COST of BSN vs ADN

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i already posted this under the second career thread but thought i would make a new thread about it.

what is the cost of your programs? adn or bsn? from my own informal polling of rn's i am acquainted with there is usually little to no pay difference for the bsn, the most i have run across was $1/hr. this is with all things being equal, experience, etc.

i realize some positions require the bsn, such as management and advanced practice. as an older second career student, i have no desire to ever go back into management of any kind. and although i would love to be a crna i would like to be able to work before i have to retire.

so let's just figure this out, someone mentioned $40,000 for the bsn, my adn program is $8,000 (for everything including support classes, books, uniforms, ins, and even a couple "extra" books) so at $1/hr, 40 hr/wk, 52wk/yr that is $2,080 a year difference. it would take me over 15 years just to break even.

again, this is not an adn/bsn debate, just something that came to me the other day.

my # 1 reason for not going for the bsn are all the term papers required in all the "extra" classes needed with the bsn. lol

Mkue

1,827 Posts

StudentSandra, actually an interesting question.

I'm in a 4 yr. BSN program and the tuition is 13,000 a year, catholic college. All of my tuition is paid by scholarships and grants, thank goodness.

There are several 2 1/2 yr. ADN programs in my area and I think the tuition per year is around 2,000 but not including books and other fees. These are offered by Community colleges.

A state 4 yr. college in my area has a yearly tuition of around 8,000 per year for BSN program but that doesn't include all the extra fees.

ckalston

41 Posts

I am currently getting my BSN online. It like the format, and the fact that I can work at home. It takes discipline because there are papers to do and deadlines, cost 10,000 for a little over a year. I got loans and my hospital is paying back the tution and books.

kimtab

349 Posts

Enitire cost for tuition, books, uniforms, etc. at my 2 year state college ADN program is right around $7,000.

Kim

babynursewannab

669 Posts

StudentSandra,

I'm in a georgia state school where tuition is about $2,600/yr for full time regardless of major. I'm getting my BSN (start clinicals this fall -- YAY! :D )

I get the HOPE grant and all my tuition is paid for by the state plus they send me money for books. So, I only spend about $100/semester at the most out of pocket. This school has the top nursing program in the state as well, so it's not that it's a cheap program.

It really seems to depend on where you go.

Alyssa

I attend a private school

Well, IF I would have gone to the school I am at now for the entire 4 years then It would have costed me over 100,000 for the whole entire 4 years but since I went to a community college for the first 2 and a half years and I have recieved scholarships and grants I am going to be ONLY about $26,000.00 in debt by the time I graduate. I know that is pretty bad but actually that is BETTER than MOST of the students in my whole entire class who will be well over $40,000.00 in debt.

Looking back, If I had to start all over again, I would have been more patient and would have waited 9 months to go to a program that would have been much cheaper. I was so much in a hurry to get started with nursing school, I was not thinking straight about the cost even though my parents tried to tell me sitting out of school for 9 months would not have been so bad. I graduated with my Associate's degree in December 2000 and the BSN program I am in start every January. Too late now.

The positive side for me is that the $26,000.00 I will end up with will all be paid off in 2005. (I graduate in 2003).

SteveB

14 Posts

As stated before, I think it all depends on where you go. I am like the last person in that I couldn't wait for the cheaper state school and went to a private Catholic University. I will owe about 26000 when I get out in May of this year. However, I am very happy with the education I have received and would do it all over again. My program was very clinical intensive and we had significant amounts of clinical for 3 of the 4 years, i.e. 3 days a week for 8 hours or 2 days a week for 12 hours in almost every nursing course. This, unlike the local state schools who do less clinical time according to some of my friends who go there, has really helped me feel confident about starting to work this summer. The reason I went the BSN route was for the simple fact of having a bachelors degree. Because, if for some reason I don't want to or can't be a nurse in the future, having a bachelors degree would allow me to apply for jobs in other fields that pay well and require 4 year degrees. However, if I already held a bachelors in another field, I think I would have probably gone for the ADN due to the cost and time involved. I hope this kinda explains the rationale as to why some of us take the 4 year route.

P.s. To answer your question, tuition is about 18,300 per year, but I have scholarships and state grants that pay a little over half of the tuition.

Irishcreme

33 Posts

Here ADN programs cost about 2,000 a year BSN programs are at least twice that. To compare the costs you can go to http://www.collegenet.com

SERENAde

25 Posts

cliff , do you recommend the on-line bsn?? i am considering doing it once i get my rn licence....

SERENAde

25 Posts

Originally posted by SERENAde

cliff , do you recommend the on-line bsn?? i am considering doing it once i get my rn licence....

:roll

rachaelm4

43 Posts

Specializes in Psychiatric, hospice.

I'm starting my diploma program in the fall in western pa, and the total cost at the end will be $17000. Not to bad for receiving personal attention, all the help and backing I need from all the instructors, small classes, and a career in 2 years.:)

BurnerKG

17 Posts

i did my prereq's at a junior college that was $550 a semester including books and anything over 12 hours. my nursing for BSN is $1700 a semester (4 semesters) which does not include books. books my first semester was about $700, however, this semester, we used a lot of the same books and i spent only $150 on books. if i went to the same junior college for ADN, it would have taken me 2.5 years to complete everything. that would have been 1 semester at $550, and the other 2 years with nursing classes at $750 a semester.

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