How much is school costing you?

[tbell2]

I am going to a community college in the suburbs of Chicago. Total (pre-reqs and nursing classes, plus childcare) it will cost me about $20,000. I am including the childcare because it is more than half. Just for classes and books would be about $7000. But since I have three kids who are not yet school aged, I have to have daycare while I am in class. It would be 4x more expensive to have them at a daycare center, so I am lucky to have someone come to my house to watch them

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

The spring semester's going to cost $1,602. I registered this morning and got the bill. Dunno how I'm going to pay for it since I can't get financial aid. Ah well could be worse, right? Beats paying $8000 a semester like when I went to PSU.

What about student loans or breaking it apart into payments. My school will break it into 5 payments no interest but a 25 dollar fee.

[bluehippo]

I also attend a community college in a Chicago suburb. With tuition, books, and child care for one child I will have spent about $9400. Maybe I should add my salon bill in there since nursing school has given me some gray hair that I need to cover up regularly!

[rachel0609, ADN, RN]

I was lucky enough to receive a Federal grant to pay for all my prereqs and my degree at a local college, I understand the actually nursing school part will run me about $11,000 plus we had to borrow about $30,000 so I could stop working and go to school full time. I plan on working as hard as I can, and hope that we have made the right choice. I believe it is.

[Zaladreyn]

After I finish my classes (Winter '11) my total tuition will be $60,000. That doesn't include uniforms, books, and any other supplies I'll need. This is an associates program, and I had a year of prerequisites, so it's only 3 years. I go to a private Catholic school in Nashville, so it's a bit pricey, but the education and faculty make it well worth the cost.

I'm lucky my mother watches my two children (3 and 2) while I'm in school, so I don't have to pay for child care. That would add another $1500 a month with the rates around here. Add in gas for the 70 mile daily round trip to class and back, and the price skyrockets.

Thank goodness for financial aid!

[JoyfulRN14, BSN, RN]

I go to a State university in California. For my BSN (in my last semester right now), it has cost about $22,000. That includes all general education and prereqs along with all my nursing courses, books, and extra fees (for example my school does the ATI program). Luckily, I was able to do it all with no student loans! Thank goodness!

[mystic33]

For me, 2 years adds up to $50,000. In hindsight, I should have done an AS first at a CC for a lot less and then do the BSN. I probably would have ended up with a cost that could have been cut in half.

[bluemalibu]

Our entire program here is $7400... this includes books and uniforms.

There are 13 pre-requisite science and math classes that are required to apply for entrance @ $25 per credit-hour.

Because of the cheap price tag, we had 550 applicants for 29 open seats this semester.

[learninmama]

The entire program runs around 5k with books etc. Thankfully my pell will be covering all of that. My husband got laid off in August so I no longer have to worry about childcare...I guess a blessing in disguise.

[mkblakley07]

This semester's about $700 for tuition, and I spent $128 on books, but i only had to buy one this time because we'd already had to buy our Med Surg text last semester. I spent $612 on books last semester, and $500 ish the semester before... Our college charges about $50 for resident out of district tuition (plus lab fees and what have you) , so the credit hours aren't too bad. The books are horrible though. Until this semester, I bought my all my books from the campus bookstore, which was a big gigantic rip off... I've discovered a new love for amazon.com :loveya:

[learninmama]

I heart amazon too! :)

[Mookie427]

I wish that my schooling cost only $20,000. I returned to nursing school into an Accelerated BSN program and because my undergraduate credits were both older than 10 years, AND from another country's university system, only 5 colleges would accept and grant my application for possible admission. 1 was in my home state of New York and 4 in Florida, where i would be an out of state student. The first college that granted my acceptance was the one i chose, and that was in Florida. Not only was i not able to work in that intensive program, I was charged FIVE TIMES the credit hours that a state resident was charged.... PLUS i had to provide my own housing. Education alone cost me $36,000 and housing, food, etc... another $10,000. Stafford loans paid for 1/2 the tuition... was it worth it?? yes. and i remained in Florida. look at the final picture, and reap the rewards of this career... Good luck to you and bless you for the career choice.

[whawk]

My dad worked at the community college I did all my pre reqs at so I got 12 credits free every term. I don't really count my first two years as costing, since I also lived at home. I am starting my BSN program at a private school Feb 8th. The school costs about 20,000 a year, so my total should be around 50,000 in the end. I am applying to a ton of scholarships this January. Private school is very expensive, but the only BSN schools in Oregon are private.