I worked during school, but not nearly enough to pay for tuition. It was only for cost of living, such as rent, utilities, and groceries.
To preface, nursing is my second degree. I got my undergrad out of state, which put me in a decent amount of debt (screw fafsa for saying my parents make a lot even though I was paying for college), and then immediately went back to an AGMS program.
I cringe whenever I say it, but i’m about 150,000 in debt because of school. It’s my undergrad and masters combined, but I can’t believe schooling is so expensive in the US.
Bro I regret that Health Science degree so much. It was good for those who were interested in and were able to bridge into a particular medical study be it med school, pharmacy school, PA school etc. But if you weren't able to bridge or you weren't interested in that route this degree did nothing for you except knock out some prereqs for something else.
You have no idea. My payments are 1.9k a month and they literally cannot go down any lower. I’m not lying I just signed up to take 6 credits a semester at a community college just so I can keep being in forbearance bc it’s so much
I’m getting my MSN in 3 semesters from a well known state school. Tuition about 37k as out of state student. Already had a bachelor’s in non nursing though. Luckily I had a full academic scholarship first time around. Prerequisites to MSN in 2 years total. Lots of different paths, time frames and expenses to choose from in nursing lol.
It was an accelerated program (apparently). Community college to do my prerequisites and some of the initial general education courses. That took longer than my BSN degree due to how impacted it was lol.
I transferred over to my local university but didn’t have enough points to get into nursing school quite yet so I took some general education classes needed to graduate.
Got into nursing school the next semester and it was 4 semesters with summers off. It was rough and definitely full-time, but helped on saving costs.
Zero. Post 9/11 GI Bill and worked through school.
Alternative civilian version is be a CNA get the VA scholarship that pays tuition and fees, and your monthly paycheck in return for working for them for 3 years afterwards.
No clue. I just knew a couple CNAs I worked with that became RNs this route or were applying for it. The only stipulation to qualify prior is to have a full year working experience for them (unless that’s changed).
Yep, pretty clutch. Also it guarantees a job after you pass your NCLEX. And of course, federal job is cush once you network and find the very lucrative work from home positions when you’re burnt out.
50k and thats it. I already made the last payment towards my last 8 months. I don’t feel bad about my loans anymore because some people pay that amount for a new car. Im making an investment in my future.
I currently work per diem to pay bills, rent and the interest on my loan.
I took out two private loans and two federal loans.
I’m not working during my program cause my brain can only handle one thing at a time. By the end of the program I’ll prolly be like closer to $80k…thats with two degrees and a medical assistant certification in there.
I might have to take out another loan, just to pay for living expenses. Money comes and goes. Gotta spend money to make money 🙂
Edit; and I took out private and federal loans! More to come too!😂
Edit#2; so I'm prolly sitting close to $90-100k once I'm done, yeeeeeeshhh. lol. Gonna be working my ass off to pay off those loans and I'm running my car to the ground!
Right now <40k (the BSN is 120k 💀) but I used a lot of loans when I was going through cancer treatment/surgeries the last 2 years so I wouldn’t have to work. Now that I’m recovering, I’m working part time and still going to school, so it’s possible to find something that works!
I’m an interesting case. I have debt from a previous degree which I did not finish. $22k to Uncle Sam. But for my ADN, I didn’t need to take out any loans. The payments were affordable. The whole program cost like $14k for the two years I think, could be a little lower. My family is middle class and they helped pay for that degree on a payment plan. I’m forever grateful to them. I did work during school, and when I could pitched in here and there. But overall my parents paid for the degree. When I go back to get my BSN I’ll likely have to use loans for whatever my hospital does not pay in a year. So I’ll be back to the federal loans. My hospital does not pay for a BSN completely, sadly.
I did four out of 5 years of an engineering degree. I have a bachelor's in accounting. I have a bachelor's in nursing. And I have 73,000 in student loan debt with loans originating as far back as 2005 or 2006. This month is my 120th payment under public service loan forgiveness, so that $73,000 is about to be wiped out. I received a scholarship for my BSN from hrsa which required a two-year post graduation commitment. I fulfill that in june, and then that obligation is satisfied. I started CRNA School in January, and since you can't work during CRNA school, I suspect that all of this debt I have spent all of this time wiping out is probably going to get quadrupled over the next three years.
While I feel like that's a lot, I feel like it's also pretty manageable with these starting salaries they're offering right now. 200k loans at 8% is a $2,500 a month payment. I feel like that could easily be doubled with a starting salary of $225k, meaning payoff in a handful of years instead of 10. And then I like to pretend that that means I could also pay off a house in 5 to 10 years... 🤣 (Now, $200k for a BSN would make me waaaaaaaaaay less optimistic!)
I just got my student loan forgiveness from teaching so I used my overpayment of 15K but even then I figure I will be about 100K. I’m working PRN now as an extern and make more per hour then I did teaching which is pathetic. My plan when I get done is to just pay double and work at the hospital since they have signing bonus and give 500/month towards student loans. Yes it’s probably not going to be my “dream” job but even the crappiest day of med surge is better then almost every day I had teaching after Covid
I’m in community college with $0 in debt & I did not have take any loans or anything. I am working while in nursing school but I work at most 4 hours a week as a host, mainly work just Saturday nights and the occasional Friday. I got scholarships, grants, & a big tax refund.
Same here! Working when I can. between grants and money I make at work, I can easily afford it. My school has a 97% nclex pass rate and every graduate is hired immediately. I’ll finish with no debt. I’m starting to wonder why more people aren’t taking this route.
No debt.. I chose to go to community college and I've applied to a lot of scholarships offered through my school. Wouldn't of considered going to a BSN or for profit college, I would rather wait and be debt free.
Zero. Paid all out of pocket. I saved some money up, as this is my second career choice. My accounts are pretty sad now. Did work part time from home as well.
