UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 862 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$55,921 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$55,921Median year-4 earnings
$14,439Average institution net-price context
$14,912Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$55,921Typical earnings four years after completion
$49,724Average earnings five years after completion
$14,912Typical federal student debt
60thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
40,442Degrees awarded in 2024–25
800College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 714 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
How much do Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?
The national median is $55,921 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $14,912. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $48,900 to $63,504 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 2 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
CURRENT VIEW
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $55,921
- Federal debt
- $14,912
- Programs in the comparison
- 862
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $64,035
- Federal debt
- $20,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 44
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $30,043
- Federal debt
- $15,250
- Programs in the comparison
- 6
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $50,497
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $51,791
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 9
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$48,900National median$55,92175th percentile$63,504
800 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Monroe University
$111,045 four years after completionBronx, NY · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtShawsheen Valley School of Practical Nursing
$9,397 among completer borrowersBillerica, MA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUnitek College
1,637 reported awards in 2024–25Fremont, CA · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$88,067Observed year-4 earnings$75,450
Monroe University$14,522 price · $111,045 earningsSaint Michael College of Allied Health$38,751 price · $92,203 earningsHolyoke Community College$8,068 price · $88,067 earningsCUNY LaGuardia Community College$6,120 price · $85,842 earningsCUNY Medgar Evers College$5,718 price · $83,108 earningsHarmony Health Care Institute$42,740 price · $82,633 earningsUnitek College$25,179 price · $82,448 earningsChemeketa Community College$8,200 price · $82,215 earningsUnitek College$23,676 price · $82,132 earningsUnitek College$19,130 price · $82,132 earningsAlvin Community College$8,525 price · $80,511 earningsNiagara County Community College$6,876 price · $79,873 earningsJefferson College$7,378 price · $79,734 earningsLaramie County Community College$7,287 price · $79,624 earningsSchoolcraft Community College District$2,260 price · $79,585 earningsAMG School of Nursing$34,613 price · $79,191 earningsStandard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing$35,726 price · $78,053 earningsCasper College$9,593 price · $77,872 earningsMount Wachusett Community College$7,931 price · $77,523 earningsSouthern State Community College$9,674 price · $77,249 earningsHoward College$6,147 price · $77,012 earningsShawsheen Valley School of Practical Nursing$35,126 price · $76,747 earningsUniversal Training Institute$45,933 price · $75,945 earningsNorth Idaho College$10,575 price · $75,888 earningsNational Career College$27,850 price · $75,837 earningsNorth Country Community College$11,868 price · $75,715 earningsCollege of DuPage$7,401 price · $75,450 earningsCarrington College-Sacramento$41,338 price · $75,305 earnings
$5,718Annual college-wide average net price$41,338
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Monroe University$111,0452Saint Michael College of Allied Health$92,2033Holyoke Community College$88,0674CUNY LaGuardia Community College$85,8425Best Care College$85,2976CUNY Medgar Evers College$83,1087Harmony Health Care Institute$82,6338Holy Name Medical Center-Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing$82,5819Unitek College$82,44810Chemeketa Community College$82,215Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses$64,400 median wage648,410 jobs nationwide+3.0% projected growth through 2035 · 51,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$49,740–$83,440 typical wage rangeNursing Assistants$42,260 median wage1,448,910 jobs nationwide+2.6% projected growth through 2035 · 196,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$33,940–$51,980 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
CA57 programs$64,028 average earningsFL54 programs$51,948 average earningsOH53 programs$55,327 average earningsTX49 programs$57,633 average earningsPA39 programs$56,085 average earningsNY36 programs$60,512 average earningsIL34 programs$52,642 average earningsMI27 programs$57,207 average earningsMO26 programs$56,156 average earningsTN25 programs$52,054 average earningsWI21 programs$56,902 average earningsVA21 programs$54,834 average earnings
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.