I was accepted into the nursing program which was my top choice. I really want to attend however the tuition is a bit steep for a public university and I wasn’t given anything much with financial aid. I have to pay about $48k for out of state tuition but if I declare residency for the remaining three years since I have a parent that lives in PA, the price will be lowered quite a bit. My parents are reluctant about the school since it’s a little out of their price range but I think it’s a great school and is ranked pretty highly for my major plus I can see myself fitting in on campus since there are so many other great things that they offer. They are wanting me to consider cheaper options like SUNY Buffalo, but I’m not guaranteed a spot since I was not admitted directly into the program like with PSU. What should I do? Is Penn State worth a little more money out of pocket or should I settle for a cheaper school that isn’t my top choice?
It’s a big state school. If you want to go to one, you might as well go instate, without significant scholarships. Then again I don’t know your whole situation.
I’d actually suggest going to an in-state school. Penn State is great and all, but not quite sure it’s worth the high price tag.
How much are your parents willing to pay? You can only borrow ~$5000/year. Did you get any grants at either school? What other colleges accepted you? SUNYs are about $20k for state residents. Don’t any of them have the program you want?
Appeal to penn state to get in state tuition since one of your parents is a resident. Getting directly into a nursing program is important. I have a friend who went to a state school hoping to get accepted later and is now headed for a two year program and more tuition to have a BSN .
You will NOT be able to get in-state rates after one year in college.
http://bulletins.psu.edu/undergrad/generalinformation/tuition2
Every single instance listed states you have to prove you didn’t move there for education purposes.
States have high OOS rates for a reason. Go to a school in your own state.
Can you defer enrollment for one year, move in with the PA parent for that year, and then have in-state tuition? Contact Penn State and ask about that.
Otherwise, choose the cheaper option.
How exactly are you defining “a little more money out of pocket”?
Penn State in state ($34,000 COA) is $10,000+ per year more than SUNY Buffalo ($23,000) in state; out of state ($48,000), it’s double.
How much are you prepared to pay for a nursing degree and where exactly are you getting the funds?
Yeah, you probably won’t be able to get residency after the first year even if your parent lives in PA. The best you could do is move to PA and start next year, which might work - but might not, as that might even be defined as moving there primarily for education purposes since if you defer admissions it’ll be pretty obvious what you’re doing. I’d check on that before making any decisions, but if you attend starting in Fall 2015, you’ll be OOS for tuition purposes.
And for that, I wouldn’t pay PSU prices. Nursing isn’t really that much of a prestige-focused industry unless you want to go into leadership or research or something. Also note that if you are going to the main campus (University Park), you have to spend one year at the medical center campus in Hershey, which is about 2 hours away down near Harrisburg.
Nurses make good money, but not crazy money. How much would you, personally, have to borrow? Remember that undergraduates can only borrow $5,500-7,500 per year (depending on which year it is), and that anything over around $30,000 you’d have to borrow from a private bank with a co-signer - which isn’t a great idea.
To answer austinmshauri’s question, my parents agreed to help me pay $10,000 for each year if my grades were up to their standard. After submitting my info for financial aid , I received $5,550 in federal direct unsub loans for the upcoming 2015-16 school year. And. Other that PSU, I have been accepted to UBuffalo, Geneseo, Adelphi, and C.W. Post and was wait listed to Stony Brook however, a couple weeks ago I applied last minute to Plattsburgh, St. John’s, CUNY Hunter, and Lehman but am still waiting for their response, which will most likely not arrive before the commitment day of May 1st. I’m not applying for any specific program, just one that will get me RN licensure so that I can go onto grad school to become an NP.
To LucietheLakie, I realize how much of an understatement that was; PSU is definitely one of the pricier state schools out there so I can see that it’s going to be a lot more than, “just a little bit of money out of pocket” so sorry for that misstatement. I can now see that Penn State probably isn’t the best option for me so what schools should I start leaning towards given the ones I applied to? A great bulk of the schools haven’t responded yet and the commit date is in 4 days so I’m starting to feel the pressure. I also considered Geneseo, however they do not have a nursing program, so I would have to study at JHU for two years but pay their tuition which is more than 60k, so out of all the options available right now, Buffalo is looking like the best option unless I hear back from my other schools soon.
Buffalo is obviously an option. With your parents $10K + your $5500 loan you’re most of the way there. Do you get TAP? A job during the summer and a part time job during school may bridge the gap.
No I’m not familiar with what TAP is, would you mind telling me more about it? And yes I am considering working to help pay the tuition so that I’m in as little debt as possible.
TAP is money from NY State. Your guidance counselor should know about it, and there should be some kind of link to information at the SUNY websites.
Once you know about TAP, re-run your aid packages through this calculator and see if any of your options are affordable. http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml
@Brinyc126, Did you fill out the FAFSA? If you qualify for Pell, you probably qualify for a TAP grant too. Go to the HESC website (Google NYS Tap Grant) to find the application). I think Buffalo is a great option. Do you have a financial aid package from them? If so, what does it say?
It doesn’t sound like she qualifies for a Pell grant based on what she wrote:
UB sounds like the safest, most-affordable option at this point. If one of the others comes through and offers a better package, then she can always rescind her acceptance.
Thanks for your help everyone! I’m now committed to St. John’s University for their PA program!!!
How did St John’s come into the discussion? What’s the cost for you there? Can you use TAP with an in-state private college?
Congratulations, @brinyc126! I hope it’s everything you hoped for.