Im a nurse with three degrees and debt free. Here’s what I did. Map out the undergraduate expenses and don’t live on campus. Pass your nursing boards, then look for a hospital that has tuition reimbursement for full time RNs. Use the tuition reimbursement for grad school. Goal reached and debt free!!

I graduated debt free as a poor kid, I applied to FAFSA early, went to community college, transferred to a public university and worked 20+ hours a week and doubled that during the summers and applied to as many scholarships as I could. Also go to a school you can afford too, that's the most important part.

Don't dog pile me, but I hate when Dave pushes this idea of a $2000 mechanically sound car. That's very, very rare. More realistic is $5-7K.

I worked 20 hrs/week for 4 years at a school dining hall while I was going to college. Got free food after my shift and earned decent amount of money to help with my living expenses. A lot of jobs on campus are also eligible for you to receive some tuition money through federal work study program. I took a year off from college after my sophomore year and joined the Army Reserve. I came back after 8 months of training and finished my degree while going to drill every month. I received extra money every month and tuition assistance from the Army as well. I graduated with maybe $3000 in student loan debt that I incurred during summer classes due to switching my major, but it only took me about 3 months to pay off after I got my full time job. Here are some things I learned along the way: 1. Try your best in High School to knock out some of college-level courses. 2. Go to a community college for 2 years and transfer over. 3. Always choose in-state schools unless you are going to some Ivy League school with a scholarship. 4. Don't go to college if you don't know what you want to do. College isn't a place for you to waste 1~2 years figuring out what you want to do. (I've seen too many of this) 5. Go to a tech school. Becoming an electrician or a welder is 1000x better than getting some useless degree with a ton of student loan debt. (I hate how my high school basically promoted everyone to go to college when there are so many other options) 6. Join the military.

AP/Dual Enrollment Classes, Scholarships, Pell Grant, Community College, In-State Schools, Live at home, Work, Live below your means & save, pack your lunch & rarely eat out on campus... some of the ways students can do to limit as much student loans as possible. Caller already has a good mindset by thinking ahead and wanting to go through debt free.

One important thing to remember is that the primary goal of the "College Experience" is to squeeze every penny possible from the students. The 6-figure incomes of the administration and the professors, the part-time hours, and the entire academic echo chamber bubble depend upon it. In my second year an independent bookstore opened next to the college selling and rebuying textbooks at better rates, and the school was ruthless in trying to shut it down.

Work part time and just live at home to save on expenses...not fun or glamorous but you have to be different to avoid college debt.

Why didn’t she start at a CC then transfer for cheaper? Scholarships help too. Why don’t people think of expenses before they join a college? Take the bus if your committed it’s free with school ID.

She's going to be fine. She's way ahead of most college kids in her thinking.

I wish more freshmen had the same mindset, smh. My ultimate goal was to go to college completely debt free, and I did just that: community college for two years, and then I searched the earth for HBCU’s that gave full scholarships to transfer students. It is absolutely doable, but not without some hard work!!

Good for her calling in. Getting a job and managing school work while living at home not common these days but that’s the best path for success

You get through college debt free the same way as I did. I started saving for college by working part-time jobs in high school. I worked full time every summer all the way through college and also had several part-time jobs while in college. I attended a community college to earn an associate's degree, then attended a state university near my parents' home so I did not have to live on campus. I graduated with a B.S. degree in three and a half years and debt free.

Start with step one. Get your BSN and get a few years ICU experience. Then you can apply for CRNA school.

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” --Jim Rohn

My daughter did very well with a twenty year old Honda Civic. The one she found had a manual transmission and in really good mechanical shape and had not been modified. She learned how to use a clutch. Your honors program grades qualify you for a really nice insurance discount. You can do this.

What happened to getting your RN at a community college then transfer to get your BSN? Pell grants and 50,000 plus in savings you’ll be fine

Dave missed an important piece of the puzzle here. She wants to be a nurse anesthetist and can easily finish undergrad debt free. She can (and should) also work 1-3 years after undergrad as an RN. This would allow her to save up money before returning to school. Then she’ll be on to making $200,000 a year DEBT FREE and richer than the doctor she’s working for!

