How much did your EC degree cost?

reebokHCFR, MSN, EMT-P, APRN, NP · Jul 13, 2013

around 7K. I took out the same amount in loans, with two disbursements of 3500 each.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 13, 2013

I paid about $1400 out of my own pocket -- had employer reimbursement and a scholarship from my hospital. The whole thing cost just under $7K.

Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN · Jul 13, 2013

I think $11,000-12,000. It's been a long time (started in 2005).

I paid up front for study material and tutoring classes (kinda a waste of money on the tutoring, but oh well), and then the exams as I did them.

This was from having 0 college credits to graduation. $2800 of that was the CPNE (I am including travel, food and lodging in the cost), plus 3 years tuition, graduation fees and my state fees and NCLEX.

I did get reimbursed around $3000 from my employer (which I have to pay back if I leave in the next 18 months).

Aliakey · Jul 13, 2013

About $8000, and that's with buying new textbooks (can't stand highlighter-painted pages found with used books) and living only a half-hour drive from my CPNE testing site. The CPNE was passed on the first attempt (so, no retesting fees), and I did purchase the practice exams for most of my EC exams. Paid all out of pocket, since I was shifting from EMS to nursing.

Peterjoy93 · Jul 14, 2013

Nothing! Employer paid for it all!!!!

BarbaraNM, ASN, RN · Jul 14, 2013

With the challenge exams and materials that you purchased and CPNE, how much would you estimate you paid out of pocket? Did you take out loans, pay as you went, or did you get employer assistance?
Thanks.

I figure when I am complete, close to $11K. Hope not more, but here is how it breaks down:

(Not counting college courses I had taken in the past)

From 2010 to 2012... Application fee, study materials, 4 Pre-reqs w/fees $500

2012.... Enrollment fee $1,015

2013.... (so far) Micro and 4 Nursing exams @ $380 (w/practice tests) $1,900

2013... (expected) 4 more Nursing exams @ $400 $1,600

annual fee due 9/13 $485 (procrastination)

(all paid out of pocket so far) by the end of 2013 $ 5,500

2014.... FCCA, CPNE and graduation (did these go up 7/13?) 330 + 2145 + 495 $2,970

2014 unknowns Workshop cost, travel/hotel/misc for workshop & CPNE ?? $2,500

_______

$10,970

BarbaraNM, ASN, RN · Jul 14, 2013

Nothing! Employer paid for it all!!!!

LUCKY!!!! :geek:

BerryHappy · Jul 16, 2013

A FORTUNE but it took me 4 years, and I had to take the CPNE TWICE :banghead: !!!

Now that I am finished, and have MULTIPLE RN job offers, it was worth every penny!

THANK YOU EXCELSIOR!!!

(btw, during those 4 years I worked and successfully raised twin teenage girls :banghead: ) THANK YOU EXCELSIOR!!!

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Jul 18, 2013

I'm sure this answer will not be helpful to the OP but here goes. I am in the RN to BSN course through Excelsior. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for tuition reimbursement from my employer. It covers tuition, books and fee up to $5,250. I did not cover exams but I took only one Excelsior exam, all the rest were CLEP, Dantes and those are pretty cheap. Last year, I did use up all my tuition reimbursement and had to pay for about 1.5 courses (so about $2500 with books) out of pocket. Besides the relatively cheap credit from Dantes & CLEP another advantage I had was that my employer would reimburse me the cost of books but didn't care what I did with them when the course was done. By careful internet searching I was able to get pretty good sell-back prices on many of my books and that money was mine to keep. I probably netted no more than $150-200 in book sell-back but it just somehow felt so good.

To BerryHappy,

If you raised twin teenage daughters and still made it through then you are awesome. I don't care if it took you a while or you had to repeat CPNE, if you didn't actually bash your head through a brick wall, then I think you were ahead of the game.

Best of luck with your job search!