Cost of BSN

Published

Im currently looking into getting my BSN In West Coast University. Its a 39 month program. The cost of tuition is 128,000 for the whole program. This blew me away at first but the upside is there is no waiting time and you do graduate with a BSN. Any thoughts?

Specializes in geriatrics.

The cost of American education is staggering. I'm a Canadian RN, and the BSN for recent graduates has become our standard across the country. However, nursing education is much more regulated and standardized in Canada. There are probably 45 schools in the entire country offering nursing education. The cost for a 4 year nursing degree in Canada is roughly 50 000, excluding living expenses. 75-150K is criminal, IMO.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Adult/Ped Emergency and Trauma.

:eek:$128K? I am actually wondering now what Ivy Leagues Cost!:confused:

My state school's tuition was a fragment of a fragment of that. It is an accredited school, and I recieved most of the tuition and book cost from my job (or facility), I would not be at my current educational level with anything near those costs!

My Private School Tuition was of course HIGH, but 95% of the Student Body was on some sort of Financial Aid besides loans.

I hope you get to go where YOU want to go, but use some common sense too so that the repayments don't kill your quality of life while struggling to pay the cost of living!! I just hope everything works out well for you. Think this one out really carefully.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.

I think my BSN program cost about that but I only came out 49K in debt. I went to two universities (not for profit, private universities) and I lived on campus my first two. It's all about financial aid and whether the school is worth it. For me Mills College and Samuel Merritt was totally worth it and considering some of my classmates came out with over 100k in debt I've feeling pretty good. I know the prices are ridiculous, but considering what I paid it's hard for me to sympathize with UC Berkeley and Davis students over tuition hikes :cheeky:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Oncology, Epic CT.

I am currently attending a for-profit, private college. I am taking the BSN program and I will more than likely walk out with 54K-67K in debt, depending on how much I can pay towards the school/loans and how much grants/scholarships cover. The bonus however, is that the school is including a MSN degree into that cost (technically, all the students have to do is pay the books and fees for the degree, which is about $3000, but I tied that into the overall cost). Anything higher than the range I mentioned above, I would steer clear from.

Sorry to say, 128K for a BSN is ridiculous....:banghead:

Unless the school offers grants, scholarships, and the like to help students reduce that cost, I would try else where. Maybe even try looking outside the state of California for school options. Best of luck either way!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

According to

FinAid | Calculators | Loan Calculator

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TD]Loan Balance: [/TD]

[TD] $128,000.00 [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Adjusted Loan Balance: [/TD]

[TD] $128,000.00 [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Loan Interest Rate: [/TD]

[TD] 5.00%[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Loan Fees: [/TD]

[TD] 0.00%[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Loan Term: [/TD]

[TD] 10 years[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Minimum Payment: [/TD]

[TD] $0.00 [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Enrollment Status:[/TD]

[TD]Still in School[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Degree Program:[/TD]

[TD]Bachelor's Degree[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Total Years in College:[/TD]

[TD] 3 years[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Average Debt per Year:[/TD]

[TD] $42,666.67 [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Monthly Loan Payment:[/TD]

[TD] $1,357.64 [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Number of Payments: [/TD]

[TD] 120[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=colspan: 2]

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Cumulative Payments: [/TD]

[TD] $162,916.58 [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD] Total Interest Paid: [/TD]

[TD] $34,916.58 [/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Note: The monthly loan payment was calculated at 119 payments of $1,357.64 plus a final payment of $1,357.42.

It is estimated that you will need an annual salary of at least $162,916.80 to be able to afford to repay this loan. This estimate assumes that 10% of your gross monthly income will be devoted to repaying your student loans. This corresponds to a debt-to-income ratio of 0.8. If you use 15% of your gross monthly income to repay the loan, you will need an annual salary of only $108,611.20, but you may experience some financial difficulty.This corresponds to a debt-to-income ratio of 1.2.

Also, is that just tuition? Will you also borrow for housing, food, gas?

As far as "third tier," it doesn't look like you are in the top 70 schools: Best Nursing Schools, Colleges and Universities: 2012 - 2013 Rankings

I guess I'd call the top 10 first tier? Maybe less?

so... I'd be very skeptical. Paying back that much money every month means you'll have less job mobility, less flexibility, less ability to travel, buy a nice car, save for retirement, etc. You may have to move to somewhere like Alaska for your first job. You will have fewer choices for longer. If you look at the salary stuff, sure, some BSNs make 70K or more... but many don't. The ones making buck have experience.

I chose to take some loans (though not *nearly* that much) but I did it really carefully considering the flexibility I would lose directly after graduation.

Good luck with your choice. You seem leaning towards going but reeeeaaaaalllllyyyy think hard about it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It is kind of steep even for a nursing course. If you sure you can afford it then go ahead, but if there are other options then look into it first before committing to this kind of expense.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in APRN, ACNP-BC, CNOR, RNFA.

To be honest, it would be cheaper to move to another city and complete a state program. Take your pre-reqs and all the non-nursing classes locally at a community college, then apply to a state school. If you're single, and have no kids, this is your best option. Find others in the program, get some roommates, and make it happen. I have 3 associate degrees, (I love community colleges), a BSN, and a MSN, and I only owe $33,000 in student loans. Please, think outside the box, before paying that kind of money for a nursing degree. Good Luck to you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in RN-BC, ONC, CEN... I've been around.

$128k??? Not in a million years. Not even if you were going to upenn or Hopkins. For a bachelor's degree that's absolutely insane.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Keep in mind that is along the lines of private universities here. APU is $160,000 and that's assuming you can complete your degree in 4 years.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

That's ridiculous, and I wouldn't pay that, period. Remember if you take out loans, you will be paying a lot more than that!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Please don't do it. You will be stuck with the thousands of new grads here in CA all competing for a job. I have known people from my graduating class of 2008 who still cannot find an RN position and have given up entirely.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

I have a nurse friend at work who told me her debt was close to that. She said she can't even think about owning her own home for a really long time (in CO, not CA). Think of your long term future, not just the short term.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion