Finance options for 2nd Bachelor's degree in Nursing

My daughter has decided to pursue her BSN. She already has a Bachelors of Science. I understand that she won’t qualify for grants. Can she get Federal loans?

Loans, but I don’t think subsidized loans. She can be independent when filling out the fafsa since she has a degree.

What was her undergrad major? Some states have bachelors to nursing programs that at least have some degree of funding. Some are fully funded. IIRC, in our state, these are for students who have the requisite courses. Programs are about 18 months full time here.

She should check to see what the requirements are for admission to these programs in your state.

She is not automatically independent if she is doing another bachelors (automatic independent status is for graduate degree programs). If she is still under the age to be considered independent due to age, she will be eligible for up to $7,500 in federal loans per year. If she is independent due to age, marriage or supporting a dependent, she will be eligible for up to $12,500 in federal loans per year. This is governed by aggregate loan limits. Contact the school. They can advise based on your D’s individual circumstances.

She obtained a BS in Nutrition previously. She is 26, so she is independent. She completed the FAFSA a few days and is pending contact from the Financial Aid.

Okay, since she is independent, she will be eligible for $12,500 per year in loans. Some schools may award FWS for second bachelor’s, but loans &FWS would be it for federal aid.

I used to be the financial aid nursing liaison at a college. The most difficult thing for my second bachelor’s students was the fact that their only aid option was limited loans. Without the option of Parent PLUS or graduate PLUS loans, they had to do private loans.

I am assuming she will begin the program with junior status. If not, the max loan for freshman is $9,500 & sophomore is $10,500.

Do you know if she could get a Plus loan for Professional Studies? The financial aid website isn’t clear on what majors are included, it just lists law and medicine.

IIRC, Not if it’s a second Bachelors degree. Professional studies are professional programs at the post bachelors level. Not second bachelors degrees.

@kelsmom

Her second bachelors is not a graduate degree. I do not think she will be eligible for a PLUS loan.

Your daughter may want to look into entry level master of science nursing programs such as this one:

https://www.laroche.edu/ELMSN/

I think the issue here is this student has already been accepted to this bachelors in nursing program.

I still say, if she has the right undergrad, she should have applied to the bachelors to nursing programs in her state. Where I live, these are 18 months long and are fully funded…because we need nurses.

I believe private loans will be the only option for this second bachelors degree (above the Direct Loan amount)

The right undergrad? I’m not sure what that is… She has a BS in Nutrition. The only Masters programs we have seen are for those that already are a nurse or have a BSN. Her options were either go to community college become an RN then continue for her BSN or do the 2nd Bachelors.

The right undergrad would be something with all the sciences needed for nurses.

I don’t know your state, so I can’t advise any further. The CC to RN would have been less costly in all likelihood. Plus after getting the CC RN degree, she could have worked, and some employers do provide at least partial tuition assistance to complete the BSN.

I should add…the bachelors to nursing programs are NOT masters programs. They are programs to help students become nurses who have taken the sciences needed to be nurses…but need the practicals.

She should look into a master program. Sure, she will need to take some undergrad classes but she may be able to do those PT and then enter FT into the masters program.

@scrapga123 If your daughter has already completed the basic nursing prerequisites (Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, Statistics, Developmental Psychology, Microbiology, and Nutrition), she could enter an entry level MSN just as easily as an ABSN. However, there are substantially fewer such MSN programs than ABSN programs.

And in our state, if she has completed those courses already, she would be a competitive applicant for the bachelors to nursing programs.

No Grad PLUS for anything other than an actual graduate degree program.

There are programs where you enter in with a bachelors in an unrelated major and graduate with a MSN RN degree. (I work at one so I know a bit about them).

https://msn.alverno.edu/?channel=Website&vendor=SchoolOfficial&utm_source=SchoolOfficial&utm_medium=Website