---
title: Is a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing degree worth the debt?
cip: 5138
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 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **996** colleges (996 of 996 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $62,706 ($62,658 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $22,959 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.36× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $58,920–$68,188 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**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 | $55,577 | $15,000 | 0.28× | 33 | 33/33 |
| Associate's | $57,652 | $15,250 | 0.27× | 946 | 946/946 |
| Bachelor's | $62,706 | $22,959 | 0.36× | 996 | 996/996 |
| Master's | $94,674 | $43,048 | 0.45× | 449 | 449/449 |
| Doctoral | $109,263 | $67,500 | 0.59× | 117 | 117/117 |
| Professional | $105,127 | $67,193 | 0.56× | 25 | 25/25 |
| Grad cert. | $101,680 | $43,564 | 0.45× | 32 | 32/32 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mercy University (NY) | $115,215 | $10,500 |
| Pacific College (CA) | $114,248 | — |
| Sonoma State University (CA) | $110,859 | $12,500 |
| California State University-Monterey Bay (CA) | $109,260 | $5,500 |
| California State University-Sacramento (CA) | $105,852 | $13,750 |
| Helene Fuld College of Nursing (NY) | $102,810 | — |
| California State University-Dominguez Hills (CA) | $102,298 | $10,000 |
| Samuel Merritt University (CA) | $101,572 | $20,000 |
| San Francisco State University (CA) | $99,655 | $15,233 |
| California State University-East Bay (CA) | $99,479 | $14,747 |
| University of Providence (MT) | $99,225 | $16,698 |
| California State University-Stanislaus (CA) | $98,218 | $22,000 |
| Wagner College (NY) | $98,065 | $25,000 |
| College of Staten Island CUNY (NY) | $97,852 | $20,084 |
| Bay Path University (MA) | $97,800 | — |

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/registered-nursing-nursing-administration-nursing-research-and-clinical-nursing.jsonld` · `/education/fields/registered-nursing-nursing-administration-nursing-research-and-clinical-nursing.json`