Online degree advice

[jensmomrn11]

I have been an RN for less than 1 year and am currently working full time in sub-acute rehab. I am looking for a relatively inexpensive online RN-BSN program that I can do at my leisure. I don't care if it takes me 4-5 years to complete, I just want to continue working towards my BSN. I currently have my RN (35 credits) plus an additional 70 college credits and do not want to have to re-take any classes. Some programs will let you take your time but charge a yearly student fee ($1500 per year) and some will require me to take classes over again. I have made it this far without any student loans, have 1 daughter in college and another daughter that will start college in 3 years and I need to pay for them. That is why I would like to take maybe 2-3 classes a year so that I am not financially overloaded. Anybody know of any good online programs that I can look into?

[Mary-DNP]

Online programs from truly online schools (like Kaplan, University of Phoenix, etc.) are generally quite expensive when you look at the cost per credit hour. If you can find a campus college or university in your state that offers a blended format (where course work is delivered primarily online with a few 2-3 day on campus intensive sessions per year), that might be a better option.

When picking a school I would make sure that you consider their accreditations. Should you ever decide to go on to earn an MSN, DNP, or PhD in Nursing... many require that your BSN be from an nationally (CCNE or NLNAC) accredited program. Most seem to want your undergraduate GPA be 3.0 or higher, so keep those grades up... :)