Probation program near home vs Continued Accreditation program OOS

[Krazy]

I have been fortunate to get accepted to 2 programs.

 

Program 1: 10 mins away from me, but is on probation. I'd be able to live at home and save money. Tuition is $98k.

 

Program 2: Continued-accreditation, but is out of state. I'd have to move across the country and the tuition is $130k, plus living expenses.

 

I'd like to go to program 1 to save money and stay close to home, but they are on probation. They have had continued-accreditation for 20+ years and only got on probation last year. They are a great health sciences school with many other successful programs, which is why I am hopeful they will get their continued-accreditation back upon next year's review.

 

Even if program 1 loses accreditation, I would still be able to finish the program and sit for the PANCE since I matriculated when it was still accredited(probation) right?

 

People are telling to choose the program 2 bc they are continued-accredited, but I come from a low-income family and being able to attending PA school near home will help my family immensely.

Edited April 22 by Krazy
grammar

[ohiovolffemtp]

Yes, since the program was accredited, even if on probation, while you matriculated, you will be eligible to complete it and sit for PANCE.

Program 2 would have to offer something pretty amazing to be work $32K in additional tuition plus the increased cost of living, likely another $50-100K to be worth it.  Plus, if you plan to work near where you currently live, program 1 likely has clinicals and other contacts which would be beneficial in your job hunt.

While some programs are definitely better than others, your real learning comes in the 1st 3-5 years of working.

[rev ronin]

ARC-PA has been handing out probation pretty liberally lately. I'm not entirely sure why, but schools like you described as #1, with a whole ecosystem surrounding the PA program, are going to be the least likely to ultimately lose accreditation: they have other programs and a reputation to uphold. The PA program isn't the first or only graduate level health sciences program, but a bigger part of the university's overall portfolio. A significant number of PA programs are started at schools without that infrastructure because they're lucrative. A good school I'm quite familiar with was briefly placed on probation a few years back because too many of their pediatrics rotations weren't with board certified pediatricians, but rather with family med PAs and NPs. It's an arbitrary and fixable problem, and I suspect your school #1 is in a similar boat.