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by anfe

Starting my BSN this fall. 20,000 buckeroos, by the time I graduate in May 2007.
I can't help thinking about the number. But the attrition rate at the school is very, very, low, NCLEX pass rate is very high!
Did you or do you worry about your tuition? For those of you who graduated, how long will it or did it take to pay if off? What helped? Sign on bonuses, etc?

I guess I am trying to justify to myself that the 20K for my BSN is not that bad..I need some props, people.

[RN_Jen]

My tuition will be about $11,000 for the 2 years (this is for a public university). Of course, that doesn't include the cost of books or lab fees, etc., which can run into some pretty big numbers.

[Gompers]

Consider yourself lucky if it's only going to be $20,000!

I went to a private university for my BSN, and by the time I hit my junior year, they'd increased the tuition by 50% and didn't let us "lock" onto the tuition we started with freshman year. My parents paid 2/3 of the tuition, and I took out loans for the rest, ending up with about $18,000 to repay.

Repayment isn't bad at all. Low interest rates, and they usually don't charge interest while you're in school, it starts when you graduate. I'm not rushing to pay it back quickly since I have a mortgage and car payment - I'm paying a little bit over the minimum every month, about $200, for ten years.

[tiredfeetED]

I started out at a University which was quarterly...for all my prereqs, that got to expenisive so I went to for my ADN. That was 200 a semester vs 2000 a year ( which is still cheaper than today) I took out no loans and worked 40 hrs a week throughout nursing school.

[cbarnett2]

Not too bad...

I am a 3rd of the way through an online ASN program and when I graduate I will have spent ~30K...but that includes finishing all my BSN gen eds too.

I can live with it though, because I have been able to continue working while in school and will begin making an RN's salary sooner than if I had stayed 1 to 2 years on the waitlist at a less expensive community college.

Cheri

[FuturenurseCA&O]

About $8000 including books and supplies for an ADN at a low cost community college. Living off savings, and received scholarships for exactly half of the tuituion cost...had to get such a high GPA to get in, I was happy to leverage it into some money for tuition! I feel fortunate that I will have no debt when I graduate...not even credit card!

Will get a BSN while working, once I start working. Already have a BSBA in Marketing, so I only need 6 classes or so to get in--the hospital I plan to work for (am currently volunteering for them now) will pay 100% of that cost.

I considered a private school, but this little community college had a higher pass rate for NCLEX, and when I considered the finances it was a no brainer.

~D (world's biggest cheapskate...)

[Tweety]

Bachelor degrees are outrageous. An huge amount of students are in debt when the graduate.

I went to a community college in the late 80s and early 90s and it was dirt cheap then. I'm doing my RN to BSN and it's about about $1600 a semester for two classes and books.

Good luck.

[lucky4timesover]

cost of nursing school

I go to a public university in NW arkansas and the cost is 3000 per year for the program. I don't think its bad at all, especially when I see what you guys are paying. The school has a 99 percent pass rate for the NCLEX too. I am definitely getting the most out of my dollar.

[Pvt. Parts]

Is it cheaper to:

A) Get your RN first before BSN, then do an RN-BSN?

B) Straight-up BSN

Consider that this will be a "second career" for me.

Cost is a major issue with me since when I go to nursing school I will be completely on my own. No parents help, no savings, and 1 grant to pay for prereqs that I NEED to 4-point. After that I've got to take out loans unless I can land a full-ride scholarship (fat chance).

[nursemike]

Originally Posted by Pvt. Parts

Is it cheaper to:

A) Get your RN first before BSN, then do an RN-BSN?

B) Straight-up BSN

Consider that this will be a "second career" for me.

Cost is a major issue with me since when I go to nursing school I will be completely on my own. No parents help, no savings, and 1 grant to pay for prereqs that I NEED to 4-point. After that I've got to take out loans unless I can land a full-ride scholarship (fat chance).

I just finished an ASN from a community-college-within-a-university. Tuition last semester was about 1700, plus 300 or so for books. I cut my hours at work and made up some of the difference with loans, but still poor and sleep-deprived most of the time. RN-BSN at a state university will be about the same, but I'll be earning nurse's pay while I do it, so no need for loans. I plan to work a year or two before going back to school--I need to recover, and I want some real experience behind me, so I'll know better what I need to learn.

You might check with area hospitals to see if they have grant programs. One in my area offered tuition, books, and a 100/month stipend, in return for a two-year commitment to work there. The hospital where I work offered a scholarship to juniors and seniors at its associated university, based on academic merit and a work commitment. Not as generous as the other hospital, but a big teaching hospital isn't as hard-pressed for recruiting. If I were going that route, I'd talk to small rural and/or private institutions who might be more in need of nurses.

I've accumulated 15000 in student loans, plus about 5000 in credit card debt, but I'll double my hourly wage, and since I'll be working full-time, I'll triple my annual income.
So, if I maintain my present standard of living, I can be debt-free in a year. In reality, I'll pay the cards off during my grace period, then probably pay the student loans over 5 years, instead of ten. The interest is so low, it wouldn't make sense to scrimp on my retirement plan to pay off the loans more quickly. And I'd really like to live a little more comfortably than I have been. Still, school has definitely been a worthwhile investment, and all that debt makes a real fine incentive to graduate.
(Not that money matters to me, of course.)