Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Auburn University

Auburn's nursing program sits in an uncomfortable middle ground: graduates enter the workforce near Alabama's median salary of $67,120, but their earnings actually decline by 6% over the next three years while nurses from rival Alabama schools see steady gains. More concerning, Auburn trails every major competitor in the state—Tuskegee grads earn $78,874 after a year, and even Auburn Montgomery outperforms the main campus by $2,500. Nationally, this program ranks in just the 13th percentile, meaning 87% of nursing programs produce better-earning graduates.

The debt picture provides the only real advantage: at $20,449, Auburn nursing students borrow about $5,000 less than the state median and significantly less than the $27,000 national benchmark. This keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio manageable at 0.30, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off loans in under four months of gross income. But that calculation assumes earnings don't continue their downward trajectory.

For Alabama families, this creates a difficult choice. Your child would graduate with less debt than peers at other state schools, but they'd likely earn $6,000-$11,000 less annually than graduates from Tuskegee, Alabama, or South Alabama. Unless you're particularly focused on Auburn's campus experience or need the lower debt load, the competing programs offer stronger earning potential that would quickly offset any initial borrowing difference.