Both are awesome schools with great nursing programs, but with that being said, there are pros and cons to both for my situation, and I cannot seem to decide where to go. Any insight? Thank you!
What’s the total cost of attendance difference?
Have you been accepted directly to the major, or is there a pre-major or condition?
Do you like city or suburbs? Large or small classes? Southern or Norther California?
What are the pass rates for NCLEX-RN?
Both programs will have hands-on features and hospitals in the surrounding areas.
To me the biggest difference may be in the general education classes that could be required for graduation,
in addition to the specific nursing coursework.
UC Irvine has very chemistry heavy curriculum for their nursing students, which may or may not be good for you. Nursing students at UCI take the same classes as pre-med and pre-health students at UCI: O Chem, General Chem, Bio, etc… Additionally, UCI does not have the best NCLEX pass rates. I believe that it is somewhere in the 70%s… USF has more of a hands-on approach to the nursing classes. Additionally, USF has a really high NCLEX pass rate. USF nursing students make some of the most money after graduation as most of them stay to work in SF, the best paying city for nurses. However, USF nursing students have some of the most student loans because, as it is a private school, it is very expensive.