Federal data
Highest earning master's registered nursing programs in North Carolina
North Carolina registered nursing programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $202,919 | 40 |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | Public, 4-year | $118,061 | 124 |
| 3 | East Carolina University | Greenville | Public, 4-year | $112,198 | 123 |
| 4 | Duke University | Durham | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $109,702 | 282 |
| 5 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | Public, 4-year | $106,628 | 90 |
| 6 | South University | High Point | For-profit, 4-year | $102,397 | 2,334 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | Public, 4-year | $99,792 | 150 |
| 8 | Winston-Salem State University | Winston-Salem | Public, 4-year | $96,656 | 50 |
| 9 | Gardner-Webb University | Boiling Springs | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $94,355 | 65 |
| 10 | Queens University of Charlotte | Charlotte | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $93,594 | 82 |
| 11 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington | Public, 4-year | $92,353 | 175 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.