Out of state vs. In state

[PTH0p3ful]

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So I'm currently a freshman at Virginia Tech And receiving instate tuition...however, I'm really tired of seeing VA. I've lived here all my life (20 yrs) and I want to see and experience new things and places. I'm considering applying to numerous schools out of state, but I'm just wondering if it is worth the out of state tuition

I'm just so nervous about being in that much debt attending an out of state school for decades...especially since I'll be about 24 or 25 when I finally start PT school...

Thanks for the help 🙂

 

[NeophyteParkour]

In my opinion, the debt is not even remotely worth it. If you have the option to go to a school that will cost you $20,000, but instead attend a school that is going to cost you $120,000, I don't understand it at all (if both schools are equal considering pass rates, etc).

If you want to see another part of the country, just go on a vacation somewhere.

Just my opinion. I'm sure there are others.

 

[rltruong]

yeah dont do it. school loans r in a state of flux right now and there have been a lot of changes in the past couple of years. interest rates have increased so much. 6.8% is no laughing matter. if you want to see the world then save the money and do a semester aboard or go backpacking during breaks

 

[rockstudy]

I agree with the posts above. There is no way it's worth being saddled with massive debt if you can avoid it. 3 years in PT school will go by very fast. There will be plenty of time to spread your wings and it will be alot more fun if you don't have huge debt. Keep your grades up and work toward getting into a good, affordable school.

 

[PTH0p3ful]

Thanks everyone for the advice...I appreciate it. My next question now is if I complete my PT in VA...would I be able to move right after graduation to another state and practice? I've heard of graduates being offered jobs while they're in their last semester of school or right after graduation. Instead of only attracting jobs that are in VA, how would I attract employers out of state while I'm still in school or right after graduation?

 

[nicolej5]

yes pt is different from md in the way that you can practice in any state with your license. take and pass the boards and youre good to go anywhere. as far as getting a job out of state, ive heard of some people hiring companies that will get their resume out there for them and network. you can do this yourself too. worry about it when the time comes youll be fine.

 

[Jula]

Yea I'm also in a need of help too. I live in PA but I want to end up working in cali. I thought about applying to UCSF and USA there but then I saw how much debt I would be in. I still want to go though but idk if it would be the best decision.

 

[rltruong]

Yea I'm also in a need of help too. I live in PA but I want to end up working in cali. I thought about applying to UCSF and USA there but then I saw how much debt I would be in. I still want to go though but idk if it would be the best decision.

Theres a lot of factors when it comes into deciding where to go to school and where you want to end up. Most schools have their clinical rotations during the end of of school so there could be a possibility that you can do your clinicals in california if you really want to. The school must have a contract with the clinic/hospital. Its something great to ask when you have the interview. Financially its smarter to go to school instate especially since graduate school loans have changed since graduate programs can no longer receive the subsidize loan meaning interest incurs while in school.

the cost of tuition isnt the only factor. also look into if you will need housing and living expenses. California is one of the most expensive. Working while in school is very difficult. so sometimes living expenses/housing is going to cost more than the tuition

Its true that PT is different from medical. The licensure exam extends throughout the entire country so you will only need to take it once then just re new it every few years.

Hope that helps

 

[Myosin]

Every out of state program I see costs at least ~10k a semester, coming to ~30k a year. You're looking at roughly 100k for 3 years of just tuition for out of state schools. Factor in your cost of living and you're at ~150k+ for three years. That's not counting if you already have undergrad debt remaining.

Do the math and you quickly realize that a job that averages ~65k gross salary starting is not going to make a dent in that.

Total cost, which is tuition, expenses, and cost of living, are the single biggest factor when deciding on a school for DPT.

The program itself doesn't really matter. As long as they have a high board pass rate, then nothing else about the facility really matters.

These are not my words. They are the words of two DPT's who I have been shadowing under. I completely agree with it though.

If you were talking about becoming an MD, then the program would matter much more because the quality of the education can differ by a much greater amount than DPT schools and the debt/salary income is much more appropriate.

 

[rockstudy]

As for my previous post, I didn't intend to imply that you shouldn't also consider out of state schools. There are other considerations such as cost of living, graduation rates, how the program fits you, etc. There are PT programs with reasonable out of state tuition rates. If there are schools or locations that you have in mind, do some research on them. Then when the time comes to apply you can have some options in addition to the in-state programs. You don't have to have your mind made up when you apply. Things will become clearer depending where you are accepted. At that point you will know what your options are and it will be easier to make a decision.

 

[LadyCard05]

Agreed as far as everything said above. I am applying almost exclusively to in-state schools or schools that will offer a discounted tuition rate.

If you go to school in VA and want to practice in another state it's not a problem. You take your boards in VA and then you can get your license transferred to wherever you want. Don't worry about getting trapped. =)

PT schools are not at all like MBA programs or med schools. You take the same national boards as everyone else regardless of where you went to school. The big thing to look at with PT schools are the pass rates. You generally want a school with at least 90% or above first time pass rate on the national boards. At least that's my cutoff. That's how you know the program is successful and the faculty are doing their jobs.

Also be mindful that they only offer the boards four times a year now, so you can't take them whenever you want. There's some heavy opposition to this among PT faculty so I wouldn't be surprised if it changes but just FYI. This means that when you graduate if you don't pass your boards you have to wait three-ish months while your student loans are coming due.