Best Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$341,630

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$24,339

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	University of Pennsylvania Grad rate: 96.5%	PA	+$1,948,190	$145,038	$85,738	$19,875	Full ROI →
2	Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science	CA	+$1,713,407	$129,369	$33,973	N/A	Full ROI →
3	Cabrillo College Grad rate: 35.3%	CA	+$1,096,705	$99,029	$23,625	$15,000	Full ROI →
4	Victor Valley College Grad rate: 26.9%	CA	+$986,494	$91,914	$11,786	N/A	Full ROI →
5	Jersey College Grad rate: 31.6%	NJ	+$911,768	$89,185	$31,932	N/A	Full ROI →
6	Portland Community College Grad rate: 17.8%	OR	+$700,029	$77,865	$17,271	N/A	Full ROI →
7	Holy Name Medical Center-Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing	NJ	+$631,213	$76,736	$24,635	$28,794	Full ROI →
8	Central Arizona College Grad rate: 20.1%	AZ	+$607,616	$72,832	$9,024	N/A	Full ROI →
9	Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health	TX	+$505,320	$67,266	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
10	Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences Grad rate: 34.0%	PA	+$496,806	$69,811	$22,775	$27,140	Full ROI →
11	Laramie County Community College Grad rate: 29.8%	WY	+$483,658	$66,819	$12,722	N/A	Full ROI →
12	Lone Star College System Grad rate: 18.3%	TX	+$469,721	$66,817	$14,637	$8,875	Full ROI →
13	El Paso Community College Grad rate: 21.3%	TX	+$440,159	$64,645	$12,741	N/A	Full ROI →
14	Rock Valley College Grad rate: 38.0%	IL	+$414,069	$63,421	$14,351	N/A	Full ROI →
15	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Grad rate: 84.0%	PA	+$406,473	$64,159	$36,707	N/A	Full ROI →
16	Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing	MA	+$391,543	$64,837	$29,084	$26,750	Full ROI →
17	St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing	PA	+$387,222	$62,987	N/A	$24,087	Full ROI →
18	Indian Hills Community College Grad rate: 38.2%	IA	+$381,812	$63,401	$14,774	$23,284	Full ROI →
19	Bunker Hill Community College Grad rate: 17.8%	MA	+$364,063	$61,718	$14,699	$11,554	Full ROI →
20	Aiken Technical College Grad rate: 19.0%	SC	+$342,702	$59,775	$12,798	N/A	Full ROI →
21	Lamar Community College Grad rate: 42.9%	CO	+$333,594	$59,648	$19,366	N/A	Full ROI →
22	Riverside College of Health Careers	VA	+$315,197	$59,247	$29,743	N/A	Full ROI →
23	Butler County Community College Grad rate: 31.0%	PA	+$313,348	$58,225	$11,152	N/A	Full ROI →
24	Baptist Health College Little Rock	AR	+$291,206	$58,413	$37,054	N/A	Full ROI →
25	Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences Grad rate: 61.0%	UT	+$286,999	$58,016	$33,321	N/A	Full ROI →
26	DLP Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Grad rate: 46.7%	PA	+$286,786	$59,578	$26,134	$28,622	Full ROI →
27	Jefferson Regional School of Nursing	AR	+$284,400	$56,220	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
28	Watts College of Nursing	NC	+$274,638	$57,881	N/A	$31,838	Full ROI →
29	Panola College Grad rate: 39.1%	TX	+$265,530	$55,924	$12,950	N/A	Full ROI →
30	Baton Rouge General Medical Center School of Nursing & School of Radiologic Technology	LA	+$255,940	$54,797	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
31	Connors State College Grad rate: 27.2%	OK	+$247,870	$55,325	$18,630	N/A	Full ROI →
32	UPMC St. Margaret School of Nursing Grad rate: 54.8%	PA	+$247,704	$57,750	$25,446	$31,000	Full ROI →
33	UPMC Jameson School of Nursing	PA	+$235,500	$56,879	$28,667	$24,750	Full ROI →
34	Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing Grad rate: 62.5%	PA	+$220,881	$55,635	$25,326	$19,624	Full ROI →
35	Sharon Regional School of Nursing	PA	+$220,417	$54,693	N/A	$24,772	Full ROI →
36	UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing Grad rate: 50.0%	PA	+$218,898	$56,246	$26,534	$29,250	Full ROI →
37	Trinity Health System School of Nursing	OH	+$215,052	$54,918	$15,377	$20,689	Full ROI →
38	Citizens School of Nursing Grad rate: 73.3%	PA	+$206,191	$55,338	$27,971	$24,146	Full ROI →
39	Washington Health System School of Nursing	PA	+$205,802	$53,657	N/A	$20,250	Full ROI →
40	Saint Elizabeth School of Nursing Grad rate: 38.1%	IN	+$195,375	$56,089	$34,606	$38,369	Full ROI →
41	UPMC Mercy School of Nursing Grad rate: 56.2%	PA	+$179,450	$54,459	$34,135	$26,366	Full ROI →
42	University of Evansville Grad rate: 67.8%	IN	+$174,792	$53,543	$56,068	N/A	Full ROI →
43	Firelands Regional Medical Center School of Nursing	OH	+$168,927	$52,440	N/A	$29,535	Full ROI →
44	Florence-Darlington Technical College Grad rate: 19.5%	SC	+$166,963	$50,873	$10,497	N/A	Full ROI →
45	Northeast Iowa Community College Grad rate: 48.1%	IA	+$136,571	$51,255	$16,720	$23,562	Full ROI →
46	Wytheville Community College Grad rate: 45.1%	VA	+$91,604	$47,822	$11,952	$9,543	Full ROI →
47	Florida Career College-Miami Grad rate: 48.8%	FL	+$70,577	$47,504	$39,503	N/A	Full ROI →
48	Graham Hospital School of Nursing	IL	+$63,238	$48,482	$27,408	$28,884	Full ROI →
49	Rio Grande Valley College Grad rate: 74.5%	TX	-$24,273	$43,254	$26,070	$17,247	Full ROI →
50	Radford M Locklin Technical College Grad rate: 68.0%	FL	-$122,263	$36,538	$13,023	N/A	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Degrees by State

Browse Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.