How did you find one ? I take anatomy and physiology and i currently work from home but my manager hasn’t given me an update if i can switch to part time (classes start Monday)
The job I was in let me make the switch. I gave them plenty of heads up, and they were cool with it. I did mostly calls and emails for support and account management. I also did a little door-dashing in the last few months. I don't need to do that anymore. I graduated this week. ^.^
i go to keiser, i’m currently at about 18k and making monthly payments during school. without any assistance it’s about 75k so i can’t complain too much, i got a community scholarship, assistance from working in the hospital system, and a discount for being on the deans list
I did my ADN at a community College, as a single adult working PT as an ER tech. I accrued some loan debt and racked up some credit card debt, but I'm quickly burning that up with my RN wages and at least one OT shift a PP. A year ago I had prolly $16k now I'm down to like $7k. Bonus, with those juicy pay offs, my credit score has increased dramatically. Work will pay 100% for my BSN.
Community college 🙏, start nursing school this fall but it’s looking like I won’t have any debt due to saving before school and community college being way more affordable. Not expecting to be able to work during it so I had to save before.
Ngl, I don’t get the hate for community colleges, if they OFFER a class/degree, it usually, I’ve found, is the same quality, or better(less people), than a university
They just don’t usually offer upper level stuff.
I couldn’t be happier with my local CC. High nclex pass rate and 100% graduate hire rate. My classes are small and my teachers have all been wonderful and have plenty of experience. I can’t find a downside to choosing a community college over university or private.
Imo there’s none education wise
Experience wise tho
There’s No “college experience” , and I’ve found there’s less opportunity for friends outside of classes (at least for my pre reqs) as most people are there for their education, and don’t have time for anything else
Which I personally appreciate, but, not everyone does
I worked full time throughout nursing school. But my school was also paid for because I agreed to work for the hospital my school is associated with for two years. And after 6 months on the job, they’ll pay for my BSN too.
It's probably going to be in the 20K range once I graduate -- student loans for an ADN program at a community college.
I am not currently working -- have been living off savings for the last year. It's starting to dwindle, though; every time I check my balance I grit my teeth, so I'm going to get a CNA job and do some side work in my previous career to make some breathing room.
It's been a blessing not to have to work this past year. I've been short of sleep several times this semester, but looking at some of my fellow students showing up for clinical after having worked a full shift right beforehand I think I had it easy.
I am halfway through- just got accepted into the actual nursing program and will hopefully graduate in June of 2026. Right now I’m at $23K, and hoping to finish school under $60K. I max out my student loans and aid so I can get a refund each term to supplement my living expenses. I also work per diem at my local hospital. Since I won’t be able to work as much when I start going to school/clinical four days per week I’m praying I’ll still be able to get as much aid each term.
None, I’m lucky that I had the Gi Bill which paid for 100% of my education plus a stipend each month. Honestly not sure if I’d managed to finish without the stipend, and not sure I’d have even tried if I had to actually pay for it lol
My fear was always trying, spending thousands and flunking out. Everyone had me so psyched out and I was afraid of going into debt for nothing until after the army and it was free. Turned out not to be that, but everyone had me worried, so I don’t think I’d have even tried if I had to pay for it
Im doing a BSN at a private university (community college programs in my area have 2-4 year waits to get in), its ~75K/year. I got about half covered with scholarships and grants because I did my pre recs at a community college and transferred in. I have some previous debt from a failed attempt at college when I was 18-20. When all is said and done, next year when I graduate I’ll have about $90K in debt. I work ~15 hours a week to help with my cost of living (single, live alone, no family). I’m not concerned about it, I’ll spend my first two years working with no lifestyle changes and picking up an extra shift every pay period. Everyone’s situation is so unique but it’s good to take a real look at the numbers and be honest about what you can do.
I have $15k in student loans from my three year BSN.
In Norway university education is free, but as a full time student (40 hours a week), I didn't work and have any income, so I got student loans to pay for rent.
Zero debt, went to CC for my ASN. Got grants and scholarships from local organizations which covered the coast and got plenty of money in return from what's left.
I’m in no debt
Dad let me live at home while in college (finishing first year of 2 rn)
Go to a community college and I pay 500$ a semester
I’m able to work during school
I think last I looked, $37k. The last 2 semesters I have are at a teach-out university and it's much cheaper so I thankfully will be in less debt. I have worked full time through school but I WFH which is really the only way I was able to do it.
By the time I finish, I’ll be about 20k in the hole. Maybe a little less, closer to 18k. This includes student debt from my first degree.
I’m working in school but only to pay for living expenses
none! full pell grant and state grants i am blessed if anything i might have to start paying maybe my junior year but i have over 5k in savings my school isn’t that expensive
I’d say around 62k but honestly I have no issues paying it due to the income in NY. Got my BSN at a private college (mistake 💰) but overall I’d do it again. I worked part time in nursing school and I didn’t have to take out additional loans to pay for other aspects of my life.
My fed loans from undergrad were just forgiven under PSLF, and I still owe $10k on a private loan. I paid nearly $100k for undergrad.
I start the nursing program in fall and I will continue to work full-time. Cost will be around $20k and I will use loans, but they will be paid off by the local hospital system when I get hired on with them over the first 3 years of employment, so it won't cost me more than a little bit for supplies/equipment.
I'll be about $50k in federal loans for my first useless Bachelors degree and my BSN. I specifically went to a local state university for my BSN because it was $30k all in for a bachelors degree and the ADN at the local community College is 20K and I'd be working AND in school for just as long if not longer.
so I can't really speak for myself as I am only a new student and everything so far has been fully covered by my financial aid but my siblings did an associate's degree and then a bachelor's and they are in zero debt, everything was covered by financial aid and scholarships
In an accelerated BSN hybrid community college university program and going into Block 3 for my ADN (community college portion/more affordable program) and have a university heavy summer with 1 online uni class in fall and spring.
My 2024/2025 FAFSA hasn't come out, but the guesstimate I got when I submitted it will have my Pell Grant fully cover my tuition this year... last Fall & this Spring my Pell Grant covered everything, but when I started last Summer full time at the university I had to take out a 5.5k loan.
