Aspiring Nurse Struggling with College Tuition

Hey everyone!

I hate asking for money and it took some great thought and convincing for me to even post this. However, I have been accepted into an Accelerated Nursing Program at Barnes Jewish College of Nursing in Saint Louis Missouri. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what an accelerated program is, it is a shortened program for those who already have a Bachelor's Degree. I previously graduated with my Bachelor's in Psychology in 2012. Unfortunately, with a Bachelor's in Psychology, there is not much you can do within your field--you must go on to obtain a Master's or PhD. Currently, I work as an administrative assistant and barely make enough to live on. After great thought and research, I have found that nursing is my true dream career and passion and there is so much more opportunity for employment within this field. I LOVE helping people, which is why I got into psychology in the first place, and I LOVE biology. I am SO excited for this opportunity!!

One problem though....I cannot afford it!! With this accelerated program, since it is so intense, they do not recommend for you to have a job. I will have to completely rely on my fiance for all of my expenses including health insurance, automobile insurance, asthma medication, food, housing, past student loan payments, etc. He does not make enough to support this so we will be living with his mom to try to save money. Additionally, I have only been offered $9,500 in government student loans, which is no where near what I need to pay for this degree. I do not want to have to take out private student loans because my previous ones had such a high interest rate--10%!!!! My fiance has been so encouraging throughout this process and I hate to put him in this position--that is why I am asking for $45,000--not only to pay for the $43,000 in tuition and fees, but also to help offset some of the money I would be relying on him for. Thank you in advance, and I hope that I can be your nurse someday!