Thursday, March 10, 2011

Nursing Education Loans

Many people choose to attend nursing school because they hope that they can help others. However, nursing school is very expensive. Most nurses graduate with a large student debt. However, even if you need in nursing education loan in order to pay for your schooling, there's hope. Exciting new nursing education loan repayment programs have been designed to help nurses deal with their student debt while also helping others. By joining in a nurse education loan repayment program you can reduce your debt load, pay back your debt faster, and really start helping patients.

What are Nursing Education Loans?
Students attending nursing schools qualify for number of education loans:

Federal Perkins Loans
These loans are awarded based on need and based on the amount of government of money that is available. Since these loans are offered by the government to graduate and undergraduate students, interest rates are quite low -- 5% in many cases. Students must begin repaying nine months after ending school or stopping full-time study.

Federal Stafford Loans
These loans are also offered by the government. Some are based on need while some are not. Interest rates on these loans are quite low and repayment begins six months after students stop attending school full-time.

PLUS Loans
These loans are offered to parents who have college aged dependents. These loans also have low interest and students need to start repayment six months after they stop going to school full-time. These loans are based on need.

Private Education Loans
A number of banks, financial institutions and lending companies offer education loans specifically for students who do not get enough money through other sources. These loans have competitive rates -- although generally higher interest than the federal loans -- and most ask that students start repayment after completing their full-time studies. These loans are not based on need, although a credit check is usually required in order to qualify. Some loans are even specifically designed for nursing school or medical school students.

Federal Nursing Education Loans
These 5% interest loans are offered to undergraduate nursing students. They are need-based and students must begin repayment nine months after graduating or quitting school. The maximum loan amount is $4000.

What are Nursing Education Loan Repayment Programs?
Nursing education loan repayment programs work to resolve two big problems: Huge nursing student debts and chronic nurse shortages at some facilities. Repayment programs, which are really grants, work to resolve both issues. Repayment programs offer help in paying off nursing student debts. In exchange, nurses agree to work in areas where there is a nurse shortage for a specific number of years. There are government loan repayment programs and nursing loan repayment programs offered by private medical care companies.

The Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (NELRP) is a government program that pays up to 85% of a nurse's student debt. All a nurse must do is apply for the program and work at a specific facility for up to three years. In most cases, nurses are assigned to work at facilities where there is a staff shortage. Nurses can apply online at: http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing

Hospital or facility based loan repayment programs. Some health care centers are helping nurses to pay off their student debts if nurses agree to a specific term of service. For example, the Northeast Health Education Loan Repayment Program allows students to reduce their nursing school debt by as much as $10 000 if they work at least 20 hours per week at one of the Northeast Health Care centers.