I'll give my two cents...My husband lost his job due to the recession and layoffs this year, and we are surviving because of the stipend with no additional loans needed to be drawn out. I'm super grateful for the stipend. It's really really tight, but we are living cheaply, and we are both grateful. I wanted stability more than a huge paycheck out of my life anyway with a family, and this is working out well for us so far in that respect. I do not think you should do the HPSP scholarship only for the money though. You have to truly be ready to serve in the military (I really do think some of the people forget this part when they talk about the scholarship). It is the MILITARY. And you have to be ready to deal with a lot of lost income in compared with everyone else in your field + military life. It was a good fit for us. We will do our service and likely get out. Yet again, I was never after the biggest paycheck I could pocket i.e. civilian pay. If I can put a roof over our head, support my family, and my husband is happy despite the downfalls of a military lifestyle - works for me. And again, we are eating and paying bills due to the stipend. So thank you for that, Uncle Sam!