The Cost Of An Associates
Degree in Nursing (ADN)

An associates degree in nursing (ADN) is generally a two-year program that will qualify you for the NCLEX-RN exam to become an RN or registered nurse in your state. This degree can allow you to start your nursing career at a high-quality entry point. Be aware that many of the RN associates degrees out come from community or technical colleges. The big state universities tend to focus more on BSN or nursing masters degree programs.<

Nursing Salaries Vary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics currently pegs the median salary for RN’s at about $64,000 per year, though there are wide swings depending on region and type of facility. Some RNs earn closer to $44,000 per year, while a few at the top end earn $90,000. Hospitals, by the way, are offer the highest median salary to RNs nationally: about $63,000. Nursing facilities pay the lowest median: about $56,000 per year.

A Range Of Tuitions
ADN programs can cost anywhere from just $3,000. at a community college to over $20,000 at a private university. Some examples:

Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College offers a nursing associate degree program for a total of $10,600. Another community college, Illinois’ College of DuPage ADN degree costs a total of $12,000.

Blinn College, a community college in Texas, offers an ADN program for a total of Blinn $7,900 for in-state residents. The tuition for this program is just $5,500. Books cost $1,800., and your uniforms and nurse’s equipment will set you back $600. A real bargain can be had at little Mitchell Community College in North Carolina, where the nursing degree associates program costs just $6,000. in total. Larger and better known Ohio University’s ADN program is actually less than $6,000. The catch, however, is that all these fees are for in-state residents. If you go to a public school outside your home state, that cost could go far higher.

At the higher end, Kaplan University’s online nursing associates degree program is listed at about $34,000 total. The number of pure online associate’s programs in nursing, however, is somewhat limited. Most of the elearning based degrees are at the higher BSN level.

Moorehead State University, in Kentucky, is an interesting example of the range of fees you can run into at a single institution, depending on where you come from. Moorehead, which has been called one of the best public universities in the south by U.S. News & World Report, calls their nursing associates degree an ADNP for “associates degree in nursing program.” Tuition for this two year degree will run you about $11,000. if you’re an in-state student, about $14,000. if you take all or some of your courses online, and almost $30,000. if you are a full-time student from out-of-state.

Keep in mind that you need to complete several liberal arts prerequisites before you can start the ADNP program here, as you do with most nursing associate degree programs. There’s considerable variation from state to state: SUNY, New York’s university system, charges tuition of about $33,000. for out-of-state students, but is over $21,000 for in-state students for the two-year nursing degree.

Salary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Indiana State University
ISU is the state university of Indiana, located in Terre Haute. It has received high ratings for many years from Princeton Review and other publications. Right now it's one of the most progressive state schools in terms of online learning, with a variety of degree progams. It's nursing program offers up to 10 hours of credit via a "professional portfolio evaluation," a mechanism through which experienced nurses can demonstrate their knowledge to receive credit in certain areas. Indiana State offers LPN to BSN and RN to BSN programs online.
Get Free Information on Indiana State University Nursing

Kaplan University
Kaplan is a large school specializing in online career training, owned by the Washington Post Company. It offers degrees in many different areas. For licensed nurses, if offers an RN to BS program, or an RN to MS "bridge" degree. Nursing master's degrees are also offered in:
- Gerontology
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- MS Nurse Educator
- Informatics
- Nursing Administration
Get Free Information on Kaplan University Nursing

Georgetown University
Georgetown, located in Washington D.C., is one of the oldest and most famous private universities in the country. In the online world, it specializes in masters of science programs for nurses:
- MS Adult Gerontology
- MS Family Nurse Practitioner
- MS Nurse Educator
- MS Nurse Midwifery
Get Free Information on Georgetown University Nursing

American Sentinel University
ASU is a popular choice among our readers, partly due to the great affordability of it's online RN to BSN program. RNs can enroll with no work experience, and may get credit transfer for any previous courses they have taken. American Sentinal's nursing programs have accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Get Free Information on American Sentinel University