Financial Help

[atm14834]

Hi! Happy Wednesday!

So I was accepted to an online masters program. Unfortunately, it isn't cheap. I don't think I am going to get much funding from the program, and I can't really justify paying that much for it right now. Most people I have talked with said it isn't worth doing without some kind of funding. I was wondering if anyone had some advice or knew of funding opportunities outside of student loans (I already have a good bit out from undergrad.) that I could look into. I have been applying for a few smaller scholarships and looking for jobs that offer tuition reimbursement, and I did fill out my FAFSA for this year. I just wanted to be sure that I can have a good chunk of it covered without loans before I accept the offer to the school.

Thanks!

[PsyDuck90]

The only type of financial aid offered for graduate students through FAFSA are loans and work study (which I'm assuming isn't applicable for an online program). You may be eligible for private scholarships that you'd have to search for. Schools typically have a few they give out, but online programs do not provide funding as often, to my knowledge. 

I guess the question is, what is the average income for people with this degree and how does that relate to the amount of debt you would be in by the end (for instance, would you be $100k in total student loan debt for a job that pays less than that per year?)?

Is it possible to maybe postpone grad school and apply for more schools next cycle that provide funding? I'm in a totally different field, but I would also imagine that biomedical sciences would include labs that would be difficult to integrate into an online format as well. 

[atm14834]

Thanks for the input! After looking at job outlooks, I should make more than the amount of debt I would be in. But I also want to pursue a PhD, I just haven't gotten in this cycle. I looked into scholarships at the school, but it looked like most of them were either for undergrads or in-state students. I probably just need to dig a little deeper to find something. 

[PsyDuck90]

If you want to pursue a PhD, research is king, and it is also very hard to get that experience through an online program. Also, letters of recommendation and networking are important, which is also difficult in an online format. Honestly, I would strongly consider holding off and trying for more traditional, brick and mortar programs next go around.