i paid for my undergraduate private school tuition with a combination of scholarships (half-tuition), student loans, and luckily my parents were able to pay for my living expenses and books. being on the other side of student loans SUCKS, but since i already have some, i figure why not take out more to complete professional school?
i'm going to be smart about it though. i've had some time in between undergrad and grad school and i'm living at home to save money for living expenses while i'm in school. i plan on taking out loans (but ONLY federal/government student loans, NOT private) and looking for hospital or health-network based scholarships (they exist, you just have to find them) that agree to pay some tuition in exchange for commitment to work for them for a certain time frame after graduating.
you can also look into the navy/air force. they have a health-professions scholarship for those accepted/enrolled in a health profession graduate program. you have to agree to serve for a certain amount of time (and you would serve as an OT, of course - and usually it's about 3 years) after you graduate. it's different for each branch but i know for the navy the program for OTs gives you full officer pay while you are in school (don't know exact rate, but it's a decent salary when all you will be doing is attending class and keeping your GPA over 3.0) and you will use your pay however you want (for living expenses, for tuition, etc.) this is something i've also been weighing for options as well but will most likely not go that route (personal reasons).
