Free tool · federal data
What does this major pay at different colleges?
Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.
Your results
Nursing, professional degree programs nationwide
Nationally, professional degree graduates in Nursing earn a median $133,099 four years after graduating. Among 19 programs with federal earnings data, University of Kansas (KS) graduates had the highest median, $176,643 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
- Programs with data
- 19
- Highest median
- $176,643
- National median
- $133,099
| College | State | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | vs national median | Debt borrowed at this college (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kansas | KS | $176,643 | +33% | $72,370 |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusFigure covers 5 campuses | PA | $155,798 | +17% | $80,061 |
| Oregon Health & Science University | OR | $152,722 | +15% | $67,193 |
| Johns Hopkins University | MD | $152,014 | +14% | $62,950 |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore | MD | $150,997 | +13% | $88,056 |
| University of San Diego | CA | $145,372 | +9% | — |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | $142,610 | +7% | $73,625 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | $137,193 | +3% | $71,416 |
| University of FloridaFigure covers 2 campuses | FL | $136,765 | +3% | $43,291 |
| Creighton University | NE | $135,340 | about the same | $69,000 |
| Vanderbilt University | TN | $133,154 | about the same | $68,800 |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science Center | TN | $129,208 | −3% | $70,335 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | IL | $126,442 | −5% | $87,542 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | $122,428 | −8% | $55,103 |
| University of Kentucky | KY | $119,485 | −10% | $53,600 |
| University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeFigure covers 2 campuses | WI | $117,537 | −12% | $49,804 |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center | NE | $115,780 | −13% | $51,158 |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusFigure covers 2 campuses | OK | $115,460 | −13% | $41,000 |
| Grand Valley State University | MI | $112,011 | −16% | $75,692 |
Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.
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Same major, other degree levels: Bachelor's · Associate's · Undergraduate certificate · Master's · Doctoral · Graduate certificate · Post-baccalaureate certificate
What these numbers are
Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).