---
title: Is a Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants degree worth the debt?
cip: 5139
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **5** colleges (5 of 5 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $14,156 ($14,935 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $15,250 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 1.08× a first year's pay


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $37,339 | $12,634 | 0.34× | 639 | 639/639 |
| Associate's | $42,396 | $19,450 | 0.47× | 21 | 21/21 |
| Bachelor's | $14,156 | $15,250 | 1.08× | 5 | 5/5 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus (PR) | $24,362 | $28,798 |
| Caribbean University-Bayamon (PR) | $14,156 | $15,250 |
| Caribbean University-Carolina (PR) | $14,156 | $15,250 |
| Caribbean University-Ponce (PR) | $14,156 | $15,250 |
| Caribbean University-Vega Baja (PR) | $14,156 | $15,250 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/practical-nursing-vocational-nursing-and-nursing-assistants.jsonld` · `/education/fields/practical-nursing-vocational-nursing-and-nursing-assistants.json`