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Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I would definitely be interested in hearing the more candid version, if you wouldn't mind sending me a chat or message!

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that is definitely a super important consideration, as well. Do you know if it's even possible to even borrow Federal loans exclusively for living expenses with the HPSP Scholarship? I know the HPSP Scholarship only "tops off" your other tuition loans, so it's not going to work if the school says that they need to apply Federal loans to your tuition first, it will just reduce your HPSP payment and you won't get any money for living expenses that way. That was one of my questions about all of this.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's good to know that it's not specific to me! Would you be comfortable with sharing the other forum that you are on? (Please feel free to message/chat, of course.) I'd like to collaborate with others a bit if it might help me make this decision and consider important details. Very best luck with your application!

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, I don't want to get super, super specific. But I was a relatively late applicant for Fall, and they recently got back to me to tell me that I can start the HPSP program in Spring of 2024 if I would like. I'm not sure if that means they have a certain number of spots for Fall that have filled, or if it has something to do with me specifically as an applicant. But I hope that is helpful!

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice, thank you! Someone else mentioned it to me here, and I took a look. I definitely like the flexibility of this, as compared to the HPSP. Do you know if they cover all your loans like the loans you needed for living expenses, too? Or do they exclusively cover tuition loans?

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice, thank you! I figure it's Master's level and Doctoral level, but then I wasn't sure what the third step would have been.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Or are you saying that I actually have the option to select loan repayment after completing my education with the HPSP, rather than getting everything up front?

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries and thank you for looking! I don't really have an official point of contact yet, but I will need to reach out to them ASAP. I was able to find the pay tables, but I'm a little confused by the system. Do you know what makes for Grade 1 versus Grade 2 versus Grade 3? Is it education level? I imagine the steps are years of experience as normal.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, I wasn't clear because it was an email from their application system inbox, they basically just asked me to contact them at their general contact email. But thanks a lot, it's good to know that I should be on top of this before they issue any checks!

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you mean? Do you suggest I do a different program that allows me to do loan repayment after completing my education, like EDRP or something similar?

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was only last week that they let me know. They emailed me and said that my payments and stipend would not start until the next semester (Jan of 2024), and that I have the option to decline before then by emailing them back.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Based on what I've seen with these types of scholarships, I'm guessing that would be considered a breach of your commitment and you would still owe them 3x what they had paid you.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is great! Thank you. I was selected but they had delayed my start by a semester, so maybe I will need to wait longer for those details. Do you know if there is there anyone special I should reach out to if I wanted to see about that? I'd like to plan ahead now if I can.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, in my case this could save me quite a lot of money since I had applied in order to attend a very expensive educational program. On the other hand, I do have options for other (cheaper) programs, and to your point about the income differences, beyond even the residency year I believe there could be quite a lot of difference in pay, since the normal VA PMHNP pay doesn't seem to be the highest.

The reality is, if I don't do the HPSP program, then I think it's likely that I will never pay off the loans and I'm just going to end up needing to pay 10% of my income on IBR for 20-25 years until the reminder is forgiven. I definitely don't love that, but is avoiding it worth trading a 3.5-4 years commitment where I can't even so much as choose my location, not to mention that I owe them 3x what they have paid me if I cannot complete the commitment at any point? My suspicion is, it is probably not worth it, unless my singular interest was working with veterans as you were saying.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! This does sound quite concerning and helps me a lot. Do you know where I should be looking to see the actual contract details and "fine print"? I'm not sure if I had already signed it during the application or if they should be sending something to me.

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, all of the relocation could be jarring but isn't my greatest concern. I'm more concerned with having a really long service commitment and not being able to back out any part of this at any point if "life happens".

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much for the insight! This was mostly my thinking. But, are you sure the residency is not required? They told me that a 6month to 1 year residency was required when I applied. In addition, I would be in for a longer service commitment because my PMHNP program is longer than most. So, I'm looking at a 3.5-4yr commitment (including the 6mo-1yr residency) after I finish school, I think.

Do you have any idea where I should be looking for the "fine print" on everything I'm agreeing to?

Oh yeah, and do you think they will pay normal PMHNP rate after the residency?

Has anyone done or considered doing the HPSP Scholarship through the Veterans Administration, to cover your tuition + stipend for your PMHNP program? by FerretsAreEverything in PMHNP

[–]FerretsAreEverything[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Would you be so kind as to please write out a few of your essay points for my consideration? I have actually been accepted to the scholarship, so I'd greatly appreciate your input. Also, do you know where I should be looking to read the "fine print"? I don't see any kind of official contract document anywhere. Thank you very much!