South Georgia State College (SGSC) is pleased to announce its nursing program has received the distinction of being named “#2 for Most Affordable Nursing Degrees in Georgia” by College Choice.
SGSC President Dr. Ingrid Thomson-Sellers states, “As an access institution, it is important for us to provide a high quality and affordable education to our students. We take this mission very seriously! The quality of our nursing program is exceptional and prepares students to work in general practice or specialized areas of nursing. In south Georgia, we are committed to developing a highly skilled workforce that will contribute to the economic development of our region.”
According to the Student Debt and the Class of 2016 publication by The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), over 60 percent of graduates from Georgia colleges have an average debt of $27,657 in school loans. The June 2017 report released by the Southern Regional Education Board stated, “Families in Georgia needed to pay, on average, 17 percent of their income in 2014 to cover educational expenses for a full-time student at public two-year institutions in the state.” SGSC is helping to address the problems of college debt and rising tuition costs by offering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at an affordable cost of $92 per credit hour which is the same as SGSC’s associate degrees and pathway programs.
Donna Boatright, a 2014 graduate of SGSC’s Associate of Science in Nursing program, is one of those who recognized the importance of affordability in order to obtain a degree. “Coming out of the Children’s Home Ministry for a total of 17 years, we did not have the money saved up for an unexpected call from the Lord for me to go back to school to get a degree in nursing. We were living in Baxley at the time, so I considered the cost and driving distance. After doing my homework and putting the figures on paper with Steve, my husband who was continuing to work, I qualified for the Pell Grant and we cut all our spending we could. The lower cost of tuition made SGSC a no-brainer for me with our low-income status,” she said. Ms. Boatright is currently a staff nurse in the Memorial Satilla Hospital Birthing Unit in Waycross.
Dr. Scott Thigpen, Dean and Professor of Nursing, states, “We are proud of our program and realize our graduates are consistently challenged to make a difference in the health of those under their care. The affordability of our program gives those with a heart for nursing the opportunity to complete a degree and use the skills they are taught to have continued success.”
The SGSC School of Nursing is approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing and the Associate of Science in Nursing and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). South Georgia State College is part of the University System of Georgia, offering twenty pathway programs and two additional baccalaureate degrees in Biological Sciences and Management. SGSC has campuses in Douglas and Waycross, along with entry programs in Valdosta and Americus.
College Choice is a leading authority in college and university rankings and resources. The ranking was created based on the 30 nursing schools listed in the National Center for Education Statistics database as offering a BSN program. The schools that still have active programs were then sorted based on in-state tuition.
South Georgia State College offers the LPN-RN Bridge, Associate of Science in Nursing and the RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN). Application to the program is competitive and the nursing curriculum is very rigorous. To learn more or apply, please visit the SGSC School of Nursing program at www.sgsc.edu.