PA Tuition USC vs Rush University $$$ Help

[UciGirlPA]

Hello there, I understand that ultimately this is my choice alone but would appreciate any insight from currently practicing PAs. I’ve received an offer from USC (Los Angeles) & Rush University (Chicago). I’m from California so the temptation  to attend a California school in sunny LA is very appealing. I would be closer to friends and family. However tuition is probably the highest in the nation ~180 K not including housing/other living expenses. Rush on the other hand is also an amazing program but located in Chicago. I would be away from loved ones and my support system (Family, friends, boyfriend). I love the school too! Both great academics/training opportunities. Rush however is closer to $98K. I don’t want to be buried in debt. Any thoughts? Or is the price relatively non-consequential given I would be graduating @28 years old. And have years worth of earning potential? 

[mgriffiths]

As someone who is still paying on his student loans from PA school, go with the lower tuition.  Maybe...maybe...there is something about attending a PA school with a recognizable name, but honestly I don't think it's much once you are in the real world and have experience.  Plus, when comparing these two, I would say the schools themselves (NOT just the PA school) are probably on equal standing in recognizability, and I would even give an edge to Rush within the medical community.

I see no world where USC is worth an extra $100k (ok, ok, I'm rounding up from $82k).

Will you have many years of earning potential?  Hopefully so...but that is still a ton of money, at least 1 year's worth of average post-tax and benefits income!

My recommendations to everyone who is choosing between different PA schools.

1. Which school is going to provide the better education?
2. Which school has lower tuition + cost of living?
3. If the answers to #1 and #2 are different, is the higher tuition worth the better education?

If the answers to #1 and #2 are the same you have your school.  If they are different then you have to compare.  Personally I believe my experiences made available to me were better than average because my PA school was associated with a university medical center and its resources, but I can't actually compare.  For you, I don't think you're going to find better resources and experiences than at Rush...AND...the tuition is far less...and the cost of living is probably less...

No question here...go to Rush!

[UciGirlPA]

51 minutes ago, mgriffiths said:

As someone who is still paying on his student loans from PA school, go with the lower tuition.  Maybe...maybe...there is something about attending a PA school with a recognizable name, but honestly I don't think it's much once you are in the real world and have experience.  Plus, when comparing these two, I would say the schools themselves (NOT just the PA school) are probably on equal standing in recognizability, and I would even give an edge to Rush within the medical community.

I see no world where USC is worth an extra $100k (ok, ok, I'm rounding up from $82k).

Will you have many years of earning potential?  Hopefully so...but that is still a ton of money, at least 1 year's worth of average post-tax and benefits income!

My recommendations to everyone who is choosing between different PA schools.

1. Which school is going to provide the better education?
2. Which school has lower tuition + cost of living?
3. If the answers to #1 and #2 are different, is the higher tuition worth the better education?

If the answers to #1 and #2 are the same you have your school.  If they are different then you have to compare.  Personally I believe my experiences made available to me were better than average because my PA school was associated with a university medical center and its resources, but I can't actually compare.  For you, I don't think you're going to find better resources and experiences than at Rush...AND...the tuition is far less...and the cost of living is probably less...

No question here...go to Rush!

Thank you!!!

[Pa98173jd]

If you're just interested in becoming a PA, Rush is the clearest choice. However, if you're longing to enjoy your time in school, get into PA advocacy at the state and national level, become a great PA educator, or want to pursue further education like another masters or Doctorate, USC is the choice. 

[UciGirlPA]

I think both are amazing programs and I would come out as a good PA regardless of program. Rush is def cheaper. However I think my mental health would significantly benefit from attending USC. Since I wouldn’t feel as isolated across the country and can easily find comfort if needed with family friends in the area. I guess my question is how horrendous will it be paying back that student loan...anyone who has attended USC or has a similar tuition debt/student debt know what I would be looking at monthly? In terms of payments to pay off the loan? I want to go to USC but I don’t want to be struggling post graduation..if loan payments are taking up a grand majority of my monthly earning. 

[Pa98173jd]

By the time you graduate USC, your loan will have grown to about 210k-220k *not including housing*. You will just have to live frugally for two years more as you would if you attend Rush.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Pa98173jd

[SirScottric]

Student loan payment insight: My program cost about $80,000 for tuition. After living expenses and interest accrual, I finished school with $135,000 of student debt and re-financed as soon as I graduated. My interest rate after refinancing is 4.5% on a 13 year loan and my minimum payment per month is $1,100.

[ProSpectre]

Running some quick numbers with a loan payment calculator, paying off $180K at the current Grad PLUS interest rate of 7.08% over a 10 year period would cost you about $2,097 per month (over $25K per year); you'd pay about $71,685 in interest alone over the 10 years for a total of over $251,685 when it's all said and done. This is a very rough estimate of course, and doesn't include the additional cost of living expenses you'd incur, so your actual total debt and total monthly payments would be quite a bit higher after the 3 yrs of COL is included. 

My advice in these types of comparisons is similar to mgriffiths; if both programs are roughly equivalent in quality of education (i.e. PANCE pass rates, quality of rotations, faculty experience, attrition, etc) then you should go with the cheaper school. Rush has a great program, is about half the price, is a few months shorter, and has a slightly lower cost of living (Chicago is about 10% cheaper COL than LA). You're talking about literally doubling your student loan debt for the exact same education. To me, that's kind of foolish.

With USC, you're taking on physician-level debt, without the physician-level salary to pay it off. Can you pay off $250K+ on a PA salary? Of course you can. But it's going to be a significant burden on your finances for much longer than if you attended the cheaper school.

Of course, my answer is framed based on my own views and values related to debt, and those may differ for you. Ultimately, only you can decide if your perceived (potential) mental health benefits of going to USC are worth doubling your student loan debt. But I had multiple friends in PA school that moved across the country, away from friends and family (and in a couple cases significant others), to attend PA school; they all adjusted just fine, made new friends, got to enjoy exploring a new city, and were ultimately successful. 

[Guest PA189xyz]

Rush is cheaper and shorter, plus I think you'll have a great time in a new area! New journeys are always great for personal growth.

[CTPAAPPLICANT2018]

I wouldn't say you will be completely isolated. You can still find comfort in your classmates! I'm sure a bunch of them are going through the same experiences as you are and for that matter it will only make you closer to them. People have told me that it is how you make of your PA school experience and a majority of the times your classmates become like family!