Other Titles
Financial Barriers of Eastern Michigan University Nursing Students [Poster Title]
Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation
Abstract
Student loan debt for undergraduate BSN and Master’s prepared nursing students is growing. Many nursing students take out student loans to pay for their educational expenses. While some students apply for and obtain scholarships and grants, Eastern Michigan University (EMU) School of Nursing (SON) has had scholarships go unutilized during the annual scholarship cycle. Nursing student loan repayment can be a financial burden for nurses and their families. The purpose of the survey was to examine what financial barriers nursing students experience while enrolled at EMU SON. This study was performed utilizing a survey via google forms and data was analyzed in SPSS. Additionally, thematic analysis was completed by two separate researchers to identify patterns in participant responses regarding open ended questions. There were 136 participants (n=136) and the majority were traditional undergraduate nursing students, single, non-Hispanic women. It was found that 37% of participants were unsure or not aware of scholarships available to them, 33% of participants had not applied for any scholarships, and 22% of participants were not very confident or not at all confident in their ability to complete a scholarship application. Furthermore, it was found that there were barriers in accessing scholarship information, communication to students regarding scholarships and resources, and knowledge needed to complete scholarships and financial aid applications. University and school of nursing personnel should address any known barriers, improve communication about scholarships and resources to students, and provide for one-on-one assistance or host workshops to assist in completing applications in future academic semesters.
Notes
References:
Kuperberg, A., Williams, K., & Mazelis, J. M. (2024). Student loans, physical and mental health, and health care use and delay in college. Journal of American College Health, 72(8), 2991–3001. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2151840
Lane, R. (2021). Average nursing student debt: How much do nurses owe? NerdWallet. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/average-nursing-student-debt
Tait, M., Burke, E., Leshan, T., Casalotti, A., Krasna, H., & Leider, J. P. (2024). Federal student loan debt in public health and the opportunities for loan repayment programs. Public Health Reports (1974), 139(4), 512–518. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549231223712
Sigma Membership
Eta Rho
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Leadership, Leadership Initiatives, Student Loans, Student Loan Debt, Nursing Students, Financial Barriers
Recommended Citation
Gower, Deanna; Kachaturoff, Melissa; and Caboral-Stevens, Meriam, "Financial Barriers of EMU Nursing Students" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 102.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/102
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-10
Financial Barriers of EMU Nursing Students
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Student loan debt for undergraduate BSN and Master’s prepared nursing students is growing. Many nursing students take out student loans to pay for their educational expenses. While some students apply for and obtain scholarships and grants, Eastern Michigan University (EMU) School of Nursing (SON) has had scholarships go unutilized during the annual scholarship cycle. Nursing student loan repayment can be a financial burden for nurses and their families. The purpose of the survey was to examine what financial barriers nursing students experience while enrolled at EMU SON. This study was performed utilizing a survey via google forms and data was analyzed in SPSS. Additionally, thematic analysis was completed by two separate researchers to identify patterns in participant responses regarding open ended questions. There were 136 participants (n=136) and the majority were traditional undergraduate nursing students, single, non-Hispanic women. It was found that 37% of participants were unsure or not aware of scholarships available to them, 33% of participants had not applied for any scholarships, and 22% of participants were not very confident or not at all confident in their ability to complete a scholarship application. Furthermore, it was found that there were barriers in accessing scholarship information, communication to students regarding scholarships and resources, and knowledge needed to complete scholarships and financial aid applications. University and school of nursing personnel should address any known barriers, improve communication about scholarships and resources to students, and provide for one-on-one assistance or host workshops to assist in completing applications in future academic semesters.
Description
Student loan debt for BSN and Master’s prepared nursing students is growing. Scholarships go unused despite being available. A survey of 136 students found that 37% were uninformed of scholarships, 33% of participants had not applied for scholarships, and 22% of participants lacked confidence in applying for scholarships. Barriers included lack of access to information, communication, and knowledge. The University should offer application assistance, improve communication and access.