Excelsior Package Pricing Option to be Discontinued

[WhiteStockings]

I recently just applied to Excelsior College for the ADN Program, and I am awaiing my unofficial evaluation. I received this Email today regarding their pricing package opton which will be discontinued. I'm just trying to understand clearly what this means.

Earlier this year Excelsior College introduced a Package Pricing Option for associate degree in nursing students. In keeping with our mission of access, our intent in offering this payment option was to encourage students to begin their nursing studies early on by "packaging" the cost of our nursing theory examinations with other fees. By using this plan, we believed that students would engage in their studies earlier all while having full access to our academic advisors and the various student and academic support services we provide.

Over the past months we have heard from students that the Package Pricing Option was actually an impediment that has had an opposite effect, causing them to delay enrollment. The Excelsior College School of Nursing is one of only 13 Centers of Excellence in Nursing Education nationwide as designated by the National League for Nursing. We know that the most successful students are those who are actively working toward completing their degrees and are accessing our many support services which are available only to enrolled students.

Because it appears it may be a barrier, we are discontinuing the Package Pricing Option for our associate degree in nursing program. If you want this payment option you will need to enroll with the College by close of business on Friday, October 2, 2009. Of course, our Standard Fee plan will continue to be available.

We will continue to explore ways to make our associate degree in nursing program as affordable as possible, including alternative payment plans. Until another option is available, beginning October 3, 2009, only our Standard Fee schedule will be in effect. As in the past, monthly payment plans are available to help budget your educational expense.

~White Stockings~

[agldragonRN]

cool. yoiu can certainly do it in a year if you commit.

i never even knew there was such a package,

yeah the package deal would save you a couple of thousands if you do it in less than a year.

fyi:

year one associate degree nursing packaged pricing option

the first year pricing is $1,560. you may pay this in full or up to 12 payments (which includes the first payment taken upon enrollment).

when you enroll in the packaged pricing option, you are making a 12 month commitment. you may transfer to the standard pricing option at the end of the first year by paying the standard pricing option's student service annual fee (ssaf). if you transfer out of the associate degree nursing program to another degree program, you will be required to complete your 12 month financial obligation and pay a transfer fee to enter into your new degree program.

a $25 fee will be charged by nelnet (our payment plan vendor) for payments plans with 6 payments or less. for a 7 - 12 month payment plan, there will be a $40 annual set-up fee charged for each year you participate in the plan.

missed payments

nelnet will send a notification letter for each missed payment (by email and united states postal service mail). nelnet will charge a missed payment fee.

if you miss a payment, you will be denied access to sit for nursing theory exams until payment is received. you will be stopped from participating in any of excelsior's services except for non-nursing exams that were paid previous to the payment default. you will no longer have access to another nelnet payment plan for the remainder of the first year. in order to reactivate your student status, payment of the balance for the packaged pricing option fees and a reactivation fee of $75 must be paid in full prior to the end of your year of enrollment.

academic honesty

if you are withdrawn from excelsior for academic honesty issues, you will not receive a refund of any funds paid and will owe the balance of your account for the one year commitment to the college.

nursing theory examinations

nursing theory examinations are covered under this option, but if you are withdrawn from excelsior after failing the same exam four times, you will owe the balance of your account for the one year commitment to the college.

a.you are eligible to register for up to 4 nursing theory exams and up to 4 nursing practice exams at any given time.

b. you can switch nursing theory registrations before the eligibility window closes, but cannot have any more than 4 open nursing theory exam registrations at one time.

c. no refunds will be given for exams or services not used under the packaged pricing option.

d. once a nursing theory exam has been taken, you are able to register for another nursing theory exam (with a maximum of 4 open nursing theory exam registrations).

e. existing examination rules apply for retaking nursing theory exams. retaking nursing theory exams have the same wait period, and the same number of times to pass as current policy indicates.

f.you can retest, taking a nursing theory exam for the second time with no additional fees.

g. the 24 hour exam cancellation policy remains in effect for this option.

h. if you register for a nursing theory exam and become a "no-show" for the exam, you will be billed $75 for the missed exam.

i. once all the nursing theory exams have been completed, and you are within 10 credits of being general education complete, you will then be able to register for the fcca, which is included in the packaged pricing option.

link: https://www.excelsior.edu/excelsior_college/financial_aid_and_costs/fees_and_tuition/associate_degree_nursing_fee_options

[NC Girl BSN]

IMO is a publicity stunt. When they first introducted it this summer, I was very envious because I spent $7500 to complete the program. They should have said for a limited time only. The excuse in the letter makes no sense at all. What's gonna happen is alot of the people that signed up for the one year will not finish and will probably have to start paying regular price for everything when the one year is up. EC knows that a majority of the people that sign up for the program are not gonna finish in 1 yr. The lady in the nursing office told me that herself. Oh well. Good luck to those who are enrolled and trying to finish. Pick up you momentum and get it done.