Online MSW program and debt

[Neep]

West Virginia University is now offering an MSW program that is full online and CSWE accredited. 
The first cohort starts this fall. I missed the priority deadline for grants/scholarships. Those applications were due in early February. I can apply until April 15th but my understanding is that I would not qualify for aid. Would it be better to wait an entire year to get that aid or should I just go for it? 

Also, I am heavily considering Portland State University, but I missed their deadline as well. (I have been toying with getting my MSW for a long time now and finally decided to take the plunge very recently). I love their program. I would like to become a medical social worker and hopefully work in a hospital setting, so i love that they have a health track. The only downfall is that I am a Pennsylvania Resident so that ups the cost to somewhere in the ballpark of $65,000 and that is steep. (compared to WVU will be roughly $36,000). My favorite program is PSU but the cost is my hiccup and they only accept applications once per year. Which i missed the deadline so I would have to wait to apply in Sept 2019 just to start in Sept 2020 and that seems SO far away. ugh. not to mention, with them being on the west coast and me on the east coast, does that give me a disadvantage with placements and job prospects straight out of the program? WVU. Widener, and Temple are withing 4 hours from me, so i suspect they would have connections, but what about PSU?

I am considering Temple and Widener because of their connections in my state. But they are going to end up around $56K to $65K anyways.

I dont know what to do. I really want something that focuses on the medical side of things. But i also like that WVU is way less expensive and that they focus on rural settings because i live in the middle of nowhere PA lol I am so heavily conflicted. Do i go for the "local" resource schools and what connections they can provide? Do i go for the lower cost college (i am already about $50k in debt from my undergrad), or do i go for the actual program that I want, even though it comes at a cost. 

The ultimate goal is to get licensed as a social worker and make it into a hospital setting. But I do need to be financially careful because I know all too well what paying back this debt is going to entail. But i want my best shot at becoming the professional I want so I dont know if should turn a blind eye to the debt and the waiting period (if i attend PSU), or if i should go the cheapest route because at the end of the day all of these schools are accredited and I will qualify to sit for LSW. Advice please>

Edited February 22, 2019 by Neep

[doctormelody]

Personally, I would go to WVU (I also considered their program) because it will be the cheapest regardless and you already have debt. Unless you are willing to consider moving? But if you’re just choosing between online programs, my advice would be to go for the cheapest one, for sure.

[Neep]

24 minutes ago, doctormelody said:

Personally, I would go to WVU (I also considered their program) because it will be the cheapest regardless and you already have debt. Unless you are willing to consider moving? But if you’re just choosing between online programs, my advice would be to go for the cheapest one, for sure.

Unfortunately I cannot relocate because I have children from a previous marriage. However, if that wasnt a barrier, I would be gone in a heartbeat. 

I appriciate your response. I wish price wasnt a thing, but let's get real, it is lol.

 

What was your personal opinion on WVUs program? The good and the bad. I'm really considering it since it so cheap, but I also want to make sure it will be rigorous enough. 

Edinboro is similar in price. But I wasnt all that impressed. Of course it is CSWE accredited so maybe the program is a moot point 

[doctormelody]

12 minutes ago, Neep said:

Unfortunately I cannot relocate because I have children from a previous marriage. However, if that wasnt a barrier, I would be gone in a heartbeat. 

I appriciate your response. I wish price wasnt a thing, but let's get real, it is lol.

 

What was your personal opinion on WVUs program? The good and the bad. I'm really considering it since it so cheap, but I also want to make sure it will be rigorous enough. 

Edinboro is similar in price. But I wasnt all that impressed. Of course it is CSWE accredited so maybe the program is a moot point 

I mean it’s hard to tell just from talking to people on the phone/emailing back and forth, but the members of the administration I talked to were really nice and helpful! I had the same concern about you as about scholarships and they told me there might be some available later on, just not the first year. But if you wanted to wait and apply to multiple programs, I think that would be a fine choice too. I also considered UCF and LSU - they’re similar in cost.

I agree with you about not being that impressed by Edinboro, but of course, accreditation is the most important thing.

Edited February 23, 2019 by doctormelody

[Neep]

After speaking with my husband, I feel much better with the option to spend less money on the program. 
I absolutely love the program at PSU but i really dont love that debt lol. I was playing around with the repayment cost estimators from the government student loan website, and after seeing what it could be to go to a place like Temple, PSU, or Widener compared to a place like WVU...well seeing those monthly payment possibilities has totally turned me on to WVU lol. I have made the decision to go ahead and apply to WVU but I feel I should probably apply elsewhere too, just in case. But I am currently a SAHM so time is in my favor. I think I am just going to apply to WVU and wait to hear back about what happens. I cannot apply to PSU until September anyways, and tbh i dont know if i can justify the cost. I will have to look into UCF and LSU. Boise is also really affordable but I dont meet their work/letter of recommendation requirements. 

 

 

[Neep]

Worst case scenario, I'll apply to Edinboro. I am not a huge fan but really at the end of the day I just need a degree that allows me to sit for the LSW and LCSW exams. Debt is such a big deal thing to me. I made the mistake in my undergrad going for the big school that costed tons of money and i always talk about how i regret that I didn't go somehwere less expensive. Im not making that mistake again. My finances cant handle it lol 

Edited February 23, 2019 by Neep

[Neep]

I just wanted to update, 

I only ended up applying WVU. Thankfully I got in. 

I didn't bother applying elsewhere because of the cost. I just knew it was a no for me. Had i not gotten in to WVU I would have applied to Edinboro for next year, also because of cost. 
So it looks like I will be starting this fall and i cant wait! 

[SageAdvice]

On 4/5/2019 at 9:32 PM, Neep said:

I just wanted to update, 

I only ended up applying WVU. Thankfully I got in. 

I didn't bother applying elsewhere because of the cost. I just knew it was a no for me. Had i not gotten in to WVU I would have applied to Edinboro for next year, also because of cost. 
So it looks like I will be starting this fall and i cant wait! 

I realize this is an old post, just wondering how you're liking the program so far!

[Neep]

On 1/21/2020 at 3:34 AM, SageAdvice said:

I realize this is an old post, just wondering how you're liking the program so far!

I am loving it! The profs are absolutely amazing. The field coordinator is so helpful with obtaining an internship. & even though my cohort is virtual, we have all grown close. With this pandemic, I am SO glad I am online. I start my first internship in June and I am so excited! Hopefully COVID19 doesn't change that. But anyways, I cannot say enough good things about WVU! You wont regret it if you come here (=