<prompt> Human: I am a single mother of two in committed relationship, but not living together. A brief run-down of my finances:40k annual salary lots of uncompensated time at work due to salaried position14k annual child support income35k debt 0.9 vehicle loan and some credit card debt30k savings30k stock accountNow, for the real question... I have a BS in something irrelevant and applied for one of the top nursing schools in the nation, kind of on a whim. Well, it bit me in the butt, because I got accepted. It is an ABSN program, but will cost me about 125k in loans, including living expenses in that total.My children will likely stay with their respective fathers during this period. My older child does not want to switch schools, so my child support income will drop to zero. My younger child will stay with my significant otherhis dad, as the grandparents have agreed to provide childcare for free. Significant other and I do not live together, as we both own homes, but we have been working towards that arrangement. I will only be about two hours from home, with all holidays and weekends spent with my children. It is only a 16 month program, so I feel like this is a sacrifice I am willing to make if it is a long-term benefit for our family.I will rent my house out during this period, but otherwise will have zero income. My significant other is more than willing to help, as much as he can.I paid a deposit not too significant, in order to allow more time to decide, but the pressure is on. I could always decline admission and choose to pursue a community college program, but would have to spend time and money retaking prereqs that those programs consider to have expired. I am mid-30s, and I would really like to knock out school, and move forward with my life, including more kids, etc.Can anyone speak as to how much student debt is too much? Does a nursing degree from a prestigious school help me out once I graduate? Is this just a losing investment, that I should run from? To be honest, it would be more student debt than mortgage debt, and thats just plain scary. Do I suck it up and realize that I am getting older and should be thankful for the job and salary that I have?I know some of this is a tad personal related, but I am looking for honest financial perspective, as this amount of debt is scary! edited to remove a few too personal details  <response>: I definitely would not go into 125k more debt to become a nurse when you can certainly do it much cheaper. Nursing is a high demand field, you dont need to go to a top school to get a good job. 