WGU vs. UTA

featherzRN, MSN · Aug 3, 2016

I'll have to check it out - I seem to remember it a) cost more and b) may not have been available in my state.. But I did my BSN in one term, so - that's $3400.. Obviously that's not guaranteed.. Also, I hate discussion boards and group projects and I knew WGU had none of those.

ETA -- also, that price did not include non-nursing courses and I needed a ton of those.. WGU is all inclusive - books, non nursing courses, etc.

ETA2: Residents of these states are not eligible to enroll in this program: Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee and Washington.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Aug 3, 2016

From Online Degree Tuition | University of Texas Arlington Online

[TABLE=width: 609]

[TR=class: data-row]

[TD]RN-BSN Nursing Courses[/TD]

[TD]$257.00[/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[TD]$8,995.00[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

featherzRN, MSN · Aug 3, 2016

Right... It's about 7K for WGU two terms - but the UTA non-nursing classes are $500 each per the website and I had about 10 of those to take. So add on even more money.. WGU includes all the classes you can take plus books, etc - $3250/term.

'Sides, it was a moot point - it's not available in NY, where I am. If you don't like the WGU model, also look at U louisiana @ lafayette.. Another similar program! :)

(I paid cash, so every dollar counts).. I am sure UTA is a great program, so no worries if you choose it.. Just stay away from the pricey for-profits.

I chose WGU for the cost and for the format - the ability to accelerate was important to me and the format was very similar to Excelsior (where I got my ASN, soooo long ago). Test out and be done.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2016

I live only a few miles from the UT Arlington campus. Since UTA has a wonderful local reputation, having it on my resume would have been awesome. However...

1. Only the nursing courses are $8,995 in tuition and fees. Tack on significantly more money to that grand total for the 18 prerequisite courses.

2. UTA takes longer due to the 5-week, 8-week and 12-week courses. I started WGU's program in May 2014 while a coworker started UTA's program several months earlier. I finished my BSN in 10 months while she's still working on her BSN.

3. Realistically, I would not have been able to pass the two math courses required by UTA (college algebra and statistical analysis).

4. UTA's program had too many other courses (art appreciation, federal govt, state & local govt, critical thinking, US history) that I had not previously taken. Taking these classes would have tacked on excessive time to my degree completion time frame.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2016

Thank you everyone for sharing. Basically, I'm trying to come up with a total of three schools; two comparable to WGU so that when I make my final decision (right now WGU is in the lead so to write), I'll know I did enough research to validate the choice.

FlagstaffRN, MSN · Aug 6, 2016

I enrolled at both UTA and WGU, and ended up choosing WGU. UTA had group projects and discussion boards, and the books required were costly, and I needed more classes than at WGU. UTA would have taken me 3 terms. WGU was less expensive, no fee for books, and a work-at-my own pace. I completed my BSN in 7 months, and am currently working on my MSN. Good luck with your decision!

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Aug 7, 2016

Thank you for sharing... the idea of group projects beyond my associates degree would be a major negative (let alone other costs et al).

iheartmrcat27 · Aug 7, 2016

Hi,

I took classes at UTA and left for WGU so hopefully I can give some insight.

The UTA RN to BSN program is kind of annoying....I had never taken online classes prior to UTA but geez...I didn't realize I had to log on like every day. (My job is a feast or famine situation, where I have 3 or 4 days off but then I'll work 4 or 5 days in a row, sometimes double shifts, so instead of coming home and relaxing, I had to log on and do schoolwork almost everyday.) It was even worse than actually going to school! Not only do you have the usual papers, schoolwork, and awful group projects, but you have to do these stupid discussion boards....AND comment/critique/reply on 3 other discussion board posts....THEN reply to all the comments that people post on your original post. I know this doesn't sound that bad, but after a while it was kinda like "gimme a break already....don't these people have lives they should be living instead of posting on this thing all day?!?" :grumpy: Supposedly, the teachers can see if you don't post or reply, and it affects your grade. After all the assignments and discussion boards and whatnot, I wound up with a grade of 89.3 for the class....which is a B (I'm a super nerd and I've never even gotten a B before this class, so being that close after all that work drove me nuts).

There are extra classes you have to take at UTA as well. I can't remember the exact names but I know one was Texas government or something like that...so it's not really $8995 for your degree, it's actually more...add the cost of books, and it's even more!

Also, their website is tricky. Sometimes you use blackboard, sometimes another website, and outlook for your emails. Just put everything in one place! I don't know. It just seemed like a lot of nonsense work and extra steps.

At WGU, if you pass, you get a B (that's what the straight GPA of 3.0 works out to). Plain and simple. Some of the classes can be completed in like a day if you know what you're doing. For example, I am a geriatric mental health nurse, so I'm basically a master of all things old. I didn't even read anything in the Care of Older Adult class and just took the test, aced it, and went on to the next class that night. Other classes have assignments such as recording videos of you assessing someone, building molecules out of gumdrops, drawing diagrams, writing papers...usual stuff.

It is tough keeping myself motivated at WGU, but my mentor calls every week or two to check in (which even though I dread the call, it's the only thing that keeps me on track). I'm a procrastinator, so it's going to take me 3 terms to finish my BSN, but if you actually did homework every day, I could definitely see finishing in 2 terms, even 1 term if your hobbies include homework (God bless you, featherzRN, I wish I had your willpower). I'm about halfway through, and due to some crazy life circumstances it has taken me over 2 months to finish this Community Health class...which means I would've flunked out of UTA if I had been attending that school.

This is my first post, so I'm not really sure how one would contact me with questions, but if you can figure it out, feel free to ask me anything. I can only speak from my own experience, but I've talked 3 of my co-workers into joining the WGU crew, so ask away!

Best of luck with whatever decision you make!

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Aug 7, 2016

Those details help a lot. Thank you so much!

featherzRN, MSN · Aug 7, 2016

to me, the flexibility of WGU is the best part..(that and no group projects or discussion boards lol). As long as you complete your 12 CU/ term, the classes are on your schedule. Have a week off and wanna knock out a class or two? do it! Need a vacation? no problem! There are no mandatory postings, no due dates etc - as long as you can get your 12 CU done, which is not at all difficult.

And as others have mentioned, no fee for books, no fee to graduate - the only fee that you COULD incur once you pay your startup fees would be a $60 fee to retake a test a third time (which hopefully would not be necessary).

I was unfortunate enough to have to re-take micro and anatomy (my ASN had anatomy and micro without labs) and they sent me huge lab kits for both classes - no extra charge.

graciereyes1 · Nov 22, 2016

Hi, I just talked with my mentor at WGU, as I will start my program December. I kept asking her about finishing in 6 months and she kept saying that wasn't possible. So how is it that you finished in 7 months.