Registered Nurse (RN)-Former Nursing Student & Current Nurse Blog My Journey of Becoming & Working as a Registered Nurse

I am still trying to catch up on some older questions I never got to. Here is a great question about affording Nursing School College Programs:

Hey Sarah,

I am REALLY interested in becoming a nurse. The only problem is, I am really not doing very well financially. I know that college or nursing school can be really expensive. I really can’t see how I can afford paying for school for the next 2-4 years. Can you offer any suggestions to help me finance nursing school? Thanks

Rita

Hey Rita,

Thanks so much for your question. First of all, Nursing School can definitely be expensive. Luckily, there are many great programs and opportunities in this day and age that will allow you to realize your dream of becoming a nurse. There are lots of ways you can help to pay for your education. So I would like to cover some methods you can use.

How to Pay for Nursing School or Medical College: Ways to Finance Your Education

1. Financial Aid–The government offers a free financial aid application to see if you qualify for state or federal funds. Most of the time, these are grants that do not need to be repaid. This is a great way to take get a nursing degree! You can often get enough financial aid to cover your full costs, or at least most of it. You can apply for free at fasfa.ed.gov.
2. Nursing Scholarships–Most nursing colleges will offer scholarship packages for new students. There are often several different scholarships available for different people. Example: you may get a scholarship based on income, or grades, etc. So definitely check with your local college’s scholarship or nursing department to find out if you can obtain any scholarship assistance.
3. Employee Tuition Reimbursement–Many employers (such as hospitals and organizations) will offer a tuition reimbursement program. My job offers this, and many others do as well. In this situation, if you work for a company or organization, they will often pay for your schooling as long as you agree to continue working for them. It benefits them to have your expertise, and it benefits you because you can move up the career ladder. So, for example, let’s assume you want to be a nurse. You could always go and work part-time at a hospital or place that offers tuition reimbursement (as a CNA or Entry Level Worker), and then they will help cover the cost of your tuition for nursing school. This can be a great way to not only cover your schooling costs, but also build a relationship with your employer.
4. Student Loan Programs–The other 3 options above would be best, as you don’t have to pay back the funds. But if you can’t get any of those (or need a little extra help), you can always apply for School loans. Student loans are available at almost any major college or university. You can contact your local college or university for more information regarding student loans. Just remember that you must pay them back once you graduate, and often have to pay interest charges. So be careful. =)
5. Credit Cards– Credit cards are one more way you can help cover the costs of tuition. Credit cards are not the best option, but they are one possible option. Even if you don’t use a credit card to pay for tuition, you can use them for other things such as buying textbooks online. In any event, just be sure to use credit cards responsibly, and only spend what you  have to (and pay it off as soon as possible).

Conclusion: There are Many Ways to Pay for Nursing School, Don’t Give Up

I had to make a lot of financial sacrifices while I was a student, but it was definitely worth the effort. I am so glad that I pursued my dream of becoming a Registered Nurse. It may be hard to stay focused and afford the rising tuition costs, but just know that there are programs and ways to help you realize your dreams of becoming a nurse.

Good luck =).

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Just getting accepted into Nursing School can be a stressful event for many aspiring nursing students out there. I remember how worried I was about getting accepted. But if you really have a goal to become a nurse, you have nothing to worry about! Most of the time it is a really simple process.

Here is another great question about getting accepted into the Nursing School program.

I messed around my first year of college and now I just finished my second year. My second year I did some of the prerequisites. So I think I should be done with them by Next fall or the following spring.

How long did it take you to get accepted into nursing school and how long were you in there? I feel like this is taking forever! Also i’m going for my BSN how much is the pay for that?

Jade

Thanks so much for the great question Jade, and I wish you the very best of luck getting accepted into your nursing school academic program.

How Long Does It Take To Get Accepted Into Nursing School in College?

Getting accepted into nursing school is usually not that difficult as long as  you meet your college’s requirements. I had always planned on being a nurse, so I was always working as hard as I could to keep my grades up in all of my classes.

What I basically did was this: I first worked with the school advisers (the people who help with your schedule of classes), and had already signed up for the “Pre-nursing” plan. Of course, you don’t officially get counted as a “nursing student” until you get accepted into the program.

For the first 2 years (of my 4 years), I just took the required core classes at my local college. These consisted of really basic classes (such as music appreciation, probability and statistics, etc.). I also had a few prerequisite classes for the nursing program (such as Anatomy and Physiology).

At my college, you had to have a certain GPA, and a certain amount of credit hours completed before you could apply for the nursing program. Each college can be different on this, so I would recommend you check with an advisor or online schedule to see the specifics for your program.

If memory serves, I think it was a minimum GPA of somewhere between 2.0- 2.5 (I have already forgotten!). But again, this will vary from school to school so check with your local college advisor.

Towards the end of my 2nd year, I applied to nursing school. I had to submit a letter of why I wanted to be a nurse, my completed courses, and so forth. Then, I received my letter congratulating me on being accepted! It was that easy.

How Long Was the Actual Nursing School Program?

Once I got my first 2 years of non-nursing university core classes out of the way (with the exception of a couple of nursing prerequisites), I then went full force into the nursing program.

The nursing program was 2 years long, and included courses and clinicals. The entire program was completed in 4 years (which is 8 semesters). I then graduated, took my NCLEX boards, and received my license.

How Much Does a BSN Rn Get Paid?

The exact pay will vary depending on your location. A great thing to do would be to check with your local nursing college program, and they usually have great information on salaries and pay for your local area. Also, you can always check with your local nursing classmates, and recruiters.

In general, nursing can pay anywhere from $25,ooo-70,000 per year depending on where you live, your grades, your experience, and so forth. In general, nursing is a very good field to go into, and they pay is generally very good, although people sometimes feel underpaid anyway don’t they =).

A BSN is a great degree to get, and it will ensure that you have a lot of opportunities to move up in your nursing career over the years. ADN’s are great too, and I think each person should decide their overall career plan to see which path is best for them.

Thanks again for the question, and best of luck to you!

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Posted under Ask A Question, Nursing School