Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Arnot Ogden Medical Center

The estimated $26,623 in debt here sits slightly above what nursing graduates across New York typically carry, but it's paired with projected first-year earnings around $73,400—putting Arnot Ogden's nursing program in line with the state median. These figures come from comparable nursing programs statewide, as this small medical center program doesn't have enough graduates for the Department of Education to report specific outcomes. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.36 suggests manageable repayment: roughly four months of gross salary to cover the total borrowed.

What's harder to assess is whether a program embedded in a small Elmira hospital can match the trajectory of New York's stronger nursing schools. The top ADN programs in the state—Cochran, CUNY Hostos, Swedish Institute—report actual first-year earnings exceeding $90,000, well above what peer programs suggest for Arnot Ogden. That $20,000+ gap matters when you're servicing loans and building financial stability. Half of students here receive Pell grants, indicating this program serves a population for whom that earnings difference isn't abstract.

The fundamentals look reasonable if the estimates hold: affordable debt for a credential with immediate employment prospects. But you're banking on peer-program projections rather than verified outcomes, and those top-tier NYC programs demonstrate what's possible with an associate's nursing degree in New York. If proximity to Elmira is essential, this could work. If flexibility exists, programs with proven track records offer more certainty about return on investment.