Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing

Is a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing degree worth it?

Across 981 bachelor's programs that report earnings, the median pays its graduates $62,698 a year after graduation, and the middle half pay between $58,868 and $68,395. The median for all majors is $37,050. At the median program, graduates who borrowed owe $20,508. Debt is 0.33x first-year earnings, which ranks 9th of 147 majors, where 1st carries the least debt for the pay.

Nursing graduates start out near the top of all majors, and pay varies little from one program to the next. The best-paying programs admit more of their applicants than the typical nursing program, and most are in California, which pays registered nurses more than any other state. Mercy University, Pacific College and Sonoma State University teach nurses who already hold a license, so many of their graduates were working nurses before they finished the degree.

Every one of the lowest-paying programs is in Puerto Rico, where nurses earn far less than on the mainland. Low pay is the main reason the island's nurses move to the mainland. Most nursing graduates go straight to work, and a minority later earn a master's or doctorate for roles such as nurse practitioner, which first-year pay does not capture.

These are earnings one year after graduating, for students who received federal aid. Majors that lead to graduate school, or to careers that start slowly, look worse here than they will ten years on.