Would choosing a school solely based on tuition be a bad idea?

[deezytide]

Obviously we all know the type of debt we must incur to go through PT school. With that being said, would choosing a school SOLELY based on which is the "cheapest" be a bad idea?

I live in Georgia, and am pretty confident that I have the stats to get into any of the in-state schools that I would want, assuming I don't bomb the interview for whatever reason. The 3 schools I am considering the most are Georgia State(total program ~55k), North Georgia(~45k), and Georgia Southern(~36k), with Southern being far and away my top priority. Am I being too short sighted about this decision?

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[HopefulDPT96]

No, this is not a bad decision at all. Although you will want to make sure that there’s is nothing crazy wrong with the program (ie. low NPTE pass rates). PT school is very expensive considering how much we make coming out of it, so definitely choose the cheapest school that you can!

 

[Louisiana2018]

Instate is definitely the way to go. If the NPTE pass rates and the graduation rates are good, go for the cheapest option that you feel comfortable in.

 

[Violet2020]

In this economy, choosing the cheapest accredited school to go to is the smartest move you can make.

 

[deleted797640]

nope, good plan

 

[ptisfun2]

Of course it is. Would you buy the cheapest car without considering anything else about it? Look at what each school offers and each school’s outcomes. Cost should be a consideration but certainly not the only one.

 

[ya1]

I don/t think it is a bad idea to choose school solely on its cost. All PT schools are kind of the same: the same curriculum, most instructors are nice, most people feel like the program could've been better, and you spend most of your time studying so it does not really matter much in which area you live.

 

[Pathway to DPT]

Obviously we all know the type of debt we must incur to go through PT school. With that being said, would choosing a school SOLELY based on which is the "cheapest" be a bad idea?

I live in Georgia, and am pretty confident that I have the stats to get into any of the in-state schools that I would want, assuming I don't bomb the interview for whatever reason. The 3 schools I am considering the most are Georgia State(total program ~55k), North Georgia(~45k), and Georgia Southern(~36k), with Southern being far and away my top priority. Am I being too short sighted about this decision?

Hey! Really the decision to choose which schools you want to apply to and attend are based on what you believe in the most! If you are concerned with the financial repercussions of attending a school with expensive tuition, then an in-state school could be a good choice (that is what I decided to do... $55K versus $200K). But also consider other facts such as the school's accreditation status, the opportunities, the NPTE licensing exam and graduation pass rate because in my opinion, you should look at a school holistically and decide from there.

Hope that helped!

 

[luchthept]

At the end of the day, every SPT has to sit and take the same licensing exam: meaning choosing the cheapest school is the financially smart option. You also should look into the grad rates and NPTE pass rates to make sure that the school has a decent program that you'll be able to matriculate through successfully. Debt is a serious thing and you'd want as little of it as possible.

 

[spthopefully]

I live in Georgia, too. I am going to Baylor because I won't have to move and I will get out in 2 years versus 3. So whatever I make that third year as a resident or full-time employee basically subtracts from tuition and fees (around 100K). So even if I make only 50K that first year out, my tuition really was 50K. Does that make sense? Something to think about. I have kids so I can't move to go to Georgia Southern or North GA, so my only option was Georgia State.