Why is NOVA so expensive?

[thegame11]

When I was looking at the Cost of Attendance sheet for NOVA, it was something like $71k/year for OOS students. I have looked at some of the other schools like dmu, kcumb, kcom and there total costs were much closer to $60k. I realize that living in Florida may be a bit expensive but is that enough to justify the difference?

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[munchymanRX]

What you're looking at is the estimated total cost of attendance for NSU.

Their tuition alone is around 42k (pretty standard for a DO school), and living expenses beyond that can range anywhere from 12-20k/year, depending on what kind of living arrangements you want to maintain. That totals up to about 60-62k, when all's said and done.

They're liberal with the estimates for financial aid purposes. It's actually a good thing when you're applying for loans. Nice to have the maximum amount available if you need it, even if you don't end up taking it out. You can always use the extra to pay off your outstanding loan balances.

 

[StayOnTop]

What you're looking at is the estimated total cost of attendance for NSU.

Their tuition alone is around 42k (pretty standard for a DO school), and living expenses beyond that can range anywhere from 12-20k/year, depending on what kind of living arrangements you want to maintain. That totals up to about 60-62k, when all's said and done.

They're liberal with the estimates for financial aid purposes. It's actually a good thing when you're applying for loans. Nice to have the maximum amount available if you need it, even if you don't end up taking it out. You can always use the extra to pay off your outstanding loan balances.

Tuition for OOS is actually 39K, according to their website. http://medicine.nova.edu/do/admissions/tuition_fees.html

 

[IamAriDO]

Consider it the max allowance you can take, rather than a reflection of the actual cost to live here. Tuition is pretty standard for any private school, and its south florida so living cost is a little higher. I take out nowhere near the max and do just fine, even bought some personal "necessary" items (flat screen, macbook pro etc) and I'm still way under the COA.

IamAriDO

 

[Sinfest]

Consider it the max allowance you can take, rather than a reflection of the actual cost to live here. Tuition is pretty standard for any private school, and its south florida so living cost is a little higher. I take out nowhere near the max and do just fine, even bought some personal "necessary" items (flat screen, macbook pro etc) and I'm still way under the COA.

IamAriDO

How are you liking NSU? Pros/cons?

I have to choose within the next two weeks if I'm going to NSU or not

 

[Longshanks]

Tuition for OOS is actually 39K, according to their website. http://medicine.nova.edu/do/admissions/tuition_fees.html

That's old, and there is very little difference anymore between in-state and OOS tuition. My acceptance package has the price around 41-42k as mentioned above in the thread.

 

[munchymanRX]

Tuition for OOS is actually 39K, according to their website. http://medicine.nova.edu/do/admissions/tuition_fees.html

According to the sheet they give you at your interview, its 42.

 

[JuliaJulia]

I agree--Nova OOS is ridiculous. And the cost of living in Ft. Lauderdale is higher than most other places. You really have to consider what factors are most important to you. If cost doesn't rank that high than you're golden. For me, cost ranks in my top 2!

 

[StayOnTop]

Doesn't NSU-COM offer on campus housing, as well as dining options?

 

[familyaerospace]

I grew up about 15 minutes from Nova. When I was there, Nova was the most expensive school in that area across the board (although U of M came close) which is probably why a lot of my friends avoided going there for undergrad unless they really had no choice. It was my understanding that they made a lot of money on people from outside the area and people who worked full time as that was one of the few places that offered a lot of courses after normal hours. Of course that is just talking about the undergrad program and not the medical school although they had some outrageous COA 10 years ago for in-state residents for UG.

While it can be expensive to live in Ft. Lauderdale, it really isn't all that bad because there are lots of places in the surrounding area that are pretty cheap (Davie comes to mind, parts of Hollywood as well).

 

[cbrons]

 

[munchymanRX]

Doesn't NSU-COM offer on campus housing, as well as dining options?

Yes, and there are many apartment/townhome complexes within a couple miles of campus if you don't want to break the bank by paying the on-campus housing rate.

 

[munchymanRX]

I agree--Nova OOS is ridiculous. And the cost of living in Ft. Lauderdale is higher than most other places. You really have to consider what factors are most important to you. If cost doesn't rank that high than you're golden. For me, cost ranks in my top 2!

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a private school (which most DO schools are) that doesn't cost less than about 55-60k/year, including living expenses.

Nova is far from ridiculous (it's pretty standard, across all schools), and the OOS tuition and in-state expenses are not that different.

 

[SFO-IST]

Actually, Nova is low-middle of the road if you're out of state (vs. other out of state ones). Furthermore, they overestimate the cost of living as a favor to the class. This is a big plus compared to other "cheaper" schools that underestimate the cost of living to keep it low on paper - and shaft students who may need all the cash (ie families) in the process. This was actually a plus to me while I was considering NSU. It indicates that the administration is watching out for the students...

 

[Chrisebril1]

Since it kind of relates, what is it like having to take out those kinds of loans. I know if I ever do make it into medical school, I won't have much saved (if any) and won't have parents.

Is COA something that forces students to stay out, or is it a matter of just finding the loans.

I read they overestimate the COA as a favor. That leads me to believe the students apply for loans, and up to a certain amount (COA) they are approved. Are there many problems with that?

 

[munchymanRX]

Since it kind of relates, what is it like having to take out those kinds of loans. I know if I ever do make it into medical school, I won't have much saved (if any) and won't have parents.

Is COA something that forces students to stay out, or is it a matter of just finding the loans.

I read they overestimate the COA as a favor. That leads me to believe the students apply for loans, and up to a certain amount (COA) they are approved. Are there many problems with that?

In medical school, EVERYONE takes out loans. Average med student indebtedness is around $160,000. The school is indeed doing u a huge favor by overestimating, thereby allowing you to take out as much in loans as possible. Granted, its not necessarily in your best interest to do so (debt's a bitch!), but at least the money is there if you find yourself in a jam.

COA is extremely important, especially if you're going out of state and are expecting to pay more for your education. You aren't going to find a tremendous difference in price between most schools, and your debt at the end game is going to be similar, so it'd be advisable to find a school you'd be happiest at, considering factors like residency placement, rotations, and strength of curriculum, and overall just whether or not its a nice place to live!

Getting the loans is not difficult, and you will have enough to finance your education in the short term. It's paying those puppies off you should be concerned with.

 

[drpierre]

Cost is a very important thing to look at when deciding school choices but that being said by the end of the day where ever you go is going to be expensive. Being that I am from South Fla, I know very well how expensive it is to stay in S. fla so that plays a huge role.

Honestly I havent looked at how much my school loans were since 2nd year of med school