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Nursing Education

How Much Do Nursing Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Nursing Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out Median Earnings
1 year $83,453
4 years $80,149
5 years $90,156

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $90,156 — roughly 8% above the 1-year mark.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.

Is a Degree in Nursing Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Nursing Education graduates earn a median of $80,149 four years after completion — roughly 111% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

4-year median earnings vs national baseline for Nursing Education

ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program Annual Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 311,372
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 256,965
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 14,847
Nursing Practice 9,206
Nursing Administration 7,911
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 4,379
Nursing Science 4,245
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other 4,125
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,457
Nurse Anesthetist 1,960
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,505
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 641

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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