Canadian wanting to get nursing education in the US

Most community colleges are day schools and not offering any housing. Second the tuition for out of state, can be expensive.
It is very competitive to get into US, associate degree programs since there cost is low for people who live out of state. There are no loans to assist you since they are for Americans.


Plan to wait several years and pay a high rate to attend cc in CA.

When you say RPN do you mean Reg. Psychiatric Nurse or Practical Nurse? Big difference.

You might be able to achieve an ADN education at great cost due to being a foreign student. You have to remember that you will be required to obtain a BScN to work at home. Provincial colleges might permit you to work but under the condition that you obtain a degree by a certain date.

I would post in the New York forum so you can get responses from nursing students in NY.

Community colleges can be competitive to get into and have different ways of determining who gets accepted and who doesn't. In Michigan, many of the community colleges admit students based on their grades after completing prerequisite courses (Nutrition, Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, etc.) and some also factor in student scores on a standardized entrance exam (such as NET or HESI). Students are ranked based on these factors and those in the top percentile get admitted. There are a few here that admit students regardless of academic achievement but enforces a waiting list and it can go as long as two years to get into the program because of the large volume of applicants. I've heard lottery systems in other states as well.

Again, I am not familar with NY community colleges especially their admission practices and cost. Generally speaking, community colleges offer very low tuition compared to universities both public and private if you reside in the district the school is located in. Typically, it is the county that administers the school and county residents get the discounted tuition. You will not be qualified for any financial aid as a Canadian but even as a foreign student or out of district student, tuition for you will still be relatively low.

Articulation from an AAS or AA in Nursing to a BSN can take about 2-3 years to complete depending on arrangements made by the community college and the universities in the area. It does seem longer than a traditional BSN if you factor in the time it took for you to complete your prerequisites. The time factor for BSN completion can also be affected by the university you plan to attend for BSN completion. Some community college credits transfer well to certain universities and some do not as well. Typically, hospitals do offer tuition reimbursement for BSN completion. Some hospitals here in Michigan even have on-site BSN completion programs and they are arranged through a local university.

You'll have to refer to Fiona's post regarding ability to practice back in Canada later.