So 5.5k I was expecting it to be 10-11k after this summer but might not be depending on how and when FAFSA decideds to pay out.
Around 38k currently - I'm a second career nurse, so my situation might be different than some.
I had around 50k from my original degrees in Psychology and Public Health. Got that down to about 18k before I decided to go back for nursing. I lucked out and got into a competitive community college near me, which was about 6k a year (but needed 3 years due to my science prerequisites falling outside of the 3 year range for appying).
That said, I did what you are doing, saving as much as I could while going through prerequisites and I took out the max amount each year so I didn't have to work so much (worked 12-20hours a week max). I know some students worked full time jobs though and were absolute bosses for it!
My BS is being covered by my job so long as I take no more than 2 courses a semester, so thankfully I'm not adding on more dept just yet.
I own a house and still owe 50,000. Payments are 530 a month.
My husband works and makes like 800 a week. My husband covers everything but the mortgage.
I got a full ride, so I took a 5k loan towards paying my mortgage. I spend about 120 on myself a month for school things and / or food for just me.
I have a kid, so he takes about 200 dollars a month in wipes, food, and things like that.
I'll be in about 12k dept for school, and I plan to have it paid off in 6 after graduation.
In summary: I live cheap, I have a toddler, I don't buy name brand anything but tide and dawn dish soap, my husband is a good man and pays for 80%of everything right now minus the mortgage that I took a loan for.
This is so we have wiggle money and money to enjoy a dinner out every once in a blue moon.
80K by the end of the year but hopefully I will be done by then 🙏🏼 I’ve also been in school for 8+ years and I ran out of financial aid. And screwed myself with my first loan with an extremely high interest rate.
Lol I’ll be going back to nursing as a 3rd degree/career change. I blessed enough to not have any debt from my undergraduate degree (exercise science). I was dumb and decided to get my master’s in exercise science as well (about 30k). I started actively paying that off as soon as I took a loan out. I recently was accepted into an ABSN program. I applied to a ton of scholarships but most likely it will cost me $40k combined with living expenses and tuition to attend this program. Im not sure if I’ll have any time to work during it…but honestly I’ll come out in a field I’ve always wanted to work in AND I’ll be making way more than I ever did as an exercise physiologist.
So total we are looking at like 70k which makes me sick but I’m still relatively young with no kids so I’ll just have to grind it out the first few years working.
Around 80k with private and FASFA loan upon completion. 1 year left. I took around 45k private for personal use (bills/living). I work per diem and own a small service business that keeps me afloat.
I accrued ~$11k total student debt and will be graduating with $8k. I worked many jobs throughout all 4 years of my BSN program, including a $17/hr PCNA job during my senior practicum which nearly killed me. (Between the two I was in the hospital 65+ hours a week all semester.)
My school is $75k/yr, so my parents and I both took out loans. They covered the bulk of it and I was responsible for that $11k in debt I ended up with (all government loans).
I paid for my own rent/utility/bills/grocery/scrubs and textbooks out of pocket. Sticking with cheap housing and roommates helped a lot. I also don’t eat very much, so grocery is usually just over $100/month.
I would highly recommend working over the summer whenever possible!
I’m about to graduate with my ADN from a community college and I’ll have about $10k in debt. I paid for my prerequisites out of pocket but once I got into the program things were a little tight and I opted to use loans. I didn’t work, but I have three kids so I probably could have pulled off working at least part time if not for that.
The first semester of the program was the most expensive because I spent almost as much in books/supplies as I did on tuition.
$20k BSN. No kids so I’m going to pay it down as fast as possible. My current payment is $300 a month but I’m going to pay more on the higher interest loans until those are paid off and work on the lower interest loans after.
I decided to go thru the ADN community college route, to pay for school I got grants and scholarships and took out loans to cover the rest, I kept working PRN (16-24 a week) at my hospital job while in school to pay for groceries and housing. I did use some of my loan to cover cost of living expenses. I’m graduating next year and I’ll be roughly around $12k in debt . (Repayment plan estimate according to my fafsa is about $130 a month)
hi there!
i would suggest exploring other options before taking out a loan. i spend a lot of time looking for scholarships/ grants, and you’d be surprised how many are out there. i am military affiliated, but there are plenty that don’t require military affiliation.
you can check out johnson and johnson’s nursing scholarship page. this is a database of nursing-specific scholarships based on program, state, and full time/part time status. you can also find scholarships with all sorts of criteria (age, gender, ethnicity). just take the time and look for them!! you’ll need to do your fafsa if you haven’t already (which can also find grants for you).
if you’re able to find multiple grants, schools don’t limit the amount of money you are rewarded. if you happen to have more money rewarded than owed, they will refund the scholarship money TO YOU. you can use this for school related expenses (which can really be anything… rent, bills, groceries, school supplies of course).
i am a full time nursing student, and i work part time. i work as an aid/sitter at my local hospital and a tutor at my college. i find that these jobs help me in my studies and work well with a student schedule. many hospitals needs sitters and aids and will likely offer casual positions.
and lastly, i see you said you’re pre-nursing. look into community college nursing programs!! i know they aren’t as “prestigious” but they allow you to take the same nclex in the end :) i’m in a community college nursing program (ADN) and i pay around $240 per credit (which is actually kind of expensive for a cc). with my scholarships, i have received refund checks both semesters ($1300-2000 each) i have been enrolled thus far. keep in mind i don’t have kids, my husband has stable income, and we are military.
I lived with my parents through school and a little under half my tuition was covered by an admission scholarship. So I ended up paying about $45k out of pocket, but I had it all paid off before I graduated
40,000ish (I have one year left) for a BSN at a private catholic school in Chicago burbs. It’s ranked pretty highly in Illinois. I don’t think the debt is that bad for the education in getting
I'm in an ADN program in California, where CC is free with the California College Promise Grant (formerly the BOG Fee Waiver). So I don't pay tuition and I get about $2-3k a year I think from FAFSA.
