Nursing School Student Loans and Grants

Tuition for nursing school costs thousands of dollars a year, sometimes tens of thousands, depending on the nursing program. Most people don't have that much cash lying around stuffed in their mattress, or even gathering interest in their bank account.

But because nurses are so highly in demand these days, there are a number of excellent student loans and grants that can help you pay for nursing school, and there are ways to get some or all of your student loans paid back after you graduate.

To find lists of links to student loans, grants, and scholarships, visit http://nursingschoolprograms.com/financial-aid-and-loans-for-nursing-students.

Obviously a grants and scholarships are better than a loan; they don't have to be paid back.

Pell Grants are available to most students, if they have not already received a bachelor's or professional degree. The maximum award for the 2007-2008 school year is $4,310, but that depends on the student's financial needs and the costs of the school program as well.

There are many other grant opportunities available for nurses as well. The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses Foundation offers a $500 grant to nurses who are advancing their careers, from LPN to RN, LPN to BSN, RN to BSN, RN to master's, and so on.

The National League for Nursing offers grants for students who are interested in pursuing nursing careers in education and research.

Exceptionalnurse.com gives a $500 grant to a qualified nurse with a disability.

The National Student Nurses Association offers a scholarship program to students enrolled in various types of nursing programs.

The Oncology Nursing Students Association offers scholarships for students pursuing bachelor's degrees. Some of them are quite substantial; there are several grants of $10,000.

If you are a member of a minority group, you should definitely explore what scholarships and grants may be available to you as a prospective nursing student, or a student already enrolled in a nursing program.

The National Black Nurses Association offers scholarships and grants, ranging from $500 to $2000, for students who are enrolled in a nursing progam, in good standing, and are members of the NBNA, and have a full year of school remaining.

The National Association of Hispanic Nurses offers scholarships.

The Native Alaskan Native American Indian Association awards 10 $500 awards to qualifying students annually.

These are just a few examples of the many nursing school grants available to students. However, grants and scholarships are generally not going to fully fund your nursing school education. You will most likely have to take out some student loans.

This doesn't mean that you are doomed to a life of debt after you graduate, however. After you graduate and become licensed as a nurse, many employers will repay part or all of your student loan in exchange for you signing an agreement to work for them for a certain amount of time.

In Florida, registered nurses are eligible to be repaid up to $4,000 a year for four years as part of the Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program, in exchange for working at a designated site which has a high need for nurses. Many other states have similar programs, as does the United States Department of Health and Human Services, which calls it their Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program. With a combination of loans, grants, and nursing student loan forgiveness resources, you will be able to finance your nursing student career.