Choosing Good LPN School in/near Chicago?

Jolie, BSN · Apr 27, 2011

This link lists IL State approved LPN education programs. Have you considered any community colleges, which would probably be significantly less expensive than a proprietary school? Have you sought information regarding funding for your education such as scholarships?

Best of luck to you as you make a very important decision!

http://www.idfpr.com/dpr/who/schools/NurseSchools.pdf

CS21, LPN · Apr 27, 2011

Yes I have considered community colleges! But of course the problem is being put on a wait list or not getting accepted, I know alot of people who have been trying for over a year and no luck plus there gotten good scores ! So I'm also a military wife and id like to do something with nursingthat would only take me around a year so I can be with my husband soon. And yes they are very expensive! Which gives me mixed feelings about ambria because I hear their costs keep rising and rising, but I do have a college savings I've never used which will help me pay more than half of tuition for lpn school so I'm sure tuition is doable for me, I just wanted to know if anyone out there had any insight on those 3 schools. :)

wiscna · May 2, 2011

I checked out Ambria this spring. Their costs have risen, they are now close to $30,000.

CS21, LPN · May 2, 2011

Yes you are right, I went in friday and the owner was very nice and seemed ok, but I felt like he didnt give exact info, he told us it was roughly 22k.but when i wentto talk to a lady after the session with everything including supplies and maybe wat books cost the closest answer she could give me to exact was somewhere between 26k to 27k, which is sure a big difference than 22 thiusand! I really really liked the school though and i feel like they would try to teach you as much as they can, I.kno its way more expensive but they do offer financial aid and I have heard good things from a friend who went there. I cant find any info for ICI regarding pass rates or how well students do upon completion, even though its a lot cheaper i wold rather stick to a more reputable school, also the lady at northwest inst. did tell me they were approved for financial aid and were most likely recurring it this fall!

wiscna · May 3, 2011

I think Ambria is a good school in terms of preparing one to be a good nurse, i just got annoyed that they weren't more upfront about the cost. I did question two girls who go to Ambria and they both like it & are going to graduate any day now. I think it's a legit program, I just personally can't afford it since I'm not eligible for Pell grant.

Anyway, I think going for the lpn & then possibly bridging to the RN is a good choice if time is an issue (or if your not a 3.5 & up student). For myself, I can sit and wait for my local community college, but it would take me one year to complete prerequisites and then 3 years sitting on a waitlist. I don't have that kind of patience!

CS21, LPN · May 4, 2011

Well I hope I can afford it I'm going to see what financial aid can do for me first, but I think this might be the school I end up choosing, only because they say it is a good school.

And yes I don't have time to wait 3 years or more at a community college, so even though I'm going to be paying more I hope to earn it back sooner!

CS21, LPN · May 4, 2011

By the way wiscna, what school are you going to? Just wondering :)

SMOKEY2112 · May 4, 2011

Yes you are right, I went in friday and the owner was very nice and seemed ok, but I felt like he didnt give exact info, he told us it was roughly 22k.but when i wentto talk to a lady after the session with everything including supplies and maybe wat books cost the closest answer she could give me to exact was somewhere between 26k to 27k, which is sure a big difference than 22 thiusand! I really really liked the school though and i feel like they would try to teach you as much as they can, I.kno its way more expensive but they do offer financial aid and I have heard good things from a friend who went there. I cant find any info for ICI regarding pass rates or how well students do upon completion, even though its a lot cheaper i wold rather stick to a more reputable school, also the lady at northwest inst. did tell me they were approved for financial aid and were most likely recurring it this fall!

What is ICI? As for Ambria..I think the tuition all depends on what classes you are transferring in or not. I don't think they include books right? So that's why maybe a financial aid person would give you a price that would include books rather than someone else just quoting what the tuition is.. kwim??

Do you have your CNA yet??

Is that ICI approved for Title IV financial aid? FASFA??

Thanks!

CS21, LPN · May 4, 2011

Well I know alot of LPN schools usually include everything such as uniforms, supplies, and books, the only extra cost is pre-reqs.

And ICI is International Career Institute its in Lincolnwood on Touhy and Hamlin. I liked that school but I just wish I had information on their post graduates and their pass rates which i cant seem to find. And I know they dont accept the fafsa, the only option she cud really explain to me was the WIA or using my husbands GI Bill (which i wont be using) they do offer a payment plan though, but im pretty sure they require you to pay them back within 18 months or something like that??

I already completed my CNA while trying to get into community colllege nursing programs, so really the only pre-req i would need if I choose ambria would be Math. But if i choose ICI i would need math, medical terminology. and i think they have a nursing fundamentals?

But yes I''m hoping since I really have all pre-reqs, except math, that the cost for Ambria will lower significantly, because the lady told me each pre-req class was 900! If i only need one I hope it wont be anywhere near 28k.

!! :)

Chicarocks123 · May 4, 2011

Brown Mackie, its in indiana but all my classmatesa are from IL like the city, joliet,aurora, they're far out there! Right now to get into BMC you have to take a tease test and pass the compus, not diffucult btw. Tuition is high I pay 800 but most of my classmates get finacial aid and they pass all the way down to 150$ ! It's 15 months long with 2 fails acceptable and yea clincal sites are around the school, I like the one class a month thing lets me focus more. Good Luck!

SMOKEY2112 · May 4, 2011

Yah, your tuition shouldn't be that high then with only math. I'll be finished with mine including AP I and II.. I'll do my CNA at that place on Peterson where you get it done in like a month or 5 weeks.. and I was told..just today..that the tuition was a little more than $22,000...I can't remember the exact number..but it was less than $23,000.

Yah, I haven't heard anything about that ICI school..but I have seen it I think... isn't it brand new??