's degrees and one with 2 master's degrees in my class.

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you're correct --- there are no grants for 2nd BS degrees :( ---> I'm in the same boat... however, I'm 45 and doing the traditional 5 semester route (there are no ABSN programs near me) and my state offers 2k per semester for any students seeking BSN doesn't matter that it's a 2nd degree so I'm paying a little over 2k out of pocket per semester...

I'm confused about this. I am (hopefully) starting an accelerated program this fall; it is 5 semesters. Five semesters to a BSN is accelerated, isn't it? When people talk about a traditional track, they are talking about 4 years.

I also disagree with the previous poster that an accelerated program is a bad idea. I've already gotten my gen-eds. I don't need to do those again. I am still taking all of the nursing courses the traditional track nurses are taking.

To the OP, I have a friend that is finishing up at Marian this May. I'm pretty sure she had family who were willing to help. If you're in the area of Marian, you're also in the area of IUPUI, which is much, much less expensive. There are a few other ABSN programs in Indy, and while they are more expensive than IUPUI, they are not nearly so expensive as Marian.

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Specializes in NICU.
This is why hiring managers in my organization do not hire 'accelerated' grads unless they are transitioning from another clinical profession.

I understand that every ABSN program is different, but your organization is essentially saying if a nursing grad has taken summer school then we will not hire them. My program is 4 semesters (15 months) (summer, fall, spring, summer) Fundamentals (nursing home clinical) and Community Nursing are the only clinical classes during summer school, the rest (Med/Surg 1&2, Mental Health, Maternity, and Peds) were all done during regular semesters and most (except for Med/Surg 1&2) were mixed with the traditional track.

To the OP, if you are looking for an alternative lower cost ABSN, look into Indiana State. It is far less expensive than Marian. I have several classmates that are from the Indy area (most have classmate roommates) that stay here during school and go home during breaks.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I didn't take loans out for either the ADN or BSN. For the ADN, creative budgeting helped make it possible. For the BSN, I was working and taking classes one or two at a time. I also purchased books and supplies from Amazon when possible, as their prices were often a lot lower than the bookstore.

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$750 a credit hour is absurd. I pay $86 a credit hour in my adn program. Once I finish, the online program I am looking at is $300 a credit hour. It is accredited and the last year of your bsn, you can switch out electives and take nursing classes toward your master's. They also have a matriculation agreement with my college.

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I dont understand for the life of me why people obtain a bachelors degrer in one field then quickly or not so quickly want to switch careers to nursing??????? Boggles my mind. Wouldnt it jus have been smarter to obtain the BSN in the first place??

because some people think they will like/find a career in their first degree and then find out that they either dont like it or cant find a job with it.

have you ever had a job that you didnt like? Did you change jobs if the opportunity was there? well, wouldnt it have been smarter to have had the second job first? why did you waste all that time and energy getting the first job? becuase you were either happy to take the first thing you got or you thought you would like it. same principle

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

The VA has paid for my tuition, books, supplies, and a small living stipend. But I've had to take out student loans (fortunately not much) in order to pay for living expenses. The VA also wouldn't pay what your school is charging. They would only pay the most that a state school would charge in tuition. Depending on your state and income, you may qualify for a fee waiver for at least some of the costs (though as a second-bacc student, that may be more difficult).

Being 32 doesn't mean you can't go the traditional route. I'll be 34 when I graduate, and I'm a mom as well. I am in the middle, age-wise, in my program.

Many traditional BSN programs are shortening to 2 years, at least here in CA. Mine is 2 years.

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I'm lucky that I have a parent who pays for my school fess. I'm in my first semester in nursing school, my school fess alone was $1700!!!!:yes:, very cheap. I'm lucky that my parent pays that and I cover the rest through working. I'm in RN school. When I finish from this school, I will probably qualify for financial aid( non citizen) which should cover my RN - BSN program. Right now, I'm working and attending classes. Finding a job for nursing can take a'lot of time so I would recommend against student loans. These easiest student loans are the loan sharks. I would like to enjoy my first nursing paycheck instead of giving it to someone else. For any field, one should plan smartly and accordingly, a lot of students are not doing that and that's why we have the student loan problem. Probably should try a cheaper school. The job market is tough for both rn and bsn grads, finding a job can take between 6 months - a year,probably even more . For your case, getting grants or loans may be hard because you already have 2 degrees. Most companies consider a Third degree to be a luxury.

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because some people think they will like/find a career in their first degree and then find out that they either dont like it or cant find a job with it.

have you ever had a job that you didnt like? Did you change jobs if the opportunity was there? well, wouldnt it have been smarter to have had the second job first? why did you waste all that time and energy getting the first job? becuase you were either happy to take the first thing you got or you thought you would like it. same principle

Ummmmmm im not talking about a JOB change...im talking about a CAREER change. Different principle.

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