Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing graduates earn a median $88,910 four years after finishing — $40,550/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 1.7 years. Federal data pools 920 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 144,114 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-East Bay | CA | $150,921 |
| 2 | San Francisco State University | CA | $150,102 |
| 3 | Dominican University of California | CA | $149,622 |
| 4 | Sonoma State University | CA | $143,886 |
| 5 | University of San Francisco | CA | $143,356 |
| 6 | California State University-Monterey Bay | CA | $134,489 |
| 7 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | $129,960 |
| 8 | Berkeley College-Woodland Park | NJ | $128,038 |
| 9 | California State University-Stanislaus | CA | $126,959 |
| 10 | CUNY Medgar Evers College | NY | $125,792 |
| 11 | University of Bridgeport | CT | $123,148 |
| 12 | University of Mount Saint Vincent | NY | $120,822 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.