200k in Debt for Pharmacy?

<p>Is it worth it to be in 150-200k of debt for the 0-6 pharmacy program at northeastern?
Any school I have searched is either a private school or I am OOS?</p>

<p>According to my calculations the base costs (without scholarships) for URI, Pacific and Northeastern are off the charts. I also based my costs off of current prices so they will surely rise.</p>

<p>-Northeastern 6 year pharmacy is about 320,000-64k in scholarships= 256,000</p>

<p>-University of Rhode Island 6 year pharmacy is about 276,000-56k in scholarships= 220k</p>

<p>-University of the Pacific 5 year pharmacy is about 302,000-20k in scholarships=282k</p>

<p>I know cost is an area that not many bring up, but what do most people do about these huge costs. Looking at a 100k salary for a pharmacist, is it worth it to take this much of a cost? How do people pay for this? I guess I just want insight from those who have challenged these amounts of money for college.</p>

<p>Well they don’t… PharmD students usually have very high stats, so they get scholarships to help set it off.</p>

<p>And I don’t know where you’re getting 320k from… First off, you don’t pay tuition while on co-op. Second, tuition times 6 isn’t even that high so…</p>

<p>The answer, in simple form, is no.</p>

<p>Alright for the first two years the estimated cost of attendance is 54,078. Add another 2,160 for health insurance and its up to about 56,200. Multiply that by 5 years and we have 281,000. Then we have 3 terms of 10,835 for rotations, plus 2160 of health insurance and about 12-15k in living expenses. And you can easily see how it gets up to 320,000.</p>

<p>you don’t have to buy health insurance… stay under your parents’ policy. </p>

<p>you are including room and board as part of the price. after freshman year you can find an apartment to share with a roommate. this will be substantially cheaper.</p>

<p>Even with an apartment and without health insurance, you are looking at over 250-260k</p>

<p>I already said that you don’t pay tuition when on coop, so it is NOT multiplied by five. And cost of attendance usually does include health insurance because it’s required by the state (although nearly EVERYONE stays on their parents plan since you can now till 26). PharmD students do two or three coops, which takes off a chunk of tuition and fees.</p>

<p>Now subtract the fact that competitive students get anywhere from 5k to 10k per semester in dean’s scholarship.</p>

<p>I’m sorry if it sounds like we’re fighting with you, but you’re blowing it out of proportion. Many many students do it and handle the debt perfectly fine. It’s actually not that much more than normal 5 year students, and considering the degree you graduate with- it’s a lot less. Grad programs now can be 40k a year for two years just to get a masters.</p>

<p>I can promise you that people do NOT graduate with 300k loans. When that girl a while back graduated with 200k, it shocked and appalled everyone (and she was kind of an idiot).</p>

<p>I’m not fighting either just trying to clarify. The 54k is for two semesters living at northeastern. If I multiply that by 5 it is for 10 semesters of academic work correct? I am not charging for Co-op. The last 30k is what you pay as a year 6 pharmd of 10k per APPE. That is why I add 10k for the the 3 terms of rotations, this is not an added fee for Co-op.</p>

<p>If I didn’t get any scholarship money to go to northeastern, I wouldn’t have come here. Period. I know some kids come from families that can foot the entire bill, but had I had to pay my entire or most of the EFC through loans, I would not do it.</p>

<p>First, it’s helpful to break pharmacy degrees down and remember that you are earning a very expensive graduate degree. I never advise massive debt for undergrads, ever. I do not think a bachelor’s is worth 100k or more. Personally, I’d draw the line at 60k, and even that number makes me uneasy. However. Pharmacy degrees are not bachelor’s degrees. They are advanced, expensive degrees which nearly guarantee a starting salary of 90k-100k. The are expensive but also worth a lot.</p>

