BSN program for $18,000... does it exist??

Julesmama28 · Jun 4, 2012

Don't know about the third criterion, but my school is only about 3k for tuition per semester, and has a 94% nclex pass rate I believe. That won't include pre reqs. The BSN is 5 semesters long after you get admitted to the program. It's Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction Colorado. Good luck!

kids · Jun 4, 2012

Assuming he already has his RN:

Linfield is a brick & mortar school with an online RN to BSN, it cost me around $12,000. It's located 140 miles from Madigan Army Med Center. (If it matters/helps Linfield is based in Portland, OR where there is a huge VA Med Center)

https://www.linfield.edu/dce/rn-to-bsn.html

Western Carolina is another brick & mortar school with an online RN to BSN and costs under $5000. Western Carolina University - RN to BSN Program No clue about Army hospitals being located within 100 miles but I assume so.

If he's starting from scratch, keeping it under $18,000 you're looking at doing pre-reqs at a community college and transferring. It's going to be very difficult to do the whole package for that price.

Your best bet is going to be to pick a state, find out if/where there is an Army Hospital and contact all the Universities within 100 miles to check their tuition rates and admission requirements then tailor the pre-reqs at a community college to fit them.

Each State's Board of Nursing typically publishes the pass rates of the schools in their state on their website.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jun 6, 2012

hello everyone,
my husband is wanting to earn a bsn while remaining active duty in the army. the criteria for acceptable schools is:
1- the school must have a 90% nclex pass rate for the most recent year
2- must cost no more than $9,000 per year or $18,000 total
3- must be within 100 miles of an army medical treatment facility
we are having the darndest time finding a school that meets all 3 of these! any help would be greatly appreciated!
thank you =)

one alternative would be for your husband to get his adn at a local cc. this shold be fairly inexpensive and i believe that active duty also quality for tuition reimbursement (they did when i was in anyway). once he has his adn, passes the nclex and becomes an rn, he can get his bsn online through one of the many rn-bsn programs. the adn should cost less than $6k and there are a number of well-regarded online rn-bsn programs that are significantly less than $10k. ut-arlington, ohio u, thomas edison state, ft hayes state, u wyoming, slippery rock state and suny-dephi are just some of the schools that offer the rn-bsn and all should be well under $10k.

i'd caution you against putting too much stock in the nclex pass rate statistic. one school in my area has a pass rate of over 98% while my local cc has a pass rate of "only" 88%. the college with the higher pass rate not only has fewer students, they do not submit their student's credentials to the state bon until that student has achieved a satisfactory score on the hesi. since a good hesi test score all but guarantees a passing score on the nclex, they are simply gaming the system by weeding out potential non-passers at the end of the process. how many of their students wind up with degrees but no nursing credentials is a matter of speculation but my guess is that if they were included, the school's nclex pass rate would be substantially less than the advertised 98%. my cc on the other hand has no such requirement and i'd argue that this is a more accurate reflection of the program. moreover, the rate varies even withing the program: the passing rate for the evening/weekend program students at my cc - which is almost all working adults - is much higher than for the full-time, day program nursing students, who tend to be younger and less focused. finally, keep in mind that the pass rate statistic is for first-time test takers only. nclex pass rates are only one element of what makes a nursing program good (or poor).

as to location, i would think that the washington dc metro area would work. my area (philadelphia) may also fit since we at least 4 cc's with adn programs (and more than 25 colleges offering nursing degrees) as well as a substantial number of military posts within 100 miles.

good luck to your husband.

wifetoAndy · Jun 6, 2012

I just graduated from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Many AMEDD students come here because it fits all of the criteria for the programs. Tuition, length, and pass rate (100% for the last 5 semesters).

Fort Campbell is nearby which allows most military members a base to do needed things like physicals and what not. Also, the APSU program is well-versed in the paperwork required while in the program.

http://www.apsu.edu/nursing/amedd-and-associated-programs

wifetoAndy · Jun 6, 2012

Also, two of my friends that graduated with my class were active duty Army....I can pass your contact info to them if you have specific questions. Send me a pvt message and I can send them your contact info.

angelagwen · Jun 10, 2012

Thank you for the info, everyone!!

angelagwen · Jun 10, 2012

Also, two of my friends that graduated with my class were active duty Army....I can pass your contact info to them if you have specific questions. Send me a pvt message and I can send them your contact info.

I was unable to pvt msg you, but here is my husbands non-AKO e-mail address:

[email protected]

He would def appreciate getting in touch with someone who has done this program through the military and might be able to give us more info in terms of what to expect, how to prepare, etc.

Thank you!

angelagwen · Jun 10, 2012

Also, two of my friends that graduated with my class were active duty Army....I can pass your contact info to them if you have specific questions. Send me a pvt message and I can send them your contact info.

My husband and I would definitely be interested in getting into contact with someone who has done the BSN program while active duty. His name is Jehnsen Gomez and this is his non-AKO e-mail address:

joeblck02@gmail.com

Thank you for offering to pass this along! It would be great picking someone's brain a little about the best ways of going about this, etc... We're for sure interested in schools in that area and any other that meets the criteria and has a low cost of living. Thanks, again, for the info =)

~Angela

wifetoAndy · Jun 11, 2012

Just sent him an email :)

angelagwen · Jun 11, 2012

Thank you! We both appreciate it! He read it this morning on his way out the door and will hopefully have a chance to respond soon =)

jmcneely027 · Sep 22, 2016

Has anyone else found any more schools? I know this thread is pretty old but I'm trying to do the same thing and end up frustrated because it doesn't meet one of the program requirements. Ive got almost all of my pre-reqs done just have to find a college that fits the criteria and then adjust from there. Thanks for all of the previous input and future input!!!