Does it matter where you get your nursing degree from?

I finally got the courage to make my own account and ask a question that has been on my mind for quite a while: does it matter where you get your degree from?

Last year, I was a pre-nursing student aiming to get her BSN at UT Austin. The course load was challenging, especially for a girl who had to work full time to support herself. Then there was also the fact that tuition was expensive just for my basics. So, I came up with the idea of going to community college in San Antonio (my home town) for my last year of prerequisites to save some money and to work with my 40 hour work week schedule a little better, and then applying to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for nursing school.

I've been met with some opposition by family members. They're telling me that I'm more likely to earn more starting out if I graduate from a distinguished university like UT Austin. I think it is mostly because they're proud of their daughter for getting into UT Austin and they want me to be able to say I'm a Longhorn.

Believe me, I'd love to be able to say I graduated from UT Austin too. But they aren't supporting me through college, and a girl has to earn a living somehow, right?

This option of doing community and then school in San Antonio has me saving more money and earning more time to split between work and studying.

So, my ultimate question is this: as long as I'm going to get my BSN, does it really matter where I get it from?

23 Answers

Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Alma mater doesn't matter in nursing the same way it does in, say, law or business. That said, if you attend a tech school or some non-accredited program, you'll have big problems ahead of you, regarding licensure and job searching.

No one cares if you did your prereqs at a community college. I don't even list my CC anywhere, I only list my degree and the university I attended (a state university).

No hospital I'm familiar with has different pay for nurses from different schools. They have different pay occasionally for ADN vs. BSN, but even that is starting to go away. In TX, you'll likely want to pursue your BSN over your ADN, as the market there is starting to get saturated the way it is elsewhere, with all of the hospitals opening and nurses flocking to TX.

I don't think that it matters a whole lot. You'll probably make more connections at a more prestigious school but considering nurses with associate degrees are competing for the same jobs as nurses with bachelor degrees, it can't matter too much, in my opinion.

A degree is a degree.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I don't think that it matters a whole lot. You'll probably make more connections at a more prestigious school but considering nurses with associate degrees are competing for the same jobs as nurses with bachelor degrees, it can't matter too much, in my opinion.

A degree is a degree.

Not always...

Depending on the OP's area, BSN may be preferred....

I don't see anything wrong with finishing your pre req's at a CC, then going to a 4-year university afterwards; I suggest speaking to an advisor about what is transferrable and completing only your nursing classes at the university level; if you are in good standing, you will be able to return for nursing classes if you choose to.

Best Wishes.

Specializes in ICU.

Yes, it does matter. A for profit unaccredited college looks very bad and you won't get hired. I would ask around and see what school works closely with your local hospitals and who has a good rep with students passing the NCLEX.

Sometimes, that can be your local, community college or it could be the 4 year bigger name college. In my area, it's my local cc. A degree is not a degree. People are not hired from the for profit colleges in this area and they have a very bad rep.

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Trust me- hospitals do not base new grad pay on which school you went to. There's a pay rate for new grads, and that's it. Do what you have to do to graduate with as little debt as possible.

And good on you for thinking this through and not defaulting to what others want you to do. Best wishes

PS: And what the poster above says about for profit schools, too!

Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

What evidence do these family members have regarding pay? There are about 15 nursing schools where the name matters..and there are lot of sketchy for profit "schools". The rest...it makes NO difference. I have been a nurse since 2006. No one has ever asked me what school I went to. They want to know if you have an active nursing license and will you work nights and weekends.

Specializes in NICU.

The only thing that matters with a school is the quality of education that you get, not the prestige of the school you went to. As long as the school has a high pass rate on NCLEX and is accredited, you are good to go. Avoid the for-profit schools. Avast majority have poor pass rates and none are accredited which makes it hard to find a job or get a masters

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
To LadyFree28, I am in good standing with UT Austin still and have thought about going back there after I complete my prerequisites, but they make it pretty impossible to do that because some of their prerequisites you can only take at their school, and upon asking several advisers if it would be okay for me to take some of my math and science classes at a community college, they answered with "the staff who looks at nursing school applications and accepts people would think you were taking the easy way out", when in reality I'm trying to take the financially smart way out. Health Science Center at San Antonio, however, couldn't care any less about where my prerequisites come from.

Of course advisers are going to say that, especially when they are taking your tuition. ;)

At least you are thinking about it on a logical level; most places really do care less about what college you went to; as long as it's accredited and has a good reputation-and it seems as though they are both in that category.

My area has several highly known universities, including an Ivy League school; albeit I went to a school that is highly regarded-at least to the DON that was an alumni, and several recruiters that I recently interviewed with-I am sure you will find a percentage that will find either school will have a good reputation among whatever you choose, so the odds are in your favor. :yes:

Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown, PCU.

