Chamberlain Nursing School... Is it worth it?

I am beginning my nursing journey. Gathering all the info I need. Getting my classes together. Going to take my pre reqs at a community college.. Going to meet with an advisor tomorrow. My question is this: Is Chamberlain worth it for $90,000+? I'm 21 with a 5 year old son. I wrote down many questions to ask myself and one being where I want to be 5 years from now. And that is a Registered Nurse working with children at a hospital. I've been all year weighing my options about pursuing my nursing degree once all my pre reqs are completed and City Colleges of Chicago I will be waiting until Fall.

I am in no real rush to get in school but I was hoping to get in Malcolm X by the Spring or the Fall and the fact that it isn't a guarantee whatsoever kinda bothers me. I don't want to waste 2 years of my life waiting to get into nursing school whereas at Chamberlain, I could be right after I finish my pre reqs and in 2 years I will be one step closer to getting my BSN. Is Chamberlain worth it? It is CCNE accredited. I've been doing my research on this school and know a couple of people who is either attending it or have graduated from there.

Should I go for it?

I am looking at it form a different perspective than some. I'm not so worried about my loans and funding for school while I am there because I think that's negative and can be very stressful. I will worry about it when I graduate and become the Nurse I've only dreamed of.

Are there any current or alumni students of Chamberlain School of Nursing that can shed some light on me and give me more info and just help me in this journey? All is appreciated. Thanks!

71 Answers

bookwormom said:
1)Get a job in a healthcare related field, such as CNA. it will give you some experience and help you have a better idea of nursing.

If you can get a CNA job with an employer that offers tuition reimbursement, you could get a good chunk of your nursing school paid by your employer.

Some employers require you to work as a nurse for them for a period of time after they pay for your school-- some do not.

I went to a community college, got tuition reimbursement and a nursing scholarship through work. My education was practically free and I was not required to stay with my employer afterward. I also had my job handed to me because they knew me and my work ethic.

Just tossing out another option for you.

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Negative or not, you SHOULD be thinking seriously about the loans and such. You would be paying a LARGE amount of $$ for a long, long time if you chose the expensive option vs. waiting for a much, much cheaper alternative.

It is possible that you would be depriving you and your son of decent housing, vacations and comfort by assuming the crushing debt of a $90,000 degree. Run the numbers and see what the payment of that loan would be and how long you'd be paying it. Then think of what that payment might mean to you and your son's lifestyle of years and years to come.

Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
meanmaryjean said:
Negative or not, you SHOULD be thinking seriously about the loans and such. You would be paying a LARGE amount of $$ for a long, long time if you chose the expensive option vs. waiting for a much, much cheaper alternative.

It is possible that you would be depriving you and your son of decent housing, vacations and comfort by assuming the crushing debt of a $90,000 degree. Run the numbers and see what the payment of that loan would be and how long you'd be paying it. Then think of what that payment might mean to you and your son's lifestyle of years and years to come.

Agreed! There are many loan calculators out there, crunch the numbers and see what it would mean to have that much in loans (or even half of that!!). It will be a lot to have to pay back.

Is it worth it? Some people may say so. Me personally? There's no way I would ever pay that amount for a BSN. No. Freaking. Way.

Specializes in PCT, RN.

There is absolutely no way I would pay that much for school.

In all reality, you would be able to attain your dream job even with having attended a community college for a fraction of that.

From what I understand, most places care about your grades, your GPA, and your NCLEX score when it comes to hiring and could care less what college you went to.

Pull up a loan calculator and look up what you'll have to pay every month. School loans can stretch out for a number of years, but once interest kicks in, most of your money will be going right into accruing interest and barely touching the principal.

You'll have to pay $750 a month for 10 whole years in order to pay off the flat $90,000, and this doesn't include any interest.

I would look into other options if possible.

Specializes in PACU.

Definitely look at what your employment outlook is in Chicago as a new grad. The last thing you need is a giant debt bubble over your head with a huge payment due and being unemployed for 6 months trying to find a job.

Are you working in health care now? Here are two suggestions:

1) Get a job in a healthcare related field, such as CNA. it will give you some experience and help you have a better idea of nursing.

or

2) Consider other health related careers, which may have more openings available-- for example, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Respiratory Therapist, or Physical Therapy Assistant. These educational programs should be available in community colleges and would be great choices for someone who wants a career in helping. Nursing is not the only career where you can work in the medical setting and make a difference in patients' lives.

MarquieshaH said:
Thats amazing. I have a question for you. With CNA, is there schooling for that that is free? Do you think if I went to school for the year to become an LPN and did a bridge program from LPN to RN, do you think that would be a better route for me?

I'm not sure about free CNA class. I worked in a nice nursing home that would hire you without being certified. You had to get certified within a certain time frame and they paid for it... but that was over 20 years ago. Some places might still do this, but I really don't know.

The Red Cross also has CNA classes but I don't know the cost (but I think it cost more than a community college-- not sure).

Also, hospitals don't require their patient care techs to be CNA's. I think they would be more likely to hire one, though. The hospitals are the employers that typically have decent tuition reimbursement.

As for LPN to RN... that could be another option.

There's many ways to go about becoming a nurse without massive debt.

Good luck to you :up:

MarquieshaH said:
I genuinely understand where both of you are coming from. I know $90,000 is a lot of money for a BSN, hell really thats why I'm even asking questions about it. In my saying that I don't look at it like that is because thats the one con I can think about when choosing this school, if I do. I wanted to see if there were other cons to look at. I know the tuition itself will discourage me from going but at the same time, people who are financially stable right now, I'm sure this same tuition didn't deter them. I don't want that to be my only determining factor, if you know what I'm saying... As for my son and I being deprived, absolutely not. Nurses in my area make a decent amount of money, starting off. I'm in Chicago btw. No, I'm not saying having to pay back X amount of dollars is nothing to me because just paying my phone bill bothers me lol (I'm cheap lol)... I definitely appreciate your comments though.

I'm going to give you my honest opinion. I think $90,000 in loans for a nursing degree is outrageous. Also, I've worked in Chicago for a year (I had four years experience as an RN) and I still took a hefty pay cut. I was shocked that the pay was worse in Chicago compared to where I came from. As a new nurse, prepare yourself to get the bottom pay rate. It ain't pretty.

I don't know much about Chamberlain or if it's any good, but that is a lot of money to saddle yourself with. You really need to think long and hard about this. My best friend, who is pursuing her CRNA at Rush, isn't even shelling out that much.

As a fellow Chicago girl I have got to say, PLEASE think twice. Chamberlain is very expensive and guess what, they aren't teaching anything every other nursing school out there is teaching. I would not take on that kind of debt. If people can afford it, great but, if not it will bite you in the butt in the end.

You can likely get financial aid so that can help you. Do a bit of research, there are lots of nursing schools out here and maybe you can find a different route that will not leave you so in debt. It is wise to go the city college route then merge into an RN-BSN program. You can save a lot of money and work as a nurse while you get your BSN. Although the big hospitals want a BSN (Rush, Northwestern), there are plenty of places willing to hire ADN nurses. If you want to do a BSN program maybe look into a few of the other schools, sit with a counselor in the financial aid office then make a decision depending on who has the best package for you. For $90,000 you can go to Loyola or St. Xavier! I didn't realize Chamberlain was quite that expensive.

Specializes in Nephrology, Dialysis, Plasmapheresis.

I am a graduate of Chamberlain College of Nursing. Only went there for 2 years and racked up $55,000. That didn't count my pre-reqs from another school. If I could go back and do it again, I would wait and go for the cheapest school or at least one that was less expensive. Once you get into nursing, no one cares where you graduated from as long as you pass the NCLEX. Once you're an RN, you're an RN. At least research the graduate passing rate for schools in your areas, and wait if needed on a a wait list. You are 21 and have plenty of time.

$90,000 may seem reasonable because, hey, you're gonna be making $50-60K a year, right? NO! You will make that much yeah, but after taxes, bills, student loan payments (which for you is prob minimum $500-900 a month, and that's with low interest rate loans), car, food, childcare, health insurance, retirement, rent, phone, internet, and gas, you will be struggling just to get by. Trust someone that has lived that way for 5 years now, month to month. I have had 2 jobs for almost 5 years in order to pay off my loans. I have been able to pay off $10K a year, working my tail off (50-65 hours a week), and I have NO KIDS!!!! Please reconsider this school, it's great, but any nursing degree will do and it's worth the wait.

Chamberlain is amazing but it's very expensive. I finished all of their pre-requisites (I have a BS in Elementary Education) before going which cut out over $40,000. Check out your closest community college and finish there.

I'm starting soon and I'm so excited!

TEXN said:
Hope it's OK that I bring this topic back up. I'm currently applying to different schools. Chamberlain (Pearland) is honestly the most convenient for me because of location, when the semester starts, its BSN instead of ADN, etc. It's expensive, but a majority of my expenses will be taken care of due to military education benefits.

I am hoping to start in September if I get accepted. I am also applying to the ADN programs at HCC and Wharton for the Spring start just in case, but would really like to get into a BSN program. I also want to apply to UTH, but it is VERY competitive I'm assuming.

It worries me that, in the future, I might not even be considered for a job because I went to Chamberlain? What about my experience or NCLEX score? Is a BSN at a more prestigious school better than a BSN here?

Chamberlain students seem to enjoy the program, but the general opinion doesn't seem to positive. I honestly thought Chamberlain would be an excellent choice in my situation but what I'm reading here is discouraging...

Would love some advice!

First of all, TEXN, thank you for your service!

The Chamberlain website Nursing School History, 125 Years | Chamberlain College of Nursing states that they've been around 125 years and were acquired by DeVry Education Group in 2005. They seem to have an OK pass rate, at least according to the Texas BON, for the 2 years they've been in Texas (I imagine that includes the other campus in northwest Houston). I also am looking at Pearland, and plan to attend the open house on Thurs Oct 15.

Currently I am in LVN school (private, non-profit) in south Texas and will finish next Sept. I also have a BS and some grad school, and a wide variety of work experience. My husband is disabled and we're both 50-something... I have debt but unlike the original poster and some of the previous posters, I don't have the luxury of time to wait to get into a program at community college (I already wasted several years in Austin playing that game...) I do hope the job market in Houston is better than Chicago (my original home town BTW). My husband goes to the Texas Medical Center for his Parkinson's--I will definitely check there.

TEXN, perhaps we can meet at the Pearland open house? I don't know about "status" of other schools--I do see that 3 ADN programs in the Houston area are under sanctions from the BON, and all are public community colleges.

https://www.BON.texas.gov/pdfs/board_meetings_pdfs/2015/July/3-2-2.pdf

I may be rambling, but that's my situation right now. The facilities look brand new and perhaps they'll give more personal attention esp for non-traditional students? I don't know...I'll be asking a lot of questions at the open house!

I too would like any opinions on Chamberlain or other schools, and the job market in the Houston area. Good luck to you, TEXN, whatever you decide.

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