IUPUI vs. Oklahoma City

adnrnstudent, ASN, RN · Oct 25, 2011

I'd base decision on where you live now and would prefer to live. I went to IUPUI for business degree. Obviously IU's School of Medicine there. It is a reputable program and I'm sure OC is too.

kool-aide, RN · Oct 25, 2011

IUPUI is a wonderful program, and being at IUPUI with all the IU health hospitals in your backyard, you can't lose. Of course, I'm biased, I'm a hoosier. lol

Ftr_NurseJackie · Oct 26, 2011

I attend the accelerated program at IUPUI and I would say weigh out the pros and cons for each school. Take EVERYTHING into account and you'll be fine!

joeeasmsa · Oct 26, 2011

Great, just the person I want to talk to.

My biggest problem right now is that IUPUI financial aid said that I'm ineligible for financial aid because I have too many credits. Obviously, I'm a second degree student! If that's their policy, then, does that mean that every single student in your accelerated class received no financial aid whatsoever?

Ftr_NurseJackie · Oct 26, 2011

We all got hit with that this past summer. You are okay, just fill out a form and take it to the advising office (nursing) and in two weeks, you are approved. Your loan limits are based on how much you borrowed from your prev degree. You will be fine if you have money left, I don't so I've been working hard to pay it off. They have the IU health scholarship, student nursing jobs and IUSON scholarships you can apply for. Hope this helps! The program is pretty cool and it goes by fast! I started Jan 2011 and will be done in the summer.

CC10479 · Oct 26, 2011

I don't know how much IUPUI costs, but Oklahoma City University is VERY expensive for a BSN. The cost of living in the area is relatively low so that could help offset the costs of school. I live in OKC and one of the reasons I would not attend OCU is because of the cost and it's known for being a "weeding out" program. Meaning they take on as many applicants meet the minimum qualifications and then weed those students out during the first semester. And I do understand that most nursing programs will hit the students pretty hard the first semester so that they will cut the students who really shouldn't be there, but from what I've heard it's pretty extreme at OCU. The tone on allnurses seems to be varied regarding OCU, but I have also heard some good things about the nurses who do make it through. And my Chemistry lab professor graduated from OCU and he had nothing but great things to say about it. If you're not an Oklahoma resident it's probably the only nursing school you'll get into in this area, to be completely honest with you. I applied to the schools in this area last year and was told the reason I didn't get accepted (I was waitlisted) was because of my out of state residency. I want to say it's something like 7-10 preference points. I was told that OU's accelerated program current class didn't accept ANY out of state applicants. I'm now applying for next summer as an in-state resident and was told I shouldn't have any issues getting in because my GPA is well above the average accepted student's GPA from this past year. I was a bit annoyed that they placed such a high preference on residency, but I don't make the rules. :-) Best of luck with your decision!

Ftr_NurseJackie · Oct 26, 2011

WOW! How much is IUPUI's out of state program?

CC10479 · Oct 26, 2011

Well, I just checked IUPUI's website and the out of state tuition is very close, if not exactly the same, as OCU's tuition. If you're an Indiana resident, it's very similar to any in-state program. However, you can often get residency status waived, and even if IUPUI won't waive it now, you'll have in-state residency after the first year.

joeeasmsa · Oct 26, 2011

I am not from Indiana or Oklahoma. So the tuition is somewhat high either way, although if you think that's a lot, try attending a private liberal arts college!

I talked to both schools' financial aid departments today and found out there is a federal guideline that makes practically all second degree students ineligible for financial aid.

IUPUI sticks to this guideline and although there is an appeals process, it's complicated and bureaucratic. I already submitted a letter explaining my situation last month and they haven't budged. Getting my application submitted in the first place was frustrating and painful.

Oklahoma City University bends the rules for second degree nursing students in order to give us some aid. My aid package includes a transfer student scholarship and subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans.

I had a good experience attending IU Bloomington for part of my first college degree and IUPUI's nursing program is highly ranked.

On the other hand, Oklahoma City University seems to be a place where I could really thrive and I get a good feeling from them.

Considering that one school is giving me aid and one school isn't, my choice is pretty clear, isn't it?

CC10479 · Oct 26, 2011

My first bachelor's was from a private liberal arts college that cost about 80K. Thankfully I received an excellent loan/scholarship package and was able to pay off my student loan a few years after I graduated. So after paying that for my first bachelor's, I really don't want another huge loan hanging over my head after I get my BSN; especially when I can get a great nursing education at less than half the cost of OCU. But if OCU is giving you a good financial aide package, and neither IUPUI nor the state of Indiana will give you any loans, and OCU's stats for new nursing grads getting jobs are high, then OCU would be a great choice for nursing school.

CC10479 · Nov 6, 2011

http://www.ok.gov/nursing/nclexpass1.pdf

Looks like Oklahoma City University got a REALLY high pass rate for 2010.