Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Alma College

Alma College's nursing program produces graduates who earn $78,690 in their first year—well above both the state and national medians for bachelor's-prepared nurses. That figure puts Alma near the top tier of Michigan nursing programs, trailing only Chamberlain and Michigan-Flint among schools with reported outcomes.

The debt picture requires some interpretation because Alma's actual figures aren't available. Based on the state median for similar programs at private colleges in Michigan, graduates likely carry around $29,748 in loans. That translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38—manageable by most standards, especially in a field with steady demand and clear career progression. For context, the typical nursing bachelor's graduate nationally carries $27,000 in debt, so Alma's estimated burden sits close to that baseline.

What's encouraging here is that Alma appears to deliver outcomes competitive with much larger institutions despite serving a relatively small nursing cohort (hence the data suppression). The strong first-year earnings suggest robust local hiring or that Alma's clinical partnerships are placing graduates effectively. For parents weighing this against state universities or larger private programs, the key question is whether Alma's smaller program size offers advantages—like more individualized attention—that justify potentially similar costs. The earnings data suggests it's holding its own, but confirming actual debt loads directly with the financial aid office would remove the guesswork from this decision.