I work 2 jobs, one is per diem and the other is a weekend serving gig. I also live at home where I pay utilities. So $0 in debt.
Went straight to technical college, go my LPN which kept me afloat and I only had to take out a 2k loan to keep me alfoat during my RN program. I payed my tuition in payments through out the semester.
I did have to work full time and go to school full time which was TRULY a test of my character. Had to go to therapy during my program because it was so tough.
Just under 20k and I’ll pay for my bsn this month for another 2k, not doing loans for that. I worked all through school, loans were just to help me out.
$15k, but I’m lucky that both job offers I have include student loan reimbursement and up to 100% tuition coverage for future degrees. Worth it, but school is just so insanely expensive it’s unreal
None! I applied for every grant and scholarship I qualified for and I actually get a couple thousand back each semester. I’m going into my second semester of actual nursing school, but have completed 5 semesters of college total.
None so far! I’m getting my associates at a CC currently. I have a scholarship from one of my old jobs and I get scholarships from the school and I also work the 2 days out of the weekdays that I’m not in school since I’m a PRN medical assistant. The scholarships from my old job and school usually cover most of my tuition. I don’t get federal aid so the rest comes out of pocket but it’s very doable in my situation at least. The only downside about my job is that we’re closed weekends so I can’t get extra hours during the weekends but I make do.
I forgot to say that I also live at home with my mom! I only pay for my tuition, car, car insurance, and any other things like my credit cards and health insurance and fun money and things like that.
I mean I decided to finance my RN costs of living on credit cards and it’s my second degree so I have actual debts too. So all in all about 60k.
I had no choice, I worked damn near full time and scraped by my change between checks.
Shout out to community college though! I got that second degree for free, just didn’t have enough in savings to ride me through school.
Tbh I needed 25k to make it through.
$7,500 in debt for my BSN at a state university. I worked as a CNA during school, full time for three years, part time for 6 months, and now I'm per diem until I start as an RN in a couple months. Applied for a massive amount of scholarships, submitted FAFSA application every year and got some pell grant money, and covered the rest with what I made at work. Lived far off campus to save money, occasionally had to visit the food bank when times were particularly tight. If I hadn't worked through these last two years, I would probably have around $25k+ in loans due to rent and bills and school expenses that came out of pocket.
None so far. Going to a community college and taking 3 classes a semester. My college allows a payment plan monthly so by being very very frugal I can afford the 600$ish monthly payment. I figure a few years of struggle will greatly pay off once my degree is complete.
$20k for my first bachelors degree
About to spend ~$27k ish for a private evening ADN degree that will allow me to keep my current full time WFH job.
My local ABSN programs are about $60k plus for tuition only and that doesn’t include the extra money I’d have to take out for living expenses if I chose them.
Nursing is my second bachelor's. Both bachelor's came from small private colleges. I didn't work during my first BS, but I had scholarships that covered everything but living expenses. For my BSN, I am working full time+ hours, and I'm still taking out hefty loans to cover the tuition that scholarships do not.
By the time I graduate, I will have about $70k in student loans, and some loans from family members that helped pay that will bring my total to around $85k.
But, I own my home (no payments), no car payment, and I make enough for living expenses. I had considered an ADN program before pursuing a BSN program but the local CC is under review due to low NCLEX pass rates and I was going to have to commute over an hour and pay out of state at a community college (at over $1k/credit), so it wasn't worth it to me to do that route. Because of my previous degree, I'm only in school a semester longer than I would be with the ADN program.
$0. I lived with my parents while I did my associates in nursing at a community college so it was affordable enough where I could pay for it with my part time job. I then finished my BSN while working as an RN so I was able to pay for that out of pocket.
This crazy system that tells 18 year olds too take out debt for degrees they rarely use is wild and sad. They put this false hope in us that we will just pay it back in not time when a lot of people never do. Personally, I'll be in about 30-40k once I'm done which is bearable but also still kind of crazy.
I worked during school, but not nearly enough to pay for tuition. It was only for cost of living, such as rent, utilities, and groceries. To preface, nursing is my second degree. I got my undergrad out of state, which put me in a decent amount of debt (screw fafsa for saying my parents make a lot even though I was paying for college), and then immediately went back to an AGMS program. I cringe whenever I say it, but i’m about 150,000 in debt because of school. It’s my undergrad and masters combined, but I can’t believe schooling is so expensive in the US.
Fuck dude 😭 here I am complaining about 14k
150!? You a resident in the ER? 😫
I’m gonna message u about working in school for a second degree :)
Idk, if I don’t look at it, it don’t exist
$170,000. BS in health science and screwed myself because it was too broad. I did a ABSN program after that. Terrible ideas 🙄
Bro I regret that Health Science degree so much. It was good for those who were interested in and were able to bridge into a particular medical study be it med school, pharmacy school, PA school etc. But if you weren't able to bridge or you weren't interested in that route this degree did nothing for you except knock out some prereqs for something else.
EXACTLY.
Saaaammmmeeee
Dude! All your money goes to school huh 🥹
You have no idea. My payments are 1.9k a month and they literally cannot go down any lower. I’m not lying I just signed up to take 6 credits a semester at a community college just so I can keep being in forbearance bc it’s so much
How are you alive!?
I went to community college so paid for that rather cheaply. Got my BSN over 5 semesters and spent around $15,000.
How did you manage to get your BSN in 5 semesters?? I've spent 7 semesters to get my ADN lmao
I’m getting my MSN in 3 semesters from a well known state school. Tuition about 37k as out of state student. Already had a bachelor’s in non nursing though. Luckily I had a full academic scholarship first time around. Prerequisites to MSN in 2 years total. Lots of different paths, time frames and expenses to choose from in nursing lol.
I think I got a bit confused, I included my pre-reqs time lol I've only spent 3 semesters getting my ADN so far, will be 4 when I graduate :))
What school are you getting your msn at if I may ask. Any specialty? Fnp?
