Fill out a FAFSA. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The government has thousands of grants available for anyone attending a specialized school, college, or university. The only way to find out if you qualify is to fill out your information. Once you submit your information, you should hear within weeks what you qualify for. If you work with a financial aid officer of the school you wish to attend, you can actually find out within 24 hours. You will need all of your income and your parents' income information, if applicable, to fill out the forms. Also have your social security number ready and the school code for the school you wish to attend. The link to the FAFSA is provided for you at the end of the article.
Apply for a scholarship. Scholarships are just like grants in that they never have to be repaid. In a sense they are like free money. Scholarships can last longer than grants, and because of this, most scholarships have requirements that you must meet in order to keep the scholarship year after year. Usually a certain grade point average is expected. Scholarships are a little more rare than grants and are usually based on merit and not your financial situation. You will have to compete with other interested individuals, so make sure you list all the wonderful things you have done, community service projects and extracurricular activities you participated in. A link to scholarship resources is at the bottom of this article. You should also ask your financial aid officer if they are aware of any scholarships you can apply for.
Take out a loan. Loans must be paid back, but if you don't have any other way to afford nursing school, this is an option you want to consider. The FAFSA will tell you if any government loans are available to you. You will have to apply separately if you need another loan. You can work with your local bank, as long as you have a good standing with your accounts. There is also another type of loan you can apply for, called a Graduate Plus Loan. This loan focuses on your parents and what they make for a living. You will have to talk to your parents about this option to see if they would be willing to consider it. You can get more information from the link provided at the end of this article.
Sign up for the work-study program. Many schools have this option. You work at the school and your paychecks go toward your tuition. That brings the amount of money you owe down. It won't pay for the entire tuition, but it can be a big help. Each school has different campus jobs that are available, so you will need to talk to the financial aid officer at your school to find out if you can apply for work-study.
Get your employer to pay for your schooling. Many employers will pay for their employees to attend school so long as they sign a contract that they will stay on at their company for a certain number of years after graduation. You must already be working in the healthcare field for this to work out. If you have a desk job at a pediatrician's office and you want to become a nurse, for example, the doctor may decide this is a good idea if you have shown yourself to be a reliable hard worker. He will then pay your tuition and have you work at least 5 years at his establishment. It never hurts to ask your employer.