Cheapest Fastest RN to BSN???

[rebel100]

I have a pal who has completed AA, ADN, and holds her RN License.  She needs to complete he BSN ASAP.  She has a lot of credits, but nothing at the upper level.  Cost and speed are of primary concern.  I suspect WGU at at 3200/6 months may be the best option.  But wanted to know if anyone had other thoughts.  (I know about Allnurses.com, but frankly hate posting anything there).  WGU appears to give 50 "credits" for having the RN license.  https://www.wgu.edu/wgu/credit/program429

Arkansas State looks appealing to her, $699/course all look straightforward.  They even appear to offer 36 credits at $400 for having passed the NCLEX. Great school and that has some appeal as does the fact that its pay as you go....if WGU takes her more than 1 term the cost between these two would just about be a wash and it wouldn't matter how long it took to finish these at Ark State.  http://degree.astate.edu/programs/rn-to-bsn.aspx

Fort Hays looks good at $640/course....will depend on how many additional courses are required and where her present courses fall.  https://www.fhsu.edu/nursing/RN-BSN-(On-LINE)/#Gen-eds

What else is out there in the cost effective, relatively quick RN to BSN world?

[dfrecore]

My local 4-yr state school has an online 14-month RN-to-BSN program for $9,880.

I would think anything less than $10k is a good price.

At WGU, she would get 50cr for the RN, plus additional credits for the AA (they do a block transfer of the AA, so it looks like maybe 37cr more completed). Leaving about 33cr - which sounds like too many to complete in a single term, so I'm guessing it's a 2-term program, and so $6,500 or so.

[davewill]

It sounds like it might be worth an application fee and transcript fees to get an actual evaluation at WGU. Then you wouldn't be guessing about how many credits she would need.

[clep3705]

Have your friend post on allnurses.com. After all, it is her life. How fast is fast? I'm not really expecting an answer. WGU is the fastest assuming that she can find enough time to do all of the work in 6 months. If she's working full-time, that's not realistic.

Before enrolling in WGU, it's absolutely necessary to complete all testing out. Can't take the DSST statistics exam, for example, after starting at WGU. A BSN is a minimum of 30 hours. That's 30 hours of nursing courses - it doesn't count statistics, history, English composition, etc. which are extra hours if not already completed.

[rebel100]

Almost certainly applying to all three mentioned in my OP.

Perhaps my post should have asked..." Who else to consider". ?

[clep3705]

http://allnurses.com/excelsior-college-o...ost7932111

https://academicpartnerships.uta.edu/onl...7216564899 Price shown is probably for Texas residents only

[dfrecore]

https://partners.wgu.edu/TransferGuideli...20BSN).pdf

https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.as...768&pid=54

Just found these links, looks like an AA or ADN is not enough for a block transfer. But, at least she will know that these courses can be transferred in, she can use any ACE-recommended courses. SL has a list of courses that will transfer, and everything on the list is available from SL except BioChemistry. Saylor has 5 courses that will work as well. They will take CLEP, DSST, Study.com, etc.

Also, remember that WGU has the discount for taking 4 courses there, as well as a scholarship you can apply for that's $500 per term up to $2000.

[cookderosa]

The FASTEST BSN programs I know about are the accelerated options, and they are usually second degree (second BA) options (and $$$$). That's the lane I spent the most time investigating a few years back. If Dfrecore found one for 14 months and you only need an ADN to start- I think that's a winner.

Also, potential stumbling blocks would be missing credits in the lab sciences. If she needs any labs, she might be at the mercy of a slower pace due to the prereq sequence. Some of the accelerated programs I crossed off my list asked for College Algebra (I didn't have that).

Finally, I'll ask this sensitively, but how were her grades? One doesn't simply "just enroll" in nursing school. It's still pretty competitive. "B" students have a harder time that's for sure. I know many in real life who re-took every B class so they could rank up enough to even be considered. Depending on when she became an RN, it may have been different, but today, nurses are expected to bring very strong academic transcripts and care experience (which she has) to their application.

I wish her the best!!

[rebel100]

The FASTEST BSN programs I know about are the accelerated options, and they are usually second degree (second BA) options (and $$$$). That's the lane I spent the most time investigating a few years back. If Dfrecore found one for 14 months and you only need an ADN to start- I think that's a winner.

Also, potential stumbling blocks would be missing credits in the lab sciences. If she needs any labs, she might be at the mercy of a slower pace due to the prereq sequence. Some of the accelerated programs I crossed off my list asked for College Algebra (I didn't have that).

Finally, I'll ask this sensitively, but how were her grades? One doesn't simply "just enroll" in nursing school. It's still pretty competitive. "B" students have a harder time that's for sure. I know many in real life who re-took every B class so they could rank up enough to even be considered. Depending on when she became an RN, it may have been different, but today, nurses are expected to bring very strong academic transcripts and care experience (which she has) to their application.

I wish her the best!!

Actually, she's a Dean's list student with great grades in subjects like trig, chemistry, all the nursing core, etc... She has a ton of credit too. Comes from a family of physicians, NP's, etc... I think life just got in the way. I work with and manage nurses, this one's really quite exceptional. I suspect Arkansas is the choice. Just didn't want to overlook anything I haven't yet heard of. It's getting harder for ADN's to get the plum jobs as hospitals seek magnet status. Something like 60% or more of the staff RN's have to hold their BSN, it squeezes the rest.

[cookderosa]

The FASTEST BSN programs I know about are the accelerated options, and they are usually second degree (second BA) options (and $$$$). That's the lane I spent the most time investigating a few years back. If Dfrecore found one for 14 months and you only need an ADN to start- I think that's a winner.

Also, potential stumbling blocks would be missing credits in the lab sciences. If she needs any labs, she might be at the mercy of a slower pace due to the prereq sequence. Some of the accelerated programs I crossed off my list asked for College Algebra (I didn't have that).

Finally, I'll ask this sensitively, but how were her grades? One doesn't simply "just enroll" in nursing school. It's still pretty competitive. "B" students have a harder time that's for sure. I know many in real life who re-took every B class so they could rank up enough to even be considered. Depending on when she became an RN, it may have been different, but today, nurses are expected to bring very strong academic transcripts and care experience (which she has) to their application.

I wish her the best!!

Actually, she's a Dean's list student with great grades in subjects like trig, chemistry, all the nursing core, etc... She has a ton of credit too. Comes from a family of physicians, NP's, etc... I think life just got in the way. I work with and manage nurses, this one's really quite exceptional. I suspect Arkansas is the choice. Just didn't want to overlook anything I haven't yet heard of. It's getting harder for ADN's to get the plum jobs as hospitals seek magnet status. Something like 60% or more of the staff RN's have to hold their BSN, it squeezes the rest.

Too bad she's not in a hospital that would pay for her to pursue the BSN. She's lucky though that she has you in her back pocket. You'll keep her costs way down!