Online RN to BSN schools

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2016

I completed Western Governors online RN-to-BSN program last year and enjoyed the experience, as well as the affordable tuition.

Other very affordable options include Fort Hays State University, Eastern New Mexico University, Texas Tech, and the University of Texas Arlington.

nurseangelique · Nov 18, 2016

I've heard a lot of great things about WGU. I am going to check into this program. Thanks so much for your response.

Buyer beware, BSN · Nov 25, 2016

OP:

I must say I like your desire to go to a "reputable" school.

This can be at least initially be done by going (collegescorecard.ed.gov).

If you look at GCU and Aspen you will see a tendency to engage in delusions of grandeur when looking at their overinflated tuition cost.

Naturally it's the same old story. They have over paid administrators and stock holders to satisfy.

It's a bloody shame because lots of folks several years back thought that these for-profit schools could be a better cost effective way to educate the public.

But statistics tell us the opposite is true.

Mismanagement, greed, a loss of focus and purpose of what a school should fuction as to to retain and graduate students in sufficent numbers to justify their existence the for-profits don't do.

From my perspective for-profits are the last bastion of the desperate, ill-prepared and gullible.

Lots of shills for these schools all over the place. They have to make their recruiting numbers or else.

nurseangelique · Nov 25, 2016

Thanks I will definitely check out the web address you posted. I made a mistake before with my ADN by going to a for profit school because of the convenience. I will not make that same mistake this time with my bachelor degree.

lanoneus · Nov 25, 2016

As a student at a for-profit, and a former human resources professional, hear are the pros and cons.

It probably will not matter. I say probably, because I will tell you that as a manager, if 100% of all things being equal, I will take graduate of a more traditional school over a graduate from a for-profit if I had to hire without an interview, but they are both going to get the interview call. After the interview, the better experienced, less jerky candidate will get the job. There are some people that may not make that call, so you will always deal with that. However, once you're one year past your degree, successful work experience matters more to managers than school reputations.

All of the schools' programs you listed are accredited by ACEN or CCNE. However, Aspen appears to only have national accreditation of the overall college: FAQ for Students. It's always better to go for regional accreditation vs. national.

WGU is a great program from all accounts and can be a cheap option if you're highly motivated, but I believe it gives you the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA because all classes or pass/fail.

I'm a GCU student. They do big discounts for veterans, and I needed flexibility with scheduling.

Fort Hayes is a very inexpensive program and has a good reputation, but they do a more traditional school schedule, so you would need to be able to accommodate their schedule.

Texas programs require a state history of texas class, but UTA and Texas Tech both have good reputation.

When researching, be sure the college you pick has an interstate agreement in place with the state you live in. For example, I wanted to do the BSN program at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but at the time (not sure if it's changed), they did not have an agreement in place that allowed them to offer the program to residents of Maryland. It's a weird interstate commerce rule, so just ask the question to the enrollment counselor early in the program and make sure you get the answer in writing.

nurseangelique · Nov 26, 2016

Thank you for all of the above information. I am looking at GCU as well. I am in Florida so knowing about the interstate commerce rule is very valuable.