St. Augustine Flex vs. FL Southern

[sfarron]

The two factors that people highlight that I've learned is:

- Accreditation matters, but schools that are Candidates for Accreditation are usually granted accreditation.
- Pick the cheapest school you can find (tuition-wise). Education is standardized and everyone will hopefully be prepared for the boards exam.

I need help deciding the overall better one between these two:

Florida Southern College:

- Accelerated program, 2.5 years
- Candidate for Accreditation, makes me nervous a little bit but I'm pretty sure they're capable of getting it
- All in person classes
-  Cost for Tuition for the 28-month program*: $104,760 (actual tuition paid at the beginning of each semester based on $970 per credit hour).  Books and Supplies: $4600  Room: $28,000 (based on $1000/month for 28 months)  Board: $11,200 (based on $400/month)  Fees $435 ($145/year)  Transportation**: $5,000  Miscellaneous/Personal: $3,150  Background Check for Clinical Sites***: $250  Estimated Total Cost of the Program: $157,395

St. Augustine Flex:

- Four years, online program
- Accredited program
- A very good graduation rate from 2017 to 2018 (96 %), however the NPTE pass rate was only 88 %, while the average is like 90 to 95 percent
- Tuition: $93,305; Program Fees: $1,200; Books: 4200; Room & Board: $76,000; Transportation: $12, 092; TOTAL ESTIMATED COSTS:

$211,809

Thoughts:

My knee jerk reaction is to say that St. Augustine would be better. I like that it's online, it's accredited, it's slower paced, and that it has a lower tuition cost. However, the total cost of the program after four years seems ridiculous to me. The cost of room and board seems to be the biggest cause of the over 200k cost and I'm planning on having a job during the time of school to pay it off. Should I draw the line and say it's not for me when it comes to cost of living or tuition? Florida Southern has a very nice campus and I can tell the faculty has put great effort into the program's planning.

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[dreamingofpt]

The two factors that people highlight that I've learned is:

- Accreditation matters, but schools that are Candidates for Accreditation are usually granted accreditation.
- Pick the cheapest school you can find (tuition-wise). Education is standardized and everyone will hopefully be prepared for the boards exam.

I need help deciding the overall better one between these two:

Florida Southern College:

- Accelerated program, 2.5 years
- Candidate for Accreditation, makes me nervous a little bit but I'm pretty sure they're capable of getting it
- All in person classes
-  Cost for Tuition for the 28-month program*: $104,760 (actual tuition paid at the beginning of each semester based on $970 per credit hour).  Books and Supplies: $4600  Room: $28,000 (based on $1000/month for 28 months)  Board: $11,200 (based on $400/month)  Fees $435 ($145/year)  Transportation**: $5,000  Miscellaneous/Personal: $3,150  Background Check for Clinical Sites***: $250  Estimated Total Cost of the Program: $157,395

St. Augustine Flex:

- Four years, online program
- Accredited program
- A very good graduation rate from 2017 to 2018 (96 %), however the NPTE pass rate was only 88 %, while the average is like 90 to 95 percent
- Tuition: $93,305; Program Fees: $1,200; Books: 4200; Room & Board: $76,000; Transportation: $12, 092; TOTAL ESTIMATED COSTS:

$211,809

Thoughts:

My knee jerk reaction is to say that St. Augustine would be better. I like that it's online, it's accredited, it's slower paced, and that it has a lower tuition cost. However, the total cost of the program after four years seems ridiculous to me. The cost of room and board seems to be the biggest cause of the over 200k cost and I'm planning on having a job during the time of school to pay it off. Should I draw the line and say it's not for me when it comes to cost of living or tuition? Florida Southern has a very nice campus and I can tell the faculty has put great effort into the program's planning.

I'm at USAHS residential and I am only taking loans out for tuition. My parents are supporting me for the other costs. A lot of the books can be found online which can help reduce the cost, plus if you rent books instead of purchase it will bring the cost down as well. Their estimates for cost like room &board (IMO) are pretty exaggerated. Especially for a flex student. You don't even have to go down as much so there's no way it would get to nearly $80K. I know somebody in their flex, almost done with it, he really liked it.

 

[ya1]

- Accreditation matters, but schools that are Candidates for Accreditation are usually granted accreditation.
USUALLY is not good enough. I knew someone who did 2 years in PTA school, but the school did not get accredited. Result: the girl is in debt she has to pay for, has no license or official education, still works as a massage therapist. It is too much to risk to go with non-accredited schools.

- Pick the cheapest school you can find (tuition-wise). Education is standardized and everyone will hopefully be prepared for the boards exam.
Agreed with this.

St. Augustine Flex:
I did this program. Everyone in my class passed NPTE from the 1st time. You will not pass it only if you do not study enough. 88% passing rate must be after the 1st trial? Those 12% who do not pass the 1st time will pass the 2nd time if they study more.
You can subtract book fees from your expenses list. You do not need to buy anything since they give all the material online and that is enough to pass your classes and prepare for NPTE. I bought 2 or 3 books (older editions) and never used them.
Room and board cost they listed does not mean anything either. It depends if you are going to live by the school and walk there, fly from a different state and stay in the hotel on Sat when you are there, drive on Sat and Sun from home to school and back while living in a cheaper area 30-100 mi away, and many other options. So do your own calculations for the cost of living depending on the location you are planning to live.

 

[sfarron]

I'm at USAHS residential and I am only taking loans out for tuition. My parents are supporting me for the other costs. A lot of the books can be found online which can help reduce the cost, plus if you rent books instead of purchase it will bring the cost down as well. Their estimates for cost like room &board (IMO) are pretty exaggerated. Especially for a flex student. You don't even have to go down as much so there's no way it would get to nearly $80K. I know somebody in their flex, almost done with it, he really liked it.

Thank you so much. I'll take the advice to rent the books online. The 80k seriously worried me and I'll be coming from out of state for the first time.

 

[sfarron]

- Accreditation matters, but schools that are Candidates for Accreditation are usually granted accreditation.
USUALLY is not good enough. I knew someone who did 2 years in PTA school, but the school did not get accredited. Result: the girl is in debt she has to pay for, has no license or official education, still works as a massage therapist. It is too much to risk to go with non-accredited schools.

- Pick the cheapest school you can find (tuition-wise). Education is standardized and everyone will hopefully be prepared for the boards exam.
Agreed with this.

St. Augustine Flex:
I did this program. Everyone in my class passed NPTE from the 1st time. You will not pass it only if you do not study enough. 88% passing rate must be after the 1st trial? Those 12% who do not pass the 1st time will pass the 2nd time if they study more.
You can subtract book fees from your expenses list. You do not need to buy anything since they give all the material online and that is enough to pass your classes and prepare for NPTE. I bought 2 or 3 books (older editions) and never used them.
Room and board cost they listed does not mean anything either. It depends if you are going to live by the school and walk there, fly from a different state and stay in the hotel on Sat when you are there, drive on Sat and Sun from home to school and back while living in a cheaper area 30-100 mi away, and many other options. So do your own calculations for the cost of living depending on the location you are planning to live.

Thank you so much dude. This alleviates a lot of my fears. I really appreciate it!