ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a associate's degree in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 44 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$70,425 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
6.3 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+59%Estimated return after 10 years
$64,035Observed earnings · year 4
$50,175Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $35,212 per year below this threshold.
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$100,350
$14,000Current college-wide context+$72,350
$15,000Current college-wide context+$70,350
$28,000Annual price+$44,350
$42,000Annual price+$16,350
$56,000Annual price−$11,650
$70,000Annual price−$39,650
Outcomes at a glance
$64,035Typical earnings four years after completion
$53,259Average earnings five years after completion
$20,000Typical federal student debt
79thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
4Degrees awarded in 2024–25
39College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 10 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 associate's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $64,035 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $20,000. 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 $53,061 to $76,313 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.
OPEN PROFILE
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$53,061National median$64,03575th percentile$76,313
39 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
Carrington College-Sacramento
$112,176 four years after completionSacramento, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtCoconino Community College
$14,487 among completer borrowersFlagstaff, AZ · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUnitek College
340 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.
$108,612Observed year-4 earnings$53,061
Carrington College-Sacramento$41,338 price · $112,176 earningsCarrington College-San Jose$36,466 price · $112,176 earningsUnitek College$25,179 price · $108,612 earningsJohn A Logan College$5,541 price · $95,664 earningsGurnick Academy of Medical Arts$32,427 price · $85,529 earningsGreen River College$13,803 price · $76,656 earningsSan Joaquin Valley College-Visalia$27,854 price · $76,313 earningsSan Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield$23,351 price · $76,313 earningsSan Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage$28,158 price · $76,313 earningsSan Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria$26,983 price · $76,313 earningsSouthern Union State Community College$6,142 price · $73,863 earningsCoastal Alabama Community College$13,644 price · $71,996 earningsCentral Alabama Community College$15,996 price · $69,696 earningsDickinson State University$14,092 price · $69,015 earningsBevill State Community College$5,937 price · $68,599 earningsPacific College$29,363 price · $67,162 earningsGrayson College$5,880 price · $65,949 earningsNorth Dakota State College of Science$11,261 price · $64,660 earningsMississippi Gulf Coast Community College$6,962 price · $64,035 earningsArkansas Tech University$12,970 price · $60,353 earningsCoconino Community College$13,996 price · $60,260 earningsMerced College$5,040 price · $59,178 earningsHennepin Technical College$10,272 price · $58,915 earningsATA College$28,611 price · $57,073 earningsCossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas$4,385 price · $56,998 earningsPennsylvania College of Technology$25,110 price · $56,945 earningsFortis Institute-Scranton$20,186 price · $53,667 earningsMiller-Motte College-Tulsa$22,680 price · $53,061 earningsMiller-Motte College-Chattanooga$23,958 price · $53,061 earnings
$5,040Annual college-wide average net price$32,427
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.
1Carrington College-Sacramento$112,1762Carrington College-San Jose$112,1763Unitek College$108,6124John A Logan College$95,6645Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts$85,5296Eastern Virginia Career College$80,1637Green River College$76,6568San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia$76,3139San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield$76,31310San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage$76,313Observed 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.
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.