Program accreditation is all that matters. At the end of it all, you sit for the exact same test. The NCLEX. What is each college's pass rate for the NCLEX? I'd be more concerned with that over which one has "more prestige" which may end up netting you a .1% chance above anyone else. When an employer is looking at your resume, the place you graduated from isn't going to be high on the list of priorities for them to look at. And if you attempt to make some big deal out of where you graduated from you'll come off as arrogant and likely be written off. Sure, now... if they get down to you and someone from a community program they might chose you... if you interviewed better than that other person. That I would think would be the only benefit.

There are certainly pro's and con's to each, more pay will not be one of them. If that were the case then EVERYONE would want to go to very specific college's and be far more concerned with getting into a prestigious school, than just getting in. At the University you're going to pay more, get to call yourself a special title, and you may have better clinical facilities and networking opportunities. Can you get by without these? Of course you can, thousands of other nurses attend a community college, graduate without having clinical experience at top rated this or that, and manage to net jobs just fine. A community college will be cheaper, and there will be different clinical facilities, and different networking opportunities. This doesn't mean they will be BAD facilities or opportunities, they'll just be different. The university might be able to get their student in a top rated state of the art hospital for clinicals, while the community college does the local hospital or clinic. Still, you are learning the exact same things.

Another thing you can do, is tell your parents flat out you can't afford to go to the University if they can't help you out AT ALL. Nursing school is EXTREMELY expensive. When you look at cost don't forget to factor in books (total $1500 for my program, and that's first year and not including any NCLEX books), and all the other little things you will need like uniforms, shoes, and a stethoscope.... that can be almost another $1000 right there (it adds up FAST!). Then you have to figure in housing, commuting to clinicals (ie: Gas money), food and all other expenses on top of that.

Another thing.. this is ONLY your pre-reqs!!! No one cares where you do those. Just make sure you are able to transfer those credits to the university. No one is going to look at "well she graduated from UT-A, but her pre-req's were done....". You will do just fine finishing your pre-req's locally and then going to the university for nursing school. You can even chose to go to a local nursing school for an ADN and RN to BSN from the University after you graduate, and you'd still be a graduate of a prestigious school and a longhorn.

What you need to do is sit down and make a list of the Pro's and Con's and the finances involved in choosing a school. You should also take a look at their programs! How are they set up? There is another thread about how some schools have their schedules. Some flat out do not allow you the ability to even work 20 hours a week because you're in class 5 days a week for 8 hours. Look at their classes, what are you required to take each semester, how heavy will those courses be.... Look at their NCLEX pass rate, what you're looking at in tuition AND overall expenses... look at everything you can conceive of.

Just make sure, in the end you apply to any and all of them! Even if it's a second choice, because remember when it comes to applying to the university you are going to be one of several thousands trying to say "pick me! pick me!" for a very, very limited number of spots.

Specializes in hospice.

Tell your prestige-concerned family members that when they come up with a way to help you finance said prestige, then they are allowed to have an opinion, but until then, since you have to pay the bills, you get to make the decisions.

Hey there! I know exactly what you mean.

I am currently enrolled in community college and getting my RN, then I plan to apply to UT Health Science for my BSN. I honestly am glad I did!

I am saving a lot of money, I haven't taken out any loans to pay for my tuition and there are so many RN-BSN programs out there.

I hope this can encourage you to take a path that will be financially easier on you c: Don't let them think going to community college and transferring to a university later is the "easy way out". It really isn't. Community college nursing classes are just as rigorous as nursing classes in university.

edit: congrats!!! Your wallet will thank you and imagine the awesomeness of being a graduate nurse and not having a huge debt!

Hey there! I know exactly what you mean.

I am currently enrolled in community college and getting my RN, then I plan to apply to UT Health Science for my BSN. I honestly am glad I did!

I am saving a lot of money, I haven't taken out any loans to pay for my tuition and there are so many RN-BSN programs out there.

I hope this can encourage you to take a path that will be financially easier on you c: Don't let them think going to community college and transferring to a university later is the "easy way out". It really isn't. Community college nursing classes are just as rigorous as nursing classes in university.

edit: congrats!!! Your wallet will thank you and imagine the awesomeness of being a graduate nurse and not having a huge debt!

Not only is it a good idea to go the cc route due to financial reasons, it's also a good backup plan as well. Sometimes people don't get into a BSN program on their first application attempt because it's so competitive at the universities. I think going to cc first then doing the bridge program isn't such a bad idea. I might end up doing this plan too.:x3:

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