Can FAFSA help with crushing student loan debt in mid-career? Still paying after 20+ years

Your concerns are valid, but remember that FAFSA itself isn't a loan - it's the application that determines your daughter's eligibility for different types of financial aid, including grants that don't need to be repaid. For nursing specifically, there are amazing forgiveness programs. Have her look at the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program which can repay up to 85% of nursing education debt. Also, encourage her to complete the FAFSA early to maximize her chances for institutional scholarships, which many schools award based on FAFSA data even if you don't qualify for need-based aid. The calculated SAI (Student Aid Index) will determine grant eligibility, and nursing often qualifies for occupation-specific funding too.

Thanks for explaining the difference. I honestly thought FAFSA was just another name for student loans! So if we fill it out, it doesn't automatically mean she has to take loans? What's the best strategy to get more grants vs loans on the FAFSA? And what's SAI? Is that the same as EFC?

ppl acting like college is the only option SMH. my brother skipped college, did a 9-month coding bootcamp, makes 6 figures now. no debt. just saying.

Coding bootcamps work for some people, but they're also not magic solutions. The tech industry has had massive layoffs recently, and many bootcamp grads struggle to find jobs without degrees. Nursing has much more stable career prospects and guaranteed demand. If the daughter is passionate about nursing, there are MANY ways to minimize debt - community college for prerequisites, employer tuition assistance, FAFSA-based grants, work-study programs, etc. Let's not discourage someone from a healthcare career when we desperately need more nurses.

I'm a financial aid counselor and I can tell you that the pharmacist's situation isn't typical today - it suggests either private loans with terrible terms, career interruptions affecting income-based repayment, or graduating before newer repayment protections existed. For your daughter's nursing education, here's a strategic FAFSA approach:\n\n1) Complete the FAFSA as early as possible (October 1st for the 2025-2026 year)\n2) Your SAI (formerly EFC) determines Pell Grant eligibility\n3) Apply to schools with strong institutional aid for nursing\n4) Consider starting at community college for gen-eds\n5) Research state-specific nursing scholarships and loan forgiveness programs\n6) Look into work-study options included in your FAFSA award\n\nA nursing degree with strategic financial planning should NOT result in 20+ years of debt. The new SAVE repayment plan caps payments at 5% of discretionary income for undergraduate loans, and forgives remaining balances after 20 years maximum.

This is incredibly helpful! I had no idea the SAVE plan existed. We'll definitely apply on October 1st. One question - does her working part-time during school hurt her FAFSA chances? She wants to work weekends at the nursing home where she volunteers now.

LOL at thinking FAFSA solves anything. I filled out that stupid form every year and still ended up with $78K in debt for a teaching degree. Now I make $43K a year and can barely afford rent. The whole system is DESIGNED to keep us trapped!!! They don't want us getting ahead.

I'm sorry you've had this experience - the system isn't perfect. However, it's important to note that teacher loan forgiveness programs can discharge up to $17,500 of your federal loans if you teach for 5 years in qualifying schools. Additionally, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program can eliminate the remaining balance after 10 years of payments while working for eligible employers (which includes most public schools). Have you explored these options? The application processes have been significantly simplified in the past two years.

I've been trying to call Federal Student Aid for THREE DAYS about my son's unusual dependent status situation because his stepfather and I are separated but not divorced, and I keep getting disconnected or stuck on hold for hours. I'm about to lose my mind! Has anyone actually managed to talk to a real person there??

I was in the exact same situation last month! After getting disconnected 6 times, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 20 minutes. It basically holds your place in line so you don't have to stay on hold. My dependent status issue was resolved in one call after that. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. It seriously saved me hours of frustration, especially since I needed to sort it out before my son's aid package was finalized.

Not all loans are created equal! Federal student loans from FAFSA have MUCH better protections than private loans. My daughter is graduating from nursing school next month with about $32K in federal loans, which is manageable for her expected starting salary of $75K. We avoided private loans completely. Here's what we did:\n\n1. She did pre-reqs at community college (saved ~$20K)\n2. She qualified for $9,500 in Pell Grants through FAFSA\n3. She worked part-time as a CNA (looks great on resume too!)\n4. She applied for every nursing-specific scholarship she could find\n5. She's already been accepted into a hospital program that will pay $10K toward her loans\n\nIt IS possible to do nursing school without crushing debt. The key was filling out FAFSA early each year and being strategic about which aid to accept.

This is exactly the kind of success story I needed to hear! Did your daughter's part-time work affect her FAFSA eligibility at all? My daughter is worried that earning money will just reduce her aid.

Student income does affect FAFSA, but there's an income protection allowance (around $7,600 for dependent students) before it starts impacting the SAI calculation. And honestly, the experience she gained as a CNA was INVALUABLE - she got hired immediately after graduation with a signing bonus because she already had healthcare experience. The connections she made working in healthcare also led to scholarship recommendations. So even if there was a slight reduction in aid, the benefits far outweighed it!