$15000 Doctorate NA

[michaeladsmith2]

Just got accepted into the DHA Program @ Virginia University of Lynchburg http://www.vul.edu/dha. 

They accepted my ENEB MBA+Master in Business & Corporate Communications with the Validential FCE. No questions asked! 

One note to be mindful of. 

*This program requires graduates to have a minimum of 90 graduate semester credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. An externship of up to 24 credit hours may be required for students to fulfill this requirement.

If you decide to do this DHA, you will need 2 Masters degrees. 

My MBA+ at ENEB gave me (MBA 39 & MBCC 18) = 57 + DHA 36 = 93 Total. SO I am over the 90 credit requirement. Keep that in mind or you will be required to take the (up to) 24-credit Externship. 

Also, Graduate Loans cover the cost of tuition. Each semester is $6,300 and you get $10,250 per semester, with a refund of $3,880.00. I was told by the DHA Admissions Advisor, Jamie McCoy, that you will need to cover the cost of your books at the beginning since it takes 4 weeks (of attendance verification) before the FA Office releases funds and refunds. Each semester you will receive a "textbook package" and they heavily rely on Harvard Business Review. 

Also, the Curriculum is as follows: You take 3 Courses per semester (Two 8-week Courses & One 15-week Course), for a total of 12 credits. Each course is a 4 Semester Credit course. You take a total of 9 courses over 3 semesters for 36 Credits for the DHA.   

[ss20ts]

Also, Graduate Loans cover the cost of tuition. Each semester is $6,300 and you get $10,250 per semester, with a refund of $3,880.00. 

Why on earth would anyone max out their student loans? This is a horrible idea. That refund of $3880 will need to be repaid with interest that is compounding from the moment the semester begins. It's not an actual refund. It's the difference between the tuition bill and the loan amount. 

Everything else in the original post has already been covered and discussed on here previously. But this maxing out a student loan is a bad idea.

[ashkir]

Also, Graduate Loans cover the cost of tuition. Each semester is $6,300 and you get $10,250 per semester, with a refund of $3,880.00. 

Why on earth would anyone max out their student loans? This is a horrible idea. That refund of $3880 will need to be repaid with interest that is compounding from the moment the semester begins. It's not an actual refund. It's the difference between the tuition bill and the loan amount. 

Everything else in the original post has already been covered and discussed on here previously. But this maxing out a student loan is a bad idea.

The University wouldn't allow me to take more than $6300. The tuition is $5300 for my cohort. I asked for the full loan so I can take some time off for semester 3 and I was told no.

Semester 1 & 2 definately not needed. Semester 3, yeah, you're gonna need extra time.

[michaeladsmith2]

Also, Graduate Loans cover the cost of tuition. Each semester is $6,300 and you get $10,250 per semester, with a refund of $3,880.00. 

Why on earth would anyone max out their student loans? This is a horrible idea. That refund of $3880 will need to be repaid with interest that is compounding from the moment the semester begins. It's not an actual refund. It's the difference between the tuition bill and the loan amount. 

Everything else in the original post has already been covered and discussed on here previously. But this maxing out a student loan is a bad idea.

Not sure what you mean by "maxing out student loans." The total career federal loans you get is just over $138,000 for all Undergrad/Graduate studies, not including another $50,000 in (undergrad) Pell Grants. I'm NOWHERE near maxed-out.

A Doctoral degree for $18,000 (it was $15,000 prior to this upcoming 2023 cohort) is a steal at that price. Any program where you have no upfront out of pocket costs and minimal books/supplies cost is WAY better than $50,000, $80,000 or even above $100,000. And as we know, the ROI is much better when this DHA cost only $18,000 and the starting salary of a Healthcare Administrator is above $100,000 annum. So the paying back of this small loan is much more manageable than say Medical School or Law School loans, and in some cases, very expensive Business School loans.

[newdegree]

Problem is with no healthcare experience it will be quiet difficult to break into the healthcare field even if it’s just administration attempting to hit that six figure salary may pose as a challenge to some.