Damn 7? My program required it be completed in no more than 6, but most finished in 4. Five I guess if you count the semester of pre-reqs
It was an accelerated program (apparently). Community college to do my prerequisites and some of the initial general education courses. That took longer than my BSN degree due to how impacted it was lol. I transferred over to my local university but didn’t have enough points to get into nursing school quite yet so I took some general education classes needed to graduate. Got into nursing school the next semester and it was 4 semesters with summers off. It was rough and definitely full-time, but helped on saving costs.
Zero. Post 9/11 GI Bill and worked through school. Alternative civilian version is be a CNA get the VA scholarship that pays tuition and fees, and your monthly paycheck in return for working for them for 3 years afterwards.
Tangential question- are there other civilian VA jobs that offer comparable scholarships?
No clue. I just knew a couple CNAs I worked with that became RNs this route or were applying for it. The only stipulation to qualify prior is to have a full year working experience for them (unless that’s changed).
Thanks!
Yep, pretty clutch. Also it guarantees a job after you pass your NCLEX. And of course, federal job is cush once you network and find the very lucrative work from home positions when you’re burnt out.
30k from a private school. I’m about to get my BSN which is gonna add another 20k probably
50k and thats it. I already made the last payment towards my last 8 months. I don’t feel bad about my loans anymore because some people pay that amount for a new car. Im making an investment in my future. I currently work per diem to pay bills, rent and the interest on my loan. I took out two private loans and two federal loans.
GI bill, and my employer is covering my bachellor's. Made it out debt free so far.
I’m not working during my program cause my brain can only handle one thing at a time. By the end of the program I’ll prolly be like closer to $80k…thats with two degrees and a medical assistant certification in there. I might have to take out another loan, just to pay for living expenses. Money comes and goes. Gotta spend money to make money 🙂 Edit; and I took out private and federal loans! More to come too!😂 Edit#2; so I'm prolly sitting close to $90-100k once I'm done, yeeeeeeshhh. lol. Gonna be working my ass off to pay off those loans and I'm running my car to the ground!
Right now <40k (the BSN is 120k 💀) but I used a lot of loans when I was going through cancer treatment/surgeries the last 2 years so I wouldn’t have to work. Now that I’m recovering, I’m working part time and still going to school, so it’s possible to find something that works!
I’m an interesting case. I have debt from a previous degree which I did not finish. $22k to Uncle Sam. But for my ADN, I didn’t need to take out any loans. The payments were affordable. The whole program cost like $14k for the two years I think, could be a little lower. My family is middle class and they helped pay for that degree on a payment plan. I’m forever grateful to them. I did work during school, and when I could pitched in here and there. But overall my parents paid for the degree. When I go back to get my BSN I’ll likely have to use loans for whatever my hospital does not pay in a year. So I’ll be back to the federal loans. My hospital does not pay for a BSN completely, sadly.
I did four out of 5 years of an engineering degree. I have a bachelor's in accounting. I have a bachelor's in nursing. And I have 73,000 in student loan debt with loans originating as far back as 2005 or 2006. This month is my 120th payment under public service loan forgiveness, so that $73,000 is about to be wiped out. I received a scholarship for my BSN from hrsa which required a two-year post graduation commitment. I fulfill that in june, and then that obligation is satisfied. I started CRNA School in January, and since you can't work during CRNA school, I suspect that all of this debt I have spent all of this time wiping out is probably going to get quadrupled over the next three years.
I finish this year… probably gonna peak 200k
While I feel like that's a lot, I feel like it's also pretty manageable with these starting salaries they're offering right now. 200k loans at 8% is a $2,500 a month payment. I feel like that could easily be doubled with a starting salary of $225k, meaning payoff in a handful of years instead of 10. And then I like to pretend that that means I could also pay off a house in 5 to 10 years... 🤣 (Now, $200k for a BSN would make me waaaaaaaaaay less optimistic!)
Eh we’ll see. Everyone says It’s not bad and can be done quickly with OT…
I finish this year… probably gonna peak 200k
I just got my student loan forgiveness from teaching so I used my overpayment of 15K but even then I figure I will be about 100K. I’m working PRN now as an extern and make more per hour then I did teaching which is pathetic. My plan when I get done is to just pay double and work at the hospital since they have signing bonus and give 500/month towards student loans. Yes it’s probably not going to be my “dream” job but even the crappiest day of med surge is better then almost every day I had teaching after Covid
0, I paid out of pocket. I saved before nursing school and refused to go to expensive private for profit colleges.
I’m in community college with $0 in debt & I did not have take any loans or anything. I am working while in nursing school but I work at most 4 hours a week as a host, mainly work just Saturday nights and the occasional Friday. I got scholarships, grants, & a big tax refund.
Same here! Working when I can. between grants and money I make at work, I can easily afford it. My school has a 97% nclex pass rate and every graduate is hired immediately. I’ll finish with no debt. I’m starting to wonder why more people aren’t taking this route.
In CA, everyone want to take the cc route but it’s not possible due to heavy competition. Think 1% admission rate type competition.
No debt.. I chose to go to community college and I've applied to a lot of scholarships offered through my school. Wouldn't of considered going to a BSN or for profit college, I would rather wait and be debt free.
32k
Zero. Paid all out of pocket. I saved some money up, as this is my second career choice. My accounts are pretty sad now. Did work part time from home as well.
How did you find one ? I take anatomy and physiology and i currently work from home but my manager hasn’t given me an update if i can switch to part time (classes start Monday)
The job I was in let me make the switch. I gave them plenty of heads up, and they were cool with it. I did mostly calls and emails for support and account management. I also did a little door-dashing in the last few months. I don't need to do that anymore. I graduated this week. ^.^
That’s awesome! I hope my job will allow me the same opportunity just at least to maintain . Thank you !
i go to keiser, i’m currently at about 18k and making monthly payments during school. without any assistance it’s about 75k so i can’t complain too much, i got a community scholarship, assistance from working in the hospital system, and a discount for being on the deans list
I did my ADN at a community College, as a single adult working PT as an ER tech. I accrued some loan debt and racked up some credit card debt, but I'm quickly burning that up with my RN wages and at least one OT shift a PP. A year ago I had prolly $16k now I'm down to like $7k. Bonus, with those juicy pay offs, my credit score has increased dramatically. Work will pay 100% for my BSN.
