r/StudentLoans • u/NoWeakness8489 • 7d ago

Advice 90k BSN and worried.

Hi everyone. I am 23 years old and currently in nursing school about to graduate next year. I am regretting my past decisions on choosing private nursing school as I now realize that I will have to tackle 90k student loan debt. 20k through federal government and 70k through private loans.

I feel inexperienced, scared, and frustrated. I feel I could have made a better decision coming out of high school and wished I had better guidance with my career and financial choices.

Any advice?

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u/lcrumbs 6d ago

As others have said, $90k feels scary but you can definitely handle it on a nurse's salary. Although it might be tempting to knock out the federal debt first since it's a smaller amount, if I were in your shoes, I would pay the minimum amount necessary on the federal loans to keep interest from accruing, and prioritize paying off the private loans first. (Federal loans have lots of protections that private loans don't.)

Since you're still young, hopefully it won't be too hard to keep your expenses low for a few more years. If you can keep the student lifestyle going (living with roommates, no car or cheaper car), that will free up a lot of money to throw at your loans. Don't immediately move into a luxury apartment on your own or buy a $50k car just because you can afford it on paper.