This was the best collective advice from Dave and Rachel I’ve heard. Nice job to you both.

Unfortunately my parents didnt save college funds for me. Worked full time while in school for a bachelors.. paid every penny of it. It was so tough but i have learned so much.

I’ve been paying for my wife’s school with out any loans. We are sacrificing a lot because we want to be debt free!

Nurse anesthetists do not typically make $300-400k, unless we’re talking CA. They make more like $175,000. They make more if they have their own practice, but then they’re business owners too with more of a headache and more time to put in to make those earnings.

Going to in state university at age 27 and there is no way I can fund college myself even though I work 30-40 hours. During semester I drop to 30 hrs and take 3 classes, still have to take out loans. It’s not possible for everyone to go to university debt free.

How could I possibly get through college debt free??!! Do you have any money? Well.... my parents have saved $59,000 for me. What should I DO?!?!?!?

seems like she should be having this coversation w her parents imo

I’m doing the same thing but I took a different path. I went to a tech school got my trade certificate for hvac working at hospital doing maintenance making $18 hourly saving my money while staying and helping my parents with bills and I’m paying my nursing degree in full cash at my community college and taking all the prerequisites online. I’ve got 2 cars I bought 2000$ each both in great shape a 1999 jeep Cherokee and a 2004 Honda Civic. It’s hard but it’s possible most people just have egos tryin to impress others and want to go to prestigious schools. There’s cheaper ways my nursing program is 18,000$ for the ASN and BSN together.

Every highschool senior across America need to hear to this...

It's possible but not easy nor likely, but applying for every scholarship & grant possible is a great start

I didnt go to college and never regretted that decision. I just read books about money and made sure to work hard and show up everyday starting out no matter where i was and people would just ask me to come work for them and worked my way up to better and better jobs. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Worked for me.

I am blessed to have found DR at the end of my college career but oh what I would have given to have heard of him back in HS.

Dave's plan for her only works if her parents have a lot of money. Notice how he didn't show any path forward for her after undergrad to remain debt free (without her parents helping). What Dave refuses to acknowledge is that with certain advanced education is that unless your family has money, it is nearly impossible for most people to graduate debt free. And that also holds true for most undergrads too. And for that matter, if this girl didn't have a ton of money gifted to her already, she too would likely not be able to do undergrad debt free.

Personally, I went to community college, lived with my parents, worked part-time during school, applied for FAFSA, transferred over to a public 4-year University, and did the same thing I did for community college. For University, I lived on campus and applied for privately funded scholarships and financial aid. In the end, it was worth it.

Even before she said what she was going to school for, you could tell this is a really smart girl. To all of the young men out there, its a girl like this you wanna look for!

You read the book “A Penny Pincher’s Guide to College” 😬 but really you have to prep before you start going to school

Very relatable. I should have that in my NEXT vids. 🙌🏻

Take summer classes while in high school at a community college that can be transferable credits to a 4 year in state. During summers after freshman and sophomore year take more transferable community college credits. That's a good starting point.

Why does Dave always confuse nurse anesthetists with anesthesiologists? Like in what world is a nurse anesthetist making anything close to 300k

I’m working a full time and part time while doing online classes, I pay around 2K per semester at public university plus books (rent them on amazon) for a cybersecurity degree. I know it’ll be all worth it at the end 2 and half more years to go 🙌🏼

GO DAVE!!

HOPE SHE READS THIS. Get your bachelor’s degree, find a job at a hospital, and THEY WILL PAY for her to go back to school to become a CRNA. She can even look into becoming a CNA now, so she can work, get patient care experience, and possibly get tuition reimbursement for her bachelor’s degree. She has an ADVANTAGE and many options going into the nursing field. All the best!

I have about a year and a half left and i’m thankful I am debt free so far 😅

I got excited for the title because I know there are a lot of people who don’t have the luxury of their parents paying for college. Then she said how gracious her parents are and have thousands saved for her. I really wanna hear a call of a person who has zero money saved, no financial assistance from parents, and hear what Dave would say about going to college debt free and how one can attack it

THX

Ask your dad to pay your college tuition. The Ramsay plan!