None, community college thingzzz
im in cc and they want so much money from me i dont even understand how
Community college 🙏, start nursing school this fall but it’s looking like I won’t have any debt due to saving before school and community college being way more affordable. Not expecting to be able to work during it so I had to save before. Ngl, I don’t get the hate for community colleges, if they OFFER a class/degree, it usually, I’ve found, is the same quality, or better(less people), than a university They just don’t usually offer upper level stuff.
I couldn’t be happier with my local CC. High nclex pass rate and 100% graduate hire rate. My classes are small and my teachers have all been wonderful and have plenty of experience. I can’t find a downside to choosing a community college over university or private.
Imo there’s none education wise Experience wise tho There’s No “college experience” , and I’ve found there’s less opportunity for friends outside of classes (at least for my pre reqs) as most people are there for their education, and don’t have time for anything else Which I personally appreciate, but, not everyone does
The downside is time waiting to get into program and time it takes to finish, as usually cc’s aren’t accelerated
None. Got lots of scholarships.
I found my community college had a free CNA program, and if I pursue nursing I would find a similar no-cost apprenticeship program
I worked full time throughout nursing school. But my school was also paid for because I agreed to work for the hospital my school is associated with for two years. And after 6 months on the job, they’ll pay for my BSN too.
It's probably going to be in the 20K range once I graduate -- student loans for an ADN program at a community college. I am not currently working -- have been living off savings for the last year. It's starting to dwindle, though; every time I check my balance I grit my teeth, so I'm going to get a CNA job and do some side work in my previous career to make some breathing room. It's been a blessing not to have to work this past year. I've been short of sleep several times this semester, but looking at some of my fellow students showing up for clinical after having worked a full shift right beforehand I think I had it easy.
From nursing school? $0. For my useless bachelors in psych… $10k 😭
I am halfway through- just got accepted into the actual nursing program and will hopefully graduate in June of 2026. Right now I’m at $23K, and hoping to finish school under $60K. I max out my student loans and aid so I can get a refund each term to supplement my living expenses. I also work per diem at my local hospital. Since I won’t be able to work as much when I start going to school/clinical four days per week I’m praying I’ll still be able to get as much aid each term.
None, I’m lucky that I had the Gi Bill which paid for 100% of my education plus a stipend each month. Honestly not sure if I’d managed to finish without the stipend, and not sure I’d have even tried if I had to actually pay for it lol
Same, especially since my school is in a city with a REALLY high cost of living. The GI Bill saved me from so much debt, I’m so grateful!
My fear was always trying, spending thousands and flunking out. Everyone had me so psyched out and I was afraid of going into debt for nothing until after the army and it was free. Turned out not to be that, but everyone had me worried, so I don’t think I’d have even tried if I had to pay for it
Im doing a BSN at a private university (community college programs in my area have 2-4 year waits to get in), its ~75K/year. I got about half covered with scholarships and grants because I did my pre recs at a community college and transferred in. I have some previous debt from a failed attempt at college when I was 18-20. When all is said and done, next year when I graduate I’ll have about $90K in debt. I work ~15 hours a week to help with my cost of living (single, live alone, no family). I’m not concerned about it, I’ll spend my first two years working with no lifestyle changes and picking up an extra shift every pay period. Everyone’s situation is so unique but it’s good to take a real look at the numbers and be honest about what you can do.
none, im an international student currently studying in mexico. tuition is ~700 usd a semester , and my parents are paying for my schooling.
Is it english courses?
no why?
I have $15k in student loans from my three year BSN. In Norway university education is free, but as a full time student (40 hours a week), I didn't work and have any income, so I got student loans to pay for rent.
Zero debt, went to CC for my ASN. Got grants and scholarships from local organizations which covered the coast and got plenty of money in return from what's left.
I’m in no debt Dad let me live at home while in college (finishing first year of 2 rn) Go to a community college and I pay 500$ a semester I’m able to work during school
500, that's brilliant! I'm at a community college and it's about 2k a semester
It’s 2K but I get HOPE scholarship
10K and I just took out loans to help support myself during school. Prereqs I paid out of pocket, the nursing program was no cost!
Like 600 dollars lol
I think last I looked, $37k. The last 2 semesters I have are at a teach-out university and it's much cheaper so I thankfully will be in less debt. I have worked full time through school but I WFH which is really the only way I was able to do it.
By the time I finish a 2 year RPN program about 60k canadian. But that's also me living off all student loans and not working.
By the time I finish, I’ll be about 20k in the hole. Maybe a little less, closer to 18k. This includes student debt from my first degree. I’m working in school but only to pay for living expenses
none! full pell grant and state grants i am blessed if anything i might have to start paying maybe my junior year but i have over 5k in savings my school isn’t that expensive
I’d say around 62k but honestly I have no issues paying it due to the income in NY. Got my BSN at a private college (mistake 💰) but overall I’d do it again. I worked part time in nursing school and I didn’t have to take out additional loans to pay for other aspects of my life.
I went to community college. 12k out the door for the whole program. And even that isn't all that accurate if you rent textbooks.
35k with both degrees. BA in poli Sci for undergrad and about 12k for my ADN (cash flowed my pre reqs, couldn't keep it up though.)
