I’m not sure that this is the right section of the forum to post this, but it is about college life so… haha Feel free to move it
So… I am going to nursing school in the fall, and I am planning on going to grad school after to either become a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or a Physician’s Assistant (PA). Both careers require grad school, which I am happy to go to!
My question: In undergraduate programs, you have financial aid and loans to help you pay for college. You also have the option of living on campus, which allows you to post-pone paying the cost of living at college until you get a job. (Essentially, living at your undergrad school gives you flexibility to pay for school, even if you do not have the money yet).
In grad school, however, (as far as I know) there are no dorm rooms and you are expected to live off campus.
How are you expected to pay for rent, food, and other essentials while in school?
Also, will you be expected to pay off your undergrad loans while in grad school? What if you take a year to work as an RN before going to grad school?
I know some people work part time, which is a great option. However, some programs (mainly PA) require full time enrollment and forbid you to get a job while enrolled.
How do you support yourself while in grad school if you are unmarried and do not live with your parents?
Sorry that I repeated myself–I had a hard time forming the question in a concise way
Thank you all so much for reading and providing feedback! I really appreciate it!
I’m sorry to say that I have absolutely no idea about how everything works for nursing, but I can tell you what I’ve learned about grad school in general.
First of all, some schools do offer room and board plans to grad students. I’m not sure how common it is, but I know my college does. So staying in a dorm or on-campus apartment and getting a meal plan may still be an option depending on where you end up going.
I believe that everything is included in your “cost of attendance”, much as it is for undergraduates. This includes food, rent, cell phone bill, etc… whether or not you live on or off campus.
I know that STEM grad students often get funded if they go for a phd, but I’m guessing that nursing students might have a tougher time with this. You basically have the same options as undergraduate students - you can pay for it in cash if you’re independently wealthy or have a trust fund or whatever, or you can take out loans. You should be able to take out enough loans to live on, even if you don’t live with parents or a significant other, although getting roommates is a great way to cut costs. Also, while you might not be able to work outside of the college, you might be able to work on campus. I know assistantships are quite common for some areas of study, but again, I’m not sure about nursing. (Assistantships can pay tuition plus a living stipend. The amount depends in the college and what job you get.)
In general, I don’t believe that you have to pay off undergrad loans while in grad school. Most loans offer deferment if you’re enrolled in a program of study at least half-time. If you worked a year as an RN, I believe that you’d have to start paying back your loans for that year, but you could stop paying them once you start school again.
Professional degrees are self funded for the most part. Sometimes you can get employers to contribute or rare scholarships. You can take out grad student loans, but it probably makes more sense to work for a bit and live like a student while you save up some of it.
note: there are grad forums and financial aid forum here
I researched PA programs in the past so maybe I can help a bit. From what I’ve seen/heard, your cost of living isn’t included in the yearly cost of the school. You’ll need to take out loans to pay for housing, whether it’s on campus or an apartment off campus. If you’re thinking of working during the school year to pay for housing think again- most PA programs won’t allow you to have a job as they know they immense amount of time required for studying.
As far as your undergrad loans, you don’t have to start paying them back until 6 months out of school. If you go to grad school at least part time you won’t have to repay just yet. If you take a year off to work as an RN, you’ll start making payments 6 months out from whenever you completed your last semester of full/part time school.
If you can, try to find other people in your PA/NP class that need a roommate. If you’ve got to pay for housing anyway you might as well make it as cheap as possible by sharing costs. Besides, neither of you will be home that often, lol.
