How much federal debt do graduates of this program have?

The reported median federal debt among borrowers is $23,755.

Is this program above or below similar programs?

Reported year-four earnings are 21% below the national median for the same field and degree level.

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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants undergraduate certificate or diploma at Ridgewater College

Q: How much do Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates from Ridgewater College earn?

The reported median is $44,191 four years after completion.

Willmar, MN · Public

What this page covers

Federal data group related majors at the same college and degree level. One record can include several named programs or concentrations.

The short version

Reported earnings are below similar programs.

$11,882 below the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings: 53.8% of annual earnings
Highest price with a positive payoff: Not reached
Modeled 10-year payoff: Withheld by data safeguards
Available price data: College-wide context only

OUTCOME SIGNALS

Graduate outcomes from several angles.

Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.

-15%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$44,921 → $38,268

Not availableEarn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

32Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

33Year-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median

39Borrowers representedCohort behind the debt median

Not availableAwarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credential

23Recent awardsIPEDS 2024–25 first-major completions in this field and credential

NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM CONTEXT

Size, aid and an earnings floor.

The Department of Education’s 2026 informational preview adds current program participation and a preliminary earnings comparison. It does not make a final eligibility determination.

46Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

22Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

34Pell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

24Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

31Graduates not recorded as employedHistorical federal cohort, three years after completion

Preliminary federal earnings benchmarkNot availableInformational preview, not a final accountability result

Observed year-4 earnings$44,191A like-for-like comparison is unavailable

Source: U.S. Department of Education PPD:2026 informational preview. Program categories use OPEID, four-digit field and credential level; federal-aid counts do not represent every enrolled student. Completion and employment measures use older cohorts shown above and are not combined into the payoff estimate.

01 · PRICE CONTEXT$10,046

Institution-wide annual average net price, not this program’s price.

02 · BORROWING$23,755

Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.

03 · EARNINGS$44,191

Observed median earnings four full years after completion.

04 · REPAYMENT$252/mo

Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.

ADDITIONAL WORKFORCE PROGRAM REPORTS

1 related offering reported to the Department of Labor

These provider-reported records add named prices, completion and employment context where available. They describe a separate workforce-program cohort and may include non-degree training, so they are not blended into the College Scorecard earnings or DegreeVerdict ROI.

Sub-bachelor's postsecondary award 30-59 semester or trimester credits or 45-89 quarter credits 900-1799 contact hours · CIP 51.3901

Practical Nursing

Reported price: $7,050
Completion: 94.0%
Employed in Q2: 91.0%
Q2 quarterly earnings: $10,392

This program provides in-person instruction only.

Program year 2022. Quarterly earnings are not annual salary. Suppressed values appear as “Not reported.” Source: U.S. Department of Labor TrainingProviderResults.gov. Showing 1 of 1 related records.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

Published college costs provide the starting point.

Your exact offering, aid, residency and time to finish determine the price you actually pay.

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AVERAGE NET PRICE$10,046Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$15,694Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATENot availableInstitution context

COMPLETION RATE50.2%Institution-wide completion rate

WHAT DO GRADUATES EARN?

Reported earnings after completion.

Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.

$44,921Year 1

$44,191Year 4

$38,268Year 5

CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?

6.8% of gross monthly earnings

Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.

Gross monthly earnings$3,683

Estimated loan payment$252

39borrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$44,191 vs. $56,073

$11,882 below the national median for the same field and credential.

Same-field national median

WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?

Related occupations, wages and outlook.

Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for, not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.

BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses$63,750 median wageMN estimate · 12,840 jobs · 29-2061$59,960–$71,270 middle 50% of MN wages+3.0% projected U.S. growth · 51,800 openings/yrTypical entry: Postsecondary nondegree awardNursing Assistants$46,680 median wageMN estimate · 29,120 jobs · 31-1131$40,340–$49,330 middle 50% of MN wages+2.6% projected U.S. growth · 196,200 openings/yrTypical entry: Postsecondary nondegree award

Possible alternatives

Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.

Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.

Austin, MN

Riverland Community College

$12,272 higher earnings · $1,399 less debt · $2,619 lower annual net price

Earnings: $56,463
Debt: $22,356
Annual net price: $7,427

View outcomes →

Duluth, MN

Lake Superior College

$20,848 higher earnings · $11,786 less debt

Earnings: $65,039
Debt: $11,969
Annual net price: $15,492

View outcomes →

Thief River Falls, MN

Northland Community and Technical College

$19,776 higher earnings · $4,624 less debt

Earnings: $63,967
Debt: $19,131
Annual net price: $13,975

View outcomes →

Fergus Falls, MN

Minnesota State Community and Technical College

$15,675 higher earnings · $4,055 less debt

Earnings: $59,866
Debt: $19,700
Annual net price: $12,556

View outcomes →

Compare these programs →

DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

33 observations in the earnings cohort

June 10, 2026 College Scorecard release

Observed, estimated and contextual figures are labeled separately throughout this page

IS IT WORTH IT AT YOUR PRICE?

Your price and current earnings determine the result.

Add your grants, borrowing and current salary to estimate payment pressure, break-even time and ten-year payoff.

Calculate my payoff →