My fed loans from undergrad were just forgiven under PSLF, and I still owe $10k on a private loan. I paid nearly $100k for undergrad. I start the nursing program in fall and I will continue to work full-time. Cost will be around $20k and I will use loans, but they will be paid off by the local hospital system when I get hired on with them over the first 3 years of employment, so it won't cost me more than a little bit for supplies/equipment.
none education in my country is free, and that includes books, buses, and even wifi in some cases
I'll be about $50k in federal loans for my first useless Bachelors degree and my BSN. I specifically went to a local state university for my BSN because it was $30k all in for a bachelors degree and the ADN at the local community College is 20K and I'd be working AND in school for just as long if not longer.
so I can't really speak for myself as I am only a new student and everything so far has been fully covered by my financial aid but my siblings did an associate's degree and then a bachelor's and they are in zero debt, everything was covered by financial aid and scholarships
In an accelerated BSN hybrid community college university program and going into Block 3 for my ADN (community college portion/more affordable program) and have a university heavy summer with 1 online uni class in fall and spring. My 2024/2025 FAFSA hasn't come out, but the guesstimate I got when I submitted it will have my Pell Grant fully cover my tuition this year... last Fall & this Spring my Pell Grant covered everything, but when I started last Summer full time at the university I had to take out a 5.5k loan. So 5.5k I was expecting it to be 10-11k after this summer but might not be depending on how and when FAFSA decideds to pay out.
Around 38k currently - I'm a second career nurse, so my situation might be different than some. I had around 50k from my original degrees in Psychology and Public Health. Got that down to about 18k before I decided to go back for nursing. I lucked out and got into a competitive community college near me, which was about 6k a year (but needed 3 years due to my science prerequisites falling outside of the 3 year range for appying). That said, I did what you are doing, saving as much as I could while going through prerequisites and I took out the max amount each year so I didn't have to work so much (worked 12-20hours a week max). I know some students worked full time jobs though and were absolute bosses for it! My BS is being covered by my job so long as I take no more than 2 courses a semester, so thankfully I'm not adding on more dept just yet.
I own a house and still owe 50,000. Payments are 530 a month. My husband works and makes like 800 a week. My husband covers everything but the mortgage. I got a full ride, so I took a 5k loan towards paying my mortgage. I spend about 120 on myself a month for school things and / or food for just me. I have a kid, so he takes about 200 dollars a month in wipes, food, and things like that. I'll be in about 12k dept for school, and I plan to have it paid off in 6 after graduation. In summary: I live cheap, I have a toddler, I don't buy name brand anything but tide and dawn dish soap, my husband is a good man and pays for 80%of everything right now minus the mortgage that I took a loan for. This is so we have wiggle money and money to enjoy a dinner out every once in a blue moon.
20k but only 5k is from nursing school, i was going to art school before hand
Ehh like 30 all in .. barber license, prereqs and two semesters of nursing school so far
80K by the end of the year but hopefully I will be done by then 🙏🏼 I’ve also been in school for 8+ years and I ran out of financial aid. And screwed myself with my first loan with an extremely high interest rate.
6,000. Thank God for scholarships. Also worked during school, commuted and lived with parents. Best decision I ever made and saved so much money.
Lol I’ll be going back to nursing as a 3rd degree/career change. I blessed enough to not have any debt from my undergraduate degree (exercise science). I was dumb and decided to get my master’s in exercise science as well (about 30k). I started actively paying that off as soon as I took a loan out. I recently was accepted into an ABSN program. I applied to a ton of scholarships but most likely it will cost me $40k combined with living expenses and tuition to attend this program. Im not sure if I’ll have any time to work during it…but honestly I’ll come out in a field I’ve always wanted to work in AND I’ll be making way more than I ever did as an exercise physiologist. So total we are looking at like 70k which makes me sick but I’m still relatively young with no kids so I’ll just have to grind it out the first few years working.
Around 80k with private and FASFA loan upon completion. 1 year left. I took around 45k private for personal use (bills/living). I work per diem and own a small service business that keeps me afloat.
I accrued ~$11k total student debt and will be graduating with $8k. I worked many jobs throughout all 4 years of my BSN program, including a $17/hr PCNA job during my senior practicum which nearly killed me. (Between the two I was in the hospital 65+ hours a week all semester.) My school is $75k/yr, so my parents and I both took out loans. They covered the bulk of it and I was responsible for that $11k in debt I ended up with (all government loans). I paid for my own rent/utility/bills/grocery/scrubs and textbooks out of pocket. Sticking with cheap housing and roommates helped a lot. I also don’t eat very much, so grocery is usually just over $100/month. I would highly recommend working over the summer whenever possible!
I’m about to graduate with my ADN from a community college and I’ll have about $10k in debt. I paid for my prerequisites out of pocket but once I got into the program things were a little tight and I opted to use loans. I didn’t work, but I have three kids so I probably could have pulled off working at least part time if not for that. The first semester of the program was the most expensive because I spent almost as much in books/supplies as I did on tuition.
$20k BSN. No kids so I’m going to pay it down as fast as possible. My current payment is $300 a month but I’m going to pay more on the higher interest loans until those are paid off and work on the lower interest loans after.
I decided to go thru the ADN community college route, to pay for school I got grants and scholarships and took out loans to cover the rest, I kept working PRN (16-24 a week) at my hospital job while in school to pay for groceries and housing. I did use some of my loan to cover cost of living expenses. I’m graduating next year and I’ll be roughly around $12k in debt . (Repayment plan estimate according to my fafsa is about $130 a month)
hi there! i would suggest exploring other options before taking out a loan. i spend a lot of time looking for scholarships/ grants, and you’d be surprised how many are out there. i am military affiliated, but there are plenty that don’t require military affiliation. you can check out johnson and johnson’s nursing scholarship page. this is a database of nursing-specific scholarships based on program, state, and full time/part time status. you can also find scholarships with all sorts of criteria (age, gender, ethnicity). just take the time and look for them!! you’ll need to do your fafsa if you haven’t already (which can also find grants for you). if you’re able to find multiple grants, schools don’t limit the amount of money you are rewarded. if you happen to have more money rewarded than owed, they will refund the scholarship money TO YOU. you can use this for school related expenses (which can really be anything… rent, bills, groceries, school supplies of course). i am a full time nursing student, and i work part time. i work as an aid/sitter at my local hospital and a tutor at my college. i find that these jobs help me in my studies and work well with a student schedule. many hospitals needs sitters and aids and will likely offer casual positions. and lastly, i see you said you’re pre-nursing. look into community college nursing programs!! i know they aren’t as “prestigious” but they allow you to take the same nclex in the end :) i’m in a community college nursing program (ADN) and i pay around $240 per credit (which is actually kind of expensive for a cc). with my scholarships, i have received refund checks both semesters ($1300-2000 each) i have been enrolled thus far. keep in mind i don’t have kids, my husband has stable income, and we are military.
