Top 10 U.S Nursing Colleges With the Lowest Tuition
Top 10 Nursing Colleges In The US With Lowest Tuition
Table of Contents

International students in the US who want a safe and rewarding job might want to consider getting a degree in nursing. There are a lot of options for nursing students because there are so many tracks and specialties.

A degree in nursing might be right for you if you want to work directly with people in a setting where you can make a big difference.

What Kinds of Jobs Are There in Nursing?

When you finish your nursing degree, you have the skills and information to work as a hospital nurse or go into a different field, such as research, specialist practice, or other options.

Plus, more than half of all nurses work full-time in hospitals. But nursing students can also keep studying to get into specialized nursing areas.

As a hospital nurse, you can also work in medical-surgery, emergency rooms (ED/ER), obstetrics (B), pediatrics (S), and intensive care units (ICUs) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). If you want to try different kinds of nursing, you can also be a "floater," which means you work in different areas and floors.

A nurse is someone who cares for patients outside of hospitals. They could do this at work, in a patient office, or at a patient surgical center.

As part of their job, these nurses get patients ready for regular checkups, give them injections and medicines, bandage wounds and cuts, and help with both small and large surgeries.

Public health nurses work with places like schools, small groups, and teams to improve the health of everyone in that area. They teach and give advice on health issues like how to avoid getting sick, how to eat well, and how to care for children.

These public health workers set up health screenings for things like HIV/AIDS testing, blood pressure checks, and immunizations.

Care for a long time Nurses are in charge of taking care of residents who have conditions ranging from small health problems to Alzheimer's disease. They may spend most of their time in an assisted living center, a rest home, or a nursing home.

Home-health nurses visit patients in their own homes to care for them. Instead of going to the office, they go to the homes of patients. A lot of their patients may need long-term or short-term care, like when they are getting better from an illness or accident.

How much does going to nursing school cost?

The people in the United States are getting older. As the number of older people in the country keeps growing, so does the need for nurses to care for them.

Some things will definitely happen in the future, but one thing that is certain is that people will continue to age. This means that now is a great time to start nursing school.

There are a lot of good things about nursing jobs, but there are some things you should think about before you decide to spend the next few years becoming a nurse.

What is the most important question most people who want to become nurses have about nursing school? How much does it cost?

Cost is a big issue for anyone who wants to go to nursing school, just like it is for any other student choosing a major. How much you pay for school will depend on these four things.

Four things that affect how much nursing school costs

Students and parents who want to get a nursing degree have to pay the most for education. The main thing that determines how much you pay is the type of schooling you want to get. Becoming a nurse can be done in many ways. You can sign up for a school to get an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN), or to attend a program that helps LPNs or LVNs get to the next level. Each class has a completely different price tag attached to it.

Going for a bachelor's degree — The cost of tuition for a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) can be anywhere from $40,000 to over $100,000 per year at both private and public schools. It usually takes four years to finish this degree.

Thoughts on community college — Community college BSN programs, on the other hand, cost a lot less than those listed above. The cost of tuition and fees at these schools can range from $3,000 to about $14,000.

The Associate option: If you want to start working as a nurse right away, an associate degree could be the best next step. It only takes two years to finish. You could also go to a school for licensed practical nursing or licensed vocational nursing. Those are easy to finish in about a year. Each of these schools costs a lot less than a bachelor's degree program that lasts four years. After getting some real-world experience, you'll be ready to start an RN-to-BSN bridge school. Again, each school sets its own prices for these degrees. Check with your boss to see if they will pay for your schooling for classes like this one.

10 US nursing schools with the lowest tuition

1. Albany Technical College-Tuition: $663 a year

Albany Technical College is a state community college in Albany, Georgia. It is the cheapest place in the U.S. to get an ADN. It gives an Associate of Science in Nursing degree that is a mix of classroom instruction, lab work, and work experience in a clinic. There are also tools at the school to help students find their first job after they graduate. It had a very high pass rate of 100% on the NCLEX in the spring of 2023.

