Endeavor Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I understand PA school tuition keeps increasing (for example school I'm attending is ~60k total, but in 2014 it was ~35k). But for those who were able to pay for PA school out of pocket how did you do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepgirl Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 9/11 GI Bill + federal loans. Most of my classmates are paying for school through federal loans. A handful are fortunate enough to have the means to pay out of pocket (personal savings, generous patents, etc). There are also a couple using the Navy HPSP to pay for school, which is a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinkertdm Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I sold subscriptions to Grit newspaper. And tomato plants twenty feet tall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajames Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I took an extra year off before applying and saved up money weekly in advance. I planned a budget that I kept to for a year to allow me to make weekly deposits into an external savings account with interest. I only worked as a CNA and my husband is a tech for a company. We saved up about 20k over this time and lived off like 30k/year with no babies in AZ. Anyway, I'm still taking out about 100k in student loans, but it would be closer to 130k had I not considered the future. My school allows a max of 198k for the program including COL, tuition, and fees, so I feel more comfortable knowing I won't be taking out max due to savings. I'm also planning to pay interest while I'm in school to keep my principal down and not let it grow after deferment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Saved money for it over several years. Turned 59.5 and was able to take some money from my IRA. Parents gave me a little too. And, most importantly, my wife kept working! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgriffiths Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I took out student loans, but only because I expected to get loan repayment from my job. My wife continued working which paid for our monthly bills and allowed us to continue to fund our Roth IRAs. After finishing school, my job offered loan repayment of $10k per year until loans are paid off, which is far beyond minimum payments. I'll be paid off in just under 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl90 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 I start PA school this coming May, and will be paying for the entire program (around 90k) out of pocket (from my own savings, no help from parents or anything). I'm 27 and I took 5 years off after undergrad to work like crazy and save every penny that I could. I know a lot of people are in a rush to get through PA school as quickly as possible, but I honestly am so glad that I waited those 5 years before I applied. Aside from the financial aspect of being able to put aside the money for school, I also feel like I'm going in with so much more life experience and perspective. (Not to mention, after undergrad it was nice to have a break from school and a glimpse of the "real world" for a while! haha) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnerpa-s Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 I worked for about 1.5 years before PA school and saved all that money. I'm married which helped so my husband continued to work, and I use all my money from my prior job for school and associated expenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKPAC Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 US Air Force. 30 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted February 27, 2018 Moderator Share Posted February 27, 2018 I did the part time PA program at Dexel and worked as a paramedic through the program. also, total tuition for class of 96 was 30k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiovolffemtp Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Personal history very similar to UGoLong. Started PA school @ 53. Had savings from working many extra hours for multiple years - pretty much drew all of that down. Took 72T distributions from 1 IRA account and drew down a taxable retirement account. Worked 1 24 hour shift/month at the FD. Lived very cheap: it was cheaper to rent a 1 bedroom apt during my academic year than commute to the school. Paid all tuition via credit card to get the 1% cash back - paid off the credit card monthly using the funds from above. Now working about 1.3x full time (1 FT & 1 PT ED job) to protect against the likelihood of staffing reduction at both my jobs. (lots of new ED's including free standings opening in my area leading to census reductions leading to employers cutting hours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted March 1, 2018 Administrator Share Posted March 1, 2018 Personal savings and penalty-free IRA withdrawals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBGYNPAC Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 I took out student loans while my wife worked and took care of our monthly bills. Once I graduated, I got a job that was eligible for NHSC loan repayment and got them paid off in 2 years. Didn't have to pay a dime out of my own pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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