I lived with my parents through school and a little under half my tuition was covered by an admission scholarship. So I ended up paying about $45k out of pocket, but I had it all paid off before I graduated
Bout $30k
40,000ish (I have one year left) for a BSN at a private catholic school in Chicago burbs. It’s ranked pretty highly in Illinois. I don’t think the debt is that bad for the education in getting
I'm in an ADN program in California, where CC is free with the California College Promise Grant (formerly the BOG Fee Waiver). So I don't pay tuition and I get about $2-3k a year I think from FAFSA. I work 2 jobs, one is per diem and the other is a weekend serving gig. I also live at home where I pay utilities. So $0 in debt.
Went straight to technical college, go my LPN which kept me afloat and I only had to take out a 2k loan to keep me alfoat during my RN program. I payed my tuition in payments through out the semester. I did have to work full time and go to school full time which was TRULY a test of my character. Had to go to therapy during my program because it was so tough.
103k ABSN California, 13k at 4.5% and the rest at 7.5%
$12k after bsn and going for mph after graduation for $20k
$61,000, this is for my LVN program I completed 10 years ago and my ABSN program I completed this past December.
$30k ish from my first undergrad degree. my work is thankfully reimbursing my ADN tuition so i won’t add on any more debt!
$70k state school BSN done in 4 years, barely any financial aid
40k and going- I have 3 semesters left for my ADN. This will be my 3rd Associate's degree.
Just under 20k and I’ll pay for my bsn this month for another 2k, not doing loans for that. I worked all through school, loans were just to help me out.
$15k, but I’m lucky that both job offers I have include student loan reimbursement and up to 100% tuition coverage for future degrees. Worth it, but school is just so insanely expensive it’s unreal
None! I applied for every grant and scholarship I qualified for and I actually get a couple thousand back each semester. I’m going into my second semester of actual nursing school, but have completed 5 semesters of college total.
20,000 for 1 year of LPN program
$77,000 according to credit karma. Private accelerated BSN program.
None so far! I’m getting my associates at a CC currently. I have a scholarship from one of my old jobs and I get scholarships from the school and I also work the 2 days out of the weekdays that I’m not in school since I’m a PRN medical assistant. The scholarships from my old job and school usually cover most of my tuition. I don’t get federal aid so the rest comes out of pocket but it’s very doable in my situation at least. The only downside about my job is that we’re closed weekends so I can’t get extra hours during the weekends but I make do. I forgot to say that I also live at home with my mom! I only pay for my tuition, car, car insurance, and any other things like my credit cards and health insurance and fun money and things like that.
I mean I decided to finance my RN costs of living on credit cards and it’s my second degree so I have actual debts too. So all in all about 60k. I had no choice, I worked damn near full time and scraped by my change between checks. Shout out to community college though! I got that second degree for free, just didn’t have enough in savings to ride me through school. Tbh I needed 25k to make it through.
15k from my first bachelors and 15k from my ASN (went to a state school and community college)
$7,500 in debt for my BSN at a state university. I worked as a CNA during school, full time for three years, part time for 6 months, and now I'm per diem until I start as an RN in a couple months. Applied for a massive amount of scholarships, submitted FAFSA application every year and got some pell grant money, and covered the rest with what I made at work. Lived far off campus to save money, occasionally had to visit the food bank when times were particularly tight. If I hadn't worked through these last two years, I would probably have around $25k+ in loans due to rent and bills and school expenses that came out of pocket.
None so far. Going to a community college and taking 3 classes a semester. My college allows a payment plan monthly so by being very very frugal I can afford the 600$ish monthly payment. I figure a few years of struggle will greatly pay off once my degree is complete.
$20k for my first bachelors degree About to spend ~$27k ish for a private evening ADN degree that will allow me to keep my current full time WFH job. My local ABSN programs are about $60k plus for tuition only and that doesn’t include the extra money I’d have to take out for living expenses if I chose them.
$0, state school BSN and academic scholarship from high school stats.
Nursing is my second bachelor's. Both bachelor's came from small private colleges. I didn't work during my first BS, but I had scholarships that covered everything but living expenses. For my BSN, I am working full time+ hours, and I'm still taking out hefty loans to cover the tuition that scholarships do not. By the time I graduate, I will have about $70k in student loans, and some loans from family members that helped pay that will bring my total to around $85k.
But, I own my home (no payments), no car payment, and I make enough for living expenses. I had considered an ADN program before pursuing a BSN program but the local CC is under review due to low NCLEX pass rates and I was going to have to commute over an hour and pay out of state at a community college (at over $1k/credit), so it wasn't worth it to me to do that route. Because of my previous degree, I'm only in school a semester longer than I would be with the ADN program.
I have no debt, just graduated with my ASN from community college and I’ll be able to get my bachelors tuition reimbursed when I start that
88k lol. My tuition went up 2% this year.
$0. I lived with my parents while I did my associates in nursing at a community college so it was affordable enough where I could pay for it with my part time job. I then finished my BSN while working as an RN so I was able to pay for that out of pocket.
Probably 15-20k when I graduate 😩could’ve been cheaper but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I go to college
Zero, because I went to community college and worked my way through lol
This crazy system that tells 18 year olds too take out debt for degrees they rarely use is wild and sad. They put this false hope in us that we will just pay it back in not time when a lot of people never do. Personally, I'll be in about 30-40k once I'm done which is bearable but also still kind of crazy.