Federal data
Highest earning registered nursing programs in the United States
U.S. 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 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $125,646 | 90 |
| 2 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $124,392 | 180 |
| 3 | Samuel Merritt University | Oakland | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $119,486 | 723 |
| 4 | California State University-Stanislaus | Turlock | Public, 4-year | $119,356 | 194 |
| 5 | Pacific Union College | Angwin | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $119,258 | 65 |
| 6 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $117,532 | 118 |
| 7 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $117,088 | 89 |
| 8 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $116,001 | 364 |
| 9 | CUNY York College | Jamaica | Public, 4-year | $113,718 | 71 |
| 10 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $113,181 | 155 |
| 11 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University | Brooklyn | Public, 4-year | $112,670 | 158 |
| 12 | New York University | New York | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $111,360 | 594 |
| 13 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $110,626 | 157 |
| 14 | College of Staten Island CUNY | Staten Island | Public, 4-year | $110,335 | 126 |
| 15 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center | New York | Public, 4-year | $109,744 | 201 |
| 16 | Wagner College | Staten Island | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $108,746 | 219 |
| 17 | Pace University | New York | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $107,433 | 371 |
| 18 | California State University-Northridge | Northridge | Public, 4-year | $106,780 | 98 |
| 19 | Molloy University | Rockville Centre | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $105,747 | 669 |
| 20 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $105,521 | 419 |
| 21 | University of Mount Saint Vincent | Bronx | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $105,134 | 282 |
| 22 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $103,799 | 555 |
| 23 | CUNY Hunter College | New York | Public, 4-year | $103,692 | 207 |
| 24 | CUNY New York City College of Technology | Brooklyn | Public, 4-year | $103,611 | 125 |
| 25 | Farmingdale State College | Farmingdale | Public, 4-year | $103,508 | 133 |
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.
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