Are private schools worth it? Or should I just wait...

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Hello,

I live in California, and getting into nursing school is tough, because everybody's stats consist of a 4.0 GPA, and over a 90% on the TEAS. Also, even if you have these stats, you still could possibly get on the waitlist, as its impacted everywhere.

I applied and got accepted into the accelerated BSN program at Roseman University in Utah. You become a RN in 16months, but comes at the whopping price of 60K. I already have my bachelors in biology, and currently have no loans from undergrad. It is a great school, and students have jobs lined up after they graduate... but 60K will be a quarter of student loans and the rest are private loans. Is this worth it? There's also living cost, but I've been working since I've graduated and have enough for rent and such.

PLEASE OFFER ANY ADVICE! I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT!! Thank you! (:

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First off, congratulations of getting into the Nursing program!

Hmm, it's definitely a hard decision that you have on your hands. A bit of a caveat - I was accepeted into the school of my dreams directly out of high school - I went for one semester and hated it (living on campus). I decided that it was not worth the amount of money I was paying (would have been ~120K by the end! I don' t know what I was thinking!) I am now living at home, paying roughly 10K a year.

I would say wait until you hear back from any other school you may have applied to, but 60K may be worth it, if you're not accepted to any of the other programs and can have a job directly out of school. 60K loan is no joke, but just think, you can possibly be done with Nursing school before you have started at any other school. Best of luck making your choice and once again, congratualations! :)

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Thank you for your reply!! :) It's difficult as I have 3 weeks to accept this offer, and for the rest of my applications (mostly in CA), they won't be due till January. So I can either accept, OR play the wait game, and see if I even get in anywhere (as you said). But thank you for your comment, much appreciated! Sorry to hear about your situation, but glad you got yourself out of it, instead of just hanging on for dear life.

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I did private and I liked it. Total was 185K but the Army paid for it...

Up to you but with an RN ROI 60k is manageable.

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What would happen if you accepted but then changed your mind if you got into another school? If they'd just charge a fee it might be worth it, because that fee is likely to be far less than the difference in tuition.

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Specializes in ER.

Is finishing quick worth it to you? Are you willing to pay more? For me, it wouldn't be. For someone who wants to get working quickly then yes.

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Congrats on your acceptance! There are a few things you might look into while figuring out where you want to go. :)

Are there any outside scholarship opportunities you could look into? That might take away some of the cost of your education! Also, maybe there are scholarship opportunities available through the school.

It might also be possible to defer your enrollment for a semester while you weigh your options and decide if this is the right place for you.

Finally, there might be grants you are eligible for, like a Pell grant. Or even TAP or something you will not have to pay back. It'd be worth exploring these ideas, I think!

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Response to cloudtalk:

Well this school starts in February 2016, so I need to accept my offer within 2 weeks. As for the other schools I am applying to (in state and out), they aren't due till January 2016, and I wont be hearing back in the spring time as their program will usually start in the Fall of 2016. So do I wait, and see where I could possibly get into, or accept Roseman in Utah, and be an RN by June 2017 (16 month program).

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Hello TinyNurse2be!

Thank you for your comment! Much appreciated! The school itself doesn't offer any scholarships, but I will be looking into outside scholarships, and just apply/write essays to try to diminish any costs; but I really can't guarantee that I'll be receiving any scholarship help.

Well this is a school that is on a rolling basis, so I can't defer; and I would have to reapply. I already have my loan options, and I don't qualify for a pell grant as I already used it up for my bachelors degree. I only have 25% help from student loans and the rest would be private loans.

Private loans can have huge interest rates, which is my big concern as of now, the thought of not being able to pay it off...

Thank you for your suggestions, really helpful!

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You're welcome!

I was in the same boat, since I already had a bachelors degree as well. I'm actually doing an ADN, so it's a lil cheaper, thank goodness. I'm paying some out of pocket and the rest through private loans.

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I just don't know if the cost is worth it for the expensive programs. Even if you make a little more in major cities, you might be paying over $100,000 for just the tuition. Even, $60,000 is a lot of money and that does not include interest on the loan. So, unless you're in the military and they will pay for most or all of the cost (and not just a small portion), I cannot justify the costs for program like the ABSN at UPenn or at George Washington. If some party will help you with loan repayment (nurses corps., state repayment program, military...), make sure that you have a good chance the program will accept you and will actually pay what you need it to. A lot of for-profit schools (or pretty close to for-profit) have posts about them on here and I question how legitimate those posts are. The first thing you should check is your in-state public schools (usually the cheapest). Even if you feel your stats could be better, I'd double check your chances with admissions or an adviser, before checking out a more expensive school.

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Personally, I think it is worth it. $60,000 is not as bad as some students who do similar private programs and end up with $100,000. Your program will only be 16 months and you will be a nurse. I know for some time is also money (if that makes sense). California is so unpredictable, like you said, with people having high-stats that if you have an opportunity you should take it. It is also to your benefit that you have no undergraduate loans.

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