$58,261 is the average salary.

READ MORE: Top 15 Countries With The Free Tuition for International Students

2. College of San Mateo - $1,062

The College of San Mateo is a public community college in the northern part of Silicon Valley in the city of San Mateo. It has a high-tech skills lab for its ADN program, and students can also learn in the classroom and at nearby hospitals. In 2022, 92.45% of its NCLEX test takers passed.

Earnings on average: $120,513

Will I be able to work as a nurse in the US once I go through school?

When international students finish nursing schools in the US, they can apply for OPT (Optional Practical Training) or work visas, which let them work in the US for a short time. But getting a work visa can be hard, so students should talk to an immigration lawyer before they apply.

3. College of the Sequoias - $1,222

The College of the Sequoias is a public two-year community college in Visalia, California, where students can get an Associate of Science in Registered Nursing in 4 semesters. There is also a bridge school from LVN to RN.

Earnings on average: $89,281

4. George C. Wallace Community College - $1,384

Wallace Community College is a public, two-year school in the southern Alabama city of Dothan. The college is one of the oldest and biggest in the state. Its ADN school is competitive (i.e., not open to everyone), and it only starts twice a year.

Earnings on average: $59,948

READ MORE: The 25+ Cheapest Universities in the United States for Out-of-State Students

Are there any scholarships for foreign nursing students in the US?

There are a lot of places and groups in the USA that give scholarships and other forms of financial aid to international nursing students. Students should look into the grants that are out there and make plans to apply early to improve their chances of getting money.

5. Chipola College - $1,428

Chipola College is a state school in Marianna, a small town in the panhandle of Florida. With 72 credit hours, its ADN program should take most students two or three years to finish. Students can join the Chipola ADN program twice a year, in the fall and spring. When the NCLEX-RN test came around in 2021, 90% of students who went to that school passed it.

$55,901 is the average salary.

6. Georgia Northwestern Technical College - $1,445

It is possible to go to this public trade college in 6 different places in Georgia. The program for an Associate of Science in Nursing is tough, but graduates are ready to take the NCLEX test and become registered nurses; in 2023, all of its graduates passed the exam.

Earnings on average: $59,578

Is the nursing school different for students from other countries than for students from the United States?

The nursing school is different for international and domestic students. However, language and cultural barriers may make things harder for international students.

7. South Texas College - $1,504

South Texas College is a public community college in the Rio Grande Valley. It is in the town of McAllen. It has an ADN program that gets students ready to take the NCLEX-RN test, which is needed to become a registered nurse. The test was passed by 81.85% of people in 2021.

Earnings on average: $73,848

8. Ventura College - $1,590

A degree in nursing science can be earned at Ventura College, a public community college in Southern California. In the 2022–2023 school year, 94% of people who took this very popular class passed. There are a number of ADN-BSN partnerships for people who finish the school and want to get a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Earnings on average: $101,027

9. Moorpark College - $1,636

Moorpark is a public community college in Ventura County, California, that offers an Associate of Science in Nursing Science. It had a 100% NCLEX pass rate in 2022.

Earnings on average: $94,020

10. Western Georgia Technical College - $1,731

The University of West Georgia Nursing School is also one of the least expensive nursing schools in the United States. It has some of the least expensive RN to BSN programs for students from both inside and outside of Georgia.

Individuals who want to join the Nursing, RN to BSN program at the University of West Georgia must be self-motivated and dedicated to providing compassionate nursing care to people from a range of situations.

Students will have to look at their own value systems and the value systems of others in order to learn how to think critically. Students who want to get into this school should think about how their own goals and values fit in with the School of Nursing's philosophy.

Earnings on average: $59,578

In conclusion

It is possible to pay to study nursing in the United States, as shown by the list and tips in this article. If you get the right knowledge and help, studying nursing in the US can be a big deal. Here is a list of the 10 cheapest nursing schools in the United States for 2024. If you are on a tight budget but still want to go to one of the best nursing schools in the country, this article should help you narrow down your choices. Which of these places are you going to apply to?

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