For-Profit Colleges/Considerations

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I just wanted to share with those that are thinking to attend a for profit school for their nursing education factors that prospective students must keep in consideration before choosing a for profit school to complete their education.

1. Keep in mind tuition and fees in for profit schools ring north of $20k per year. ( this of course is before any scholarships they may offer, but not everyone qualifies for these)

2. Look into accreditation. Any school you choose to attend needs to be accredited not only by your State's BON , but also by any of the national accrediting bodies.

3.Passing rates. Any good school should have passing rates of their graduates in national examinations of at least over 90%. You can obtain this information from your State's BON. The reason why passing rates are so high normally is because only the most driven , hard working students make it to the end of a program. The programs are geared to weed out those that at the end wont be able to pass the national examination. Also a low passing rates can put the institution in probation and loose their accreditation.

4. Look into Public, non for profit colleges first. The difference in how much debt you'll accumulate is gigantic.

5. For profit school offer the allure of admitting students that have a low GPA in their undergrad or high school coursework. Keep in mind that whatever reason caused that you had such a low GPA, must be in your past and dealt with. Also keep in mind your study habits/skills may need to be improved in order to be able to handle the rigor of a nursing program and fully capture the knowledge needed to pass the NCLEX-RN after graduation. Not alienating anyone, I believe in second or third chances in life, but keep in mind hard work will be expected of you. First asses if you are willing to commit to your studies before forking thousands of dollars for your education.

6. Do an extensive search in Google about the for profit institutions you may want to attend. Some are involved in scandals, others have complains from former students agains them. Remember information is power.

Finally base you decisions in sound research and not on hype or because someone told you nursing is a recession proof job. And that you will have a job lined for you before graduation. Good luck in your journey!!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Wonderful overview of this issue. Thanks.

My opinion is a bit more succinct. For-profit (commercial) schools are in the 'business' of obtaining tuition money. Everything is geared to this, including spending waaaay more more money on recruitment marketing than on the actual teachers. They use whatever tactics are necessary to increase enrollments & bring in more tuition to increase profit. They are only concerned with graduation rates to the extent that this may affect profit. It actually benefits them to have 'perpetual' students that never graduate.

The US Congress is (finally) beginning to hone in on this so-called industry. Some states have already made changes. Here is an overview of all the proposed legislation (http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/for-profit-colleges-and-universities.aspx) I would also recommend viewing the Frontline documentary "College, Inc" - available online at College, Inc. | FRONTLINE | PBS.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Wonderful overview of this issue. Thanks.

My opinion is a bit more succinct. For-profit (commercial) schools are in the 'business' of obtaining tuition money. Everything is geared to this, including spending waaaay more more money on recruitment marketing than on the actual teachers. They use whatever tactics are necessary to increase enrollments & bring in more tuition to increase profit. They are only concerned with graduation rates to the extent that this may affect profit. It actually benefits them to have 'perpetual' students that never graduate.

The US Congress is (finally) beginning to hone in on this so-called industry. Some states have already made changes. Here is an overview of all the proposed legislation (For-Profit Colleges and Universities) I would also recommend viewing the Frontline documentary "College, Inc" - available online at College, Inc. | FRONTLINE | PBS.

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Wonderful overview of this issue. Thanks. My opinion is a bit more succinct. For-profit (commercial) schools are in the 'business' of obtaining tuition money. Everything is geared to this including spending waaaay more more money on recruitment marketing than on the actual teachers. They use whatever tactics are necessary to increase enrollments & bring in more tuition to increase profit. They are only concerned with graduation rates to the extent that this may affect profit. It actually benefits them to have 'perpetual' students that never graduate. The US Congress is (finally) beginning to hone in on this so-called industry. Some states have already made changes. Here is an overview of all the proposed legislation (http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/for-profit-colleges-and-universities.aspx) I would also recommend viewing the Frontline documentary "College, Inc" - available online at College, Inc. | FRONTLINE | PBS.

Thank you so much for your comment. I am glad States and Congress are finally working on getting this madness of for profit colleges fixed. Not all for profit colleges are evil, some have great reputations and programs, but the bad apples are abundant in the tree. I believe in facilitating access to higher education but I oppose it coming at the cost of the quality of the education being instructed.

Ill take a look at the article and watch that video. Thank you for the links, I hope these open the eyes of more future students, and help them make a good choice.

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