The hidden fees of nursing students
By Najma Hussein
Many people may know of St. Kate’s for its esteemed nursing program, but under the prestige of the program, there are hidden fees students grapple with, leaving students unaware of the ever-increasing price they would have to pay for this high-quality education.
St. Kate’s has been leading with nursing for more than 80 years now. The program is known to be very competitive and has partnerships with local hospitals and clinics that provide students with excellent opportunities after graduation.
The issue of hidden fees was brought to my attention by students who would like to share their concerns about the extra expenses that are mandatory for the program. Bahja Warsame ‘26 (Nursing) emphasized how uninformed students were about a recurring $600 fee. Students did not know what the nursing fee went toward.
“I wasn’t aware of the nursing fee that applied to my tuition every semester,” Warsame said. “I’m sure other students were not aware as well. I knew I would have to pay for textbooks, but $350 for one book for a single semester is excessive.” Next semester, they will have to pay for a textbook that costs $1,000.
Sihan Abdi ‘26 (Nursing) highlighted the testing fees that she believed St. Kate’s would have helped her cover: “I was not aware that I would have to pay the whole CNA [certified nursing assistant] and TEAS [Test of Essential Academic Skills] test costs. I would have expected the nursing program to cover partial or reduced costs because of our $600 nursing fee and tuition.”
According to Warsame, who has looked for CNA testing opportunities elsewhere, testing through the school is more expensive than through external parties.
Edna Ahmed ‘26 (Nursing) said she enjoys the program and the patient care but was also unaware of the extra fees she would have to pay. “I don’t remember them giving us a heads up about it last semester or when we were applying to the program,” Ahmed said. “Also, I didn’t know we’d have to pay for these expensive textbooks because when I saw the nursing fee, I assumed it was for our scrubs or a stethoscope.”
Students did not know about the excessive fees required to complete the nursing program and think St. Kate’s should be doing more to help its students financially.
Beth Hamer, director of Access and Success, said, “Access and Success emergency grant funds cannot assist with students’ tuition and fees bills due to criteria laid out by our emergency grant funders stipulating that emergency grant funds cannot pay St. Kate’s directly. The emergency grant program can only assist with basic emergency expenses such as housing, food, gas and medical expenses.”
With that being said, testing for either CNA or TEAS could have been done through an external party or the school, so why couldn’t Access and Success offer assistance for external parties?
Hamer responded, “If a student meets all the other eligibility criteria for an emergency grant (we verify this with financial aid), we may be able to assist with partial costs for CNA testing or training. The average emergency grant amount usually cannot cover the full cost of those expenses. Our staff will then follow up to check eligibility with the Financial Aid office and offer to meet with the student to discuss their situation.”
This information seems hidden because students are unaware that partial costs could be covered for their CNA testing through Access and Success. If a student wishes to apply for the emergency grant, they can do so via this form.
Hamer further mentioned that the $600 nursing fee could be easily found on the school’s website.
Ahmed also added that the stress of money does not help with the rigorous coursework nursing students take. “It was already really hard paying for my tuition,” Ahmed said. “So adding this nursing fee, along with everything else, has made it hard to focus at school and worry about money at work to pay off everything.”
When asked if this changed her mind about the program, Ahmed said, “If any seniors or high school students ask me about St. Kate's and are interested in nursing, I will tell them how good the school is and how good the education is but also tell them that it's really expensive. And it gets more expensive every single year.”
This issue of hidden fees in the nursing program sheds light on students who call for better financial support for external expenses. While the university offers a highly regarded nursing program with decades of excellence, the burden of unexpected expenses weighs heavily on students already grappling with the stress of classes.