Based on what she talked about not sure she realizes she needs to work as an RN for at least 1 year in an ICU. Before even applying to CRNA school

Today is the day I started to clean up my debt mess. I finally totalled up all my non mortgage debts at ($37,669 as of today/not allowing for interest) still outstanding, over 5 sources I make $30,000 / year approx I have my $1,000 emergency fund The only other money I have in the world is $2,000 in a bank account Fortunately I can pick up a lot of overtime. I think motivation may be my biggest problem but Ill stick with the debt snowball technique and see how I get on.

Thanks to Dave Ramsey I am paying off my masters in cash! (:

Can't wait for this young ladys testimony after she jas reached her goal😊

My husband and I are both CRNAs. I spent 150K he spent 350K getting our degrees. I went to a community college to get my ADN and a state school for my BSN. (Got a ton of scholarships for undergrad). I started anesthesia school debt free and ended up with 150K worth of student loans.. paid that off in 3 years. My hubby went to a private school for all four years of his BSN then got his doctorate. Moral of the story? I make more than him with my masters degree. The DNP doesn’t make a difference if you don’t care about teaching. Find the cheapest way to get the undergrad

I went two community college for 2 years and transferred to a state school. Im about to graduate debt free. Most of my tuition was covered by financial aid and scholarships. I also am lucky to live at home rent free with no other expenses.

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -- Benjamin Franklin

My husband has his master's degree 100% debt free because of serving in the military and being a disabled veteran. Obviously, I don't recommend the whole disabled part to the equation, but for many people, serving and utilizing their G.I. bill is a huge help. It's not for everyone, obviously, but it's a good thing to consider for many.

My daughter works full time and gets Fafsa, she pays for her books and tuition herself. She does not have a car payment or apartment since she lives with us. I also got her a low interest credit card so she can put some of her tuition on there to buy her time. It has worked so far. My daughter has a 2005 Chevy Malibu that we spent 1200 on...so she will be ok until that breaks down.

Generally speaking, if one starts at a community college, it's cheaper, and you can get a lot of credits towards an Associate's Degree or a Bachelor's Degree. That should be pretty easy to cash flow. Then, it's a matter of getting scholarships and a part time job.

To give my take on the question, but not caller's personal situation I will say this. College is expensive so main thing that should be taught in high school is a good route to take. I have met people who didn't go to college and have a more stable career with growth in the future. I have met people in college that also are successful right out of it. The main thing is that you need to see what applies best to you. College shouldn't be too hard to stay in. The key to being successful through college is just be informed and have a plan

This is what you do: 1. Make good grades in high school 2. Get a scholarship- I only got a full ride from a 2-yr community college because I did decently but not great in HS. Get a 4.0 there. 3. Apply for a state university and all their scholarships, get a full ride to finish your degree. // Lived with my parents the whole time and now I’m going to be making nearly $40,000/yr in Arkansas at 21 with a 4.0 GPA

My parents saved for my college tuition before I was born. I went out of state too. $0 in student loans and all college paid in full.

When I looked into this there were nurse anesthesia programs that were free if you promised to work at certain hospitals for a period of time. So you would graduate with a Masters Degree in some thing great, an automatic job - and school for free.

You said your car is dying....sounds like your phone is dying too. Lol!

Financial aid, parents aid, work-study, pt job, live in car. Dorms expensive, stay away. Go community coll then transfer.

Take an excel spreadsheet and put your bank statement on it to find how much you are spending. If worse comes to worse, with a vehicle... call Yellow Cab. Furthermore... Never get a dorm room!!!

I got a scholarship and a pell grant. As a result I get paid 3k a semester for college

I wonder after they go off the air what does ramsey tell rachael lol

Get associates degree in nursing at the local junior college. Go to work at a hospital ICU and let the hospital pay for your bachelors in nursing. Save a lot of money to pay for CRNA school while working.

