Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Most Affordable Online Healthcare Program at Western Governors U

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/15/11

The most affordable online bachelor's in healthcare is available from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, according to a survey of online programs. Tuition for the bachelor of science in nursing (pre-licensure) was $4,250 per term.

Western Governors is a private, non-profit institution that began accepting students in 1999. It was founded by a group of western state governors to address the use of distance learning by working adults to improve their career opportunities in an "affordable" way. The average age of students is about 36, and programs are offered in teaching, business, IT, and health.

The comparison of health programs in online institutions was done by GetEducated.com, a site that publishes online university statistics. The site reviewed 22 regionally accredited online universities with degrees in healthcare management, administration, medical records informatics, dietetics, sports health, and nutrition.

The average cost for this degree across all of the programs evaluated, including tuition and fees, is $45,600. The program at Western Governors added up to $23,500.

The most expensive program is the one offered by Berkeley College. This private, for-profit institution with 8,900 students and physical campuses in New York and New Jersey, charges about $87,000 for its bachelor of science in health services administration. It should be noted that this program requires 180 quarter credit hours for graduation; the Western Governor's program requires 120 hours, two-thirds as many.

GetEducated publishes online university information, including data on program costs, affordability, and credibility as ranked by reviewers. The Web site features a wizard that walks the user through selection of programs available for specific areas of interest and provides "best buy" listings for a number of online degree programs.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Interface buttons of Generative AI tool

    Report: No Foolproof Method Exists for Detecting AI-Generated Media

    Microsoft has released a new research report warning that no single technology can reliably distinguish AI-generated content from authentic media, and that deepening reliance on any one method risks misleading the public.

  • illustration of people collaborating around large interlocking gears and data charts

    Why ERP and AI Initiatives Stall at the Execution Layer: A CIO Perspective

    Higher education institutions are investing heavily in ERP modernization, analytics, and AI-driven capabilities. Yet even with these investments, many are running into the same issue: turning insight into coordinated, timely action.

  • large group of college students sitting on an academic quad

    Student Readiness: Learning to Learn

    Melissa Loble, Instructure's chief academic officer, recommends a focus on 'readiness' as a broader concept as we try to understand how to build meaningful education experiences that can form a bridge from the university to the workplace. Here, we ask Loble what readiness is and how to offer students the ability to 'learn to learn'.

  • digital lock on a virtual background

    Encryptionless Extortion on the Rise as Ransomware Groups Shift Tactics

    Ransomware attacks continued to climb in 2025 as attackers increasingly timed operations around year-end staffing gaps and shifted away from traditional file encryption, according to new research from NordStellar.