[michaeladsmith2]

Problem is with no healthcare experience it will be quiet difficult to break into the healthcare field even if it’s just administration attempting to hit that six figure salary may pose as a challenge to some.

Indeed, everyone's situation is different. But still, $18,000 is not something difficult or a herculean obstacle to overcome, compared to other doctoral programs. And while you may not start at 6-figures, most people who take the "business route" (BABA, MBA, DHA) have some experience in business management, leadership, supervisory and "other" business acumen (HR, Accounting, Management, PR, etc.). I don't see a healthcare employer looking at a DHA graduate and saying, "great degree, we'll pay you $36,000/yr." Certainly, a DHA will command high 5-figures, as a starter, and a quick path to 6-figures within a few years. 

The Bureau of Labor has this statistic: Is a doctorate in healthcare administration worth it?


With career advancement comes increased salaries. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that medical and health services managers make an average of $104,280 annually. However, health administrators with DHA degrees who work in big hospitals earn as much as $195,630 per year.

[sanantone]

How much you receive in student loans depends on your EFC. It's not the same for everyone.

[bjcheung77]

Expected family contribution... everyone needs to know how much they have saved if any towards their educational goals, in addition to any income, assets, investments, etc you put aside for future expenses, schooling, car/home purchase, etc.  Basically, when you fill in the financial aid, they know everything about your credit and any existing loans you may already have, etc.  If I am going for this, I won't be using financial aid... it's all out of pocket! <gasp, ouch>

[sanantone]

The FAFSA doesn't look into credit or debt because most federal financial aid programs don't take credit into consideration. If you apply for a Graduate PLUS loan, then they'll run your credit to see whether you have any delinquent student loan debt. If the government wants to run your credit to aid in collecting debt to the government, such as IRS debt, they can.

[PurpleReign]

Problem is with no healthcare experience it will be quiet difficult to break into the healthcare field even if it’s just administration attempting to hit that six figure salary may pose as a challenge to some.

Indeed, everyone's situation is different. But still, $18,000 is not something difficult or a herculean obstacle to overcome, compared to other doctoral programs. And while you may not start at 6-figures, most people who take the "business route" (BABA, MBA, DHA) have some experience in business management, leadership, supervisory and "other" business acumen (HR, Accounting, Management, PR, etc.). I don't see a healthcare employer looking at a DHA graduate and saying, "great degree, we'll pay you $36,000/yr." Certainly, a DHA will command high 5-figures, as a starter, and a quick path to 6-figures within a few years. 

The Bureau of Labor has this statistic: Is a doctorate in healthcare administration worth it?


With career advancement comes increased salaries. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that medical and health services managers make an average of $104,280 annually. However, health administrators with DHA degrees who work in big hospitals earn as much as $195,630 per year.

I kinda still say no to this argument for someone looking to break into the healthcare field without much experience as many may think you are a bit overqualified with a doctorate and no experience for entry-level. Also, I would argue that without any experience that the program you graduate from may carry more weight than just having the letters behind your name. VUL has very little name recognition and you might be better off at a place like Eastern Virginia Medical School, Central Michigan, Medical University of South Carolina, or even Morehouse. I did VUL for self-fulfillment as I'm fairly established in my career with almost 15 years in healthcare. Yes, the price is right at VUL but there are better programs especially if you didn't have a lot of health management graduate coursework already. But then again it all depends on the roles you are looking at within healthcare. If you plan to work strictly in HR then it may not matter (and a DHA probably doesn't really help either...just looks good on the resume). However, if you are looking for more of an operational leadership role that requires knowledge of healthcare revenue or clinical workflow then the DHA may not help as much as you may think out of the gate. For example, there were quite a few nurses at VUL who choose the DHA route over a DNP as it makes sense since many I guess were desiring operational leadership roles. Just something to consider and just trying to keep it realistic as to what the program can offer.