They’re so traditional. There are colleges that will let you go for free. You can be an RA get free room and board and tuition. Some college have you work 40 hours a week give you a small check and tuition free. They need to look into stuff like this which they don’t

I lived in my car, took showers at the gym, and spent most of my days at work, with friends, or at school. It actually helped me not spend money on worthless junk because I had no where to put it and I was in good shape. It worked out so well that I lived in my car for an additional 2 years after college and I was able to put down 20% and my house is almost paid off. It was totally worth it since most of my other friends here in CA still live with their parents and have loads of student loan debt.

She is gonna have a bright future. She is smart and already thinking bout being debt free. Nurse Anesthetist makes six figures. A 💰💰LOT!!! Wish her the best.

Work at a company that provides tuition reimbursement. Work days and go to school nights. It takes a little longer, but no debt is the benefit ! Is it possible? I did it !

Is that Cobra Commander on the thumbnail

I had pell grants through the college, still ended up with 19000 dollars debt. I was so dumb and regret.

Apply to Berea College. It offers a No Tuition Scholarship.

It's incredibly difficult to get into a nurse anesthetic program, but they make a lot of money...more than any other nursing program. Surgical nurses don't get that kind of money, but there are a lot of surgical techs now...

During my college days, I ONLY purchased hard-assets AND had ONLY $30.67 in monthly liabilities (Cell Phone Bill). Back then, annually about $368.04. Now my Cell Phone Bill is around $47.58. Present day, annually about $570.96. However, guess what? I’m currently paying for my college tuition throughout Med-School (Soon-To-Be Dr.👨🏼‍⚕️) in full with cold, hard cash! I had decided to miss the ball game, the play, the concert, because I’ve resolved to work and invest in my family's future. And taking responsibility for the consequences of those actions. Patience. Frugality. Sacrifice. When you boil it down, what do those three things have in common? These are choices. Money is NOT peace of mind. Money's NOT happiness. Money IS, at its essence, that measure of a man's choices.

Why do so many call to ask for help but do not know what the price of things are? People are destine for financial struggles unless they start by getting a strong hold of what things cost.

BTW, those "little" Mazda 626, were very good quality cars, manufactured in Japan.

It's funny how people never see living mindfully as a way of getting through college (or life for that matter) debt free.

Do trades. MRI school cost me 8k. Typical pay range in my area is 27-32 per hour. Chief MRI tech can receive up to 35 to 45 an hour especially if involved in clinical research.

She needs to worry about getting the RN first with a little as debt as possible. After she will need several years of ICU experience and she can save more. But even at my lower cost grad school the CRNA program, which is a doctoral level program is about 50k and you can’t work to keep up with the rigors of the program. My job is paying for most of my masters degree. They give 5k a year and the program is about 12-14k for 2 years. The rest I pay from savings.

Unlikely, especially with the extra 4 years, go fulltime, work part time, dont forget to enjoy the college life too, then use your forbearence and pay off as much as you can as fast as you can

Talk to someone about scholarships!! I was in 6 clubs and kept a part time job with a 3.6 GPA as well as having mental disabilities and would have been eligible for native scholarships as well possibly something from being from a military family. I ended up with no scholarships and worked throughout college struggling to pay school debt b/c my loan wouldn't cover it all and feed myself. I got burt out and dropped out. Please go see your highschool or college councilor and ask questions! Figure out how to get them scholarships.

If you are going for nursing school, you need to get your priorities straight because It’s very rigorous to make it out. One thing you don’t want is your mind preoccupied with money. You need a decent car and a decent place to live with money to afford food. I would stay home and look into community college. Nursing is very broad and there’s usually no age discrimination in the field so you will advance your career to whatever u want, no need to rush now. Look for scholarships and financial aid. this will slash your costs a lot. Work part time weekend job and do school work during the week, nothing else. You will have no life but in the end it’s worth it. Also don’t be afraid of student loans if your grades will be compromised by working. I took out 6k for my associates and now my employer pays 10k per year for my BSN and some hospitals even offer loan repayment.

don't need to watch the video to answer this. don't get a loan, get a job and pay per class at local community colleges. it might take longer to not do all that stressful schoolwork all at once but that's just it, it's a lot less stressful. you can put more focus on less classes at the same time you don't have debt stress and you get experience working with others, you get experience working with customers. that's better than coming out of schooling not knowing how to interact with people outside of education environment. I'm going for IT and I'm repeatedly told by various professors that companies would rather take a student that knows how to work with people than those who cant. even if there a C grade student and not an A student. That it's easier to teach the work on the job than it is to teach social skills.