<p>Many of my friends are now in medical school, and a few in pharmacy school. Two close friends of mine did their bachelor’s at NEU and then separately did pharmD. They are both 100k-120k in debt for this degree (medical school tends to be even more, around 75k-200k). Both of my pharmD friends say that their 100k of debt is manageable. It takes a few years to pay off, but this is the nature of the field unless your parent’s have deep pockets and you are one of a very lucky few whose parents pay for undergrad AND graduate school.</p>

<p>According to both office of registrar and my current NEU bill, tuition is about $18,500 per semester. This is 37k per year. NEU also says extra fees freshman year is 12k. So 49k per year. Yes, without scholarship, this is too high. NEU bachelor’s is not worth this.</p>

<p>The problem with this entire thread is we haven’t brought in scholarship money. We also don’t have a clear idea of how much your family can pay vs how much loans you’ll need.</p>

<p>Neuchimie mentioned the girl who graduated with 200k. That was really stupid. I know a lot of people who don’t come from families with lots of money, but they’re on scholarship. There is NO REASON someone on a tight budget should go here if they don’t have scholarship. Go somewhere cheaper. 200k is not.worth.it. Next. For people who are on a tight budget, move the hell off campus. Get a part time job! Be responsible. I know plenty of people who do whatever they can to keep costs low, this girl was just totally irresponsible in how she managed her 5 years here.</p>

<p>My d is still waiting to hear back from NEU, but frankly, I don’t think it’s worth retail. (caveat:she is NOT applying to pharmacy). You mention URI, at least 2 of my daughters friends applied EA there and each got accepted and also offered 16 k annual merit aid. One of them is only top 30% of her class. What are your chances there? Of course you should not borrow the insane amounts you are talking about for northeastern. It makes no sense.</p>

<p>Thank you all for this very helpful information. I agree 200k in loan debt is not worth it. Anyways I got into both the URI and Northeastern 6 year Pharmacy programs and got 14k from URI (out of state) for 4 years and 16k from NU for 4 years. I like Northeastern a lot but am not church if the 40-50k in price difference is worth it. I was just wondering what people tend to do with these costs seeing how they are still very high. I think the best bet is to take about 100k in loans and find a way to pay the other 100k with family/outside scholarships/grants.</p>

<p>Are you eligible for any need based grants: Pell, state or Northeastern’s own need based grants? I assume you have filed the FAFSA and CSS. If not eligible for these programs, there would likely be a family contribution expected. I too think that your estimate of total cost is inflated somewhat.</p>

<p>Yes I have filed all the necessary docs.What do you think is a more reasonable estimate of total cost?</p>

<p>That brings you down into the 20s annually for URI. That is great value if you can get a pharmacy degree there.</p>

<p>how much do pharm majors pay for 5th year and 6th year? and is it smart to start repaying fed loans back asap or it’s ok to wait? </p>

<p>the average debt for pharm majors is ~150k</p>

<p>West coast parent here – you should probably talk to some of the students who have entered University of the Pacific for pharmacy. It is NOT a guaranteed entry to the 5-8 year program like NU and URI if you keep your grades up. There is an interview after your sophomore year to choose those who progress. Not all pre-pharm majors are accepted and very few now for the 5 year track. Most have a 6 year plan or a BS degree with a 7-8 year plan so the costs are higher than a 5-year plan projection.</p>

<p>NEU interviews 2nd year kids too. Most 0-6 schools do. The interview is basically a formality and just about everyone passes.</p>

<p>Have they always done interviews? When did they start doing interviews?</p>

<p>uri does them too. idk when they started.</p>

<p>200k debt seems like a lot of money. I am doing pharmacy and I got the deans scholarship and I wont be paying anywhere close to 200k.
Regardless, 200k for a career/profession that is very stable and always with a good outlook is well worth it in my opinion. A retail pharmacist will earn 100k+ per year plus a lot of benefits, and they have very stable jobs. Healthcare is one of the most stable fields. As long as humans exist, healthcare services will be in demand. And also, the co-op program will allow you to build an impressive resume by the time you graduate from NEU. This will give you a huge advantage if you want to enter the pharma industry, start residency or do a fellowship.</p>