Gotta hold a job/business at the same time.. that’s the only way I’ve found

Anything other than community college is not designed to keep you debt free. Houses, cars, college, and medical expenses factor in someone else paying for it whether it’s insurance or a bank. This jacks the price and creates a situation where interest or premiums are required to obtain the products/services. Debt has now become the norm in our culture and the reason we re in big trouble right now.

I graduate next year with my BA in Operations & Supply chain Management and commercial real estate. I have ZERO student loans and I already have the rest of the year paid for 🙏🏼 allllloooooot of hard work but worth it

Sometimes you can't cash flow the process. I did the math on my college bill, if I worked a full 70hrs/WK it will take 23 years at my current job to save the money to pay for college, it will be less than 5 years to pay off loans with a post degree job.

Im using my GI so college will be free, and I'll receive 2100 per month tax free for housing allowance.

Simple answer: Join the military... 100% tuition assistance while you are on active duty and then the Post 9/11 GI Bill when you're finished with your tour of duty.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE adjust for inflation ! A $1,000 car back in 1995 is a 3000k car now a days !! Realistic one must spend 3000-5000 for a descent running used car !!

As someone who never value college education and who dropped high school in Junior, I cannot relate anything to this video lol. I own a home, have a beautiful family of four, and we are purchasing our second home in few years... proof that you dont NEED college education to be successful. My first job when I was 15? Burgerking! Haha

The military provides not only training, but also a way to pay for college along with housing, food, healthcare, and a paycheck. Plus lower taxes. It's an excellent way if you don't have parents with money and don't want to go into debt. AND you will be serving your country!

why do they always cut the call in the middle of answering the question?

I also don’t agree with Dave saying “you can work a bizzilion hours during undergrad” of course you can work but getting a BSN isn’t easy. It’s definitely a hard major and even harder when you have to have a higher than average gpa to continue on into grad school. My niece is going in to get a BSN and you don’t even actually get in until the second year. You have to have a certain gpa and they only take so many students. She needs to focus on that. I worked in undergrad to get my pre med bio degree. And it was very tough. I feel like working a lot of hours and keeping a high gpa is easier if your a Bussiness or safety major.

Right now I'm in highschool and I was wondering if 2 years of community college will help u in a 4 year question and please explain how

I love everything about Ramsey Solutions; the team have given me the tools to save my life! But I have noticed that Rachel has started to really bite back at any advice Dave gives lately. It's sad, and awkward to listen to. The help is wonderful and makes total sense, and I don't see why it needs to be a fight all the time right now.

Find a USED electric car if you want the most reliable and inexpensive car - the best one you'll find for cheap is the BMW i3 - the cheapest EV used is the Leaf , you can find one for like 5 grand and you can charge it for free - almost every city in America has charging stations , google charging station map and check your area - call your local dealer and demand they start making electric cars for YOU!!! My favorite USed EV is the Kia Soul EV - you can find one for around 7-15K

Community college and get your associates degree (2yr), transfer in state college with assoc degree will get all 60 credits transferred (check your state), live at home, work on campus, bring food and coffee, get scholarship ( Pell grant, fafsa, good grades scholarship, transfer scholarship, senator and delegate scholarship) I still went to college parties, I still went to football games, I still enjoyed events on campus.

Honors dorm going to school to be a Crna, no. They are selling you a product you don’t need. My associates in nursing was 12k, rn to bsn was FREE in my case. The bsn was all online.

Do the military first then go after you get out or take some classes here and there while you're in. Or even better don't go

Where can I buy that $500 almost new pink SUV? My 20 year old SUV went to the great parts lot in the sky and $500 is about what I can afford to spend. Don't care what it looks like, care that it can carry people & building materials, and that it will be very reliable.

Dave we need your opinion on the payroll tax deferral that was discussed by the president today. If people are going to have to pay that tax on their next tax return that’s going to be a very nasty surprise for them.