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

First-year earnings of $63,961 place Averett's nursing program near the bottom among Virginia's BSN options—roughly $12,000 below what typical graduates earn statewide and $17,000 behind top programs like Chamberlain and Shenandoah. This gap matters because nursing is generally a reliable credential with predictable earnings, making Averett's lower outcomes harder to explain away as regional variation or specialty differences. The program draws from a less selective student body (39% Pell recipients, 1054 average SAT), which may factor into post-graduation employment patterns, but the earnings disadvantage persists even accounting for that context.

The estimated debt of $29,073—derived from comparable Virginia programs—produces a manageable 0.45 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates would dedicate less than half their first-year salary to debt. That's reasonable borrowing by most standards. However, you're still paying similar money for notably weaker outcomes. If cost were driving the lower earnings (perhaps Averett is cheaper and thus produces less debt), that would create a legitimate tradeoff. But the estimated debt suggests borrowing levels comparable to state medians, meaning your child would likely carry average nursing school debt while earning significantly below-average nursing wages.

The practical question: can your child access one of Virginia's stronger nursing programs instead? The gap between Averett and median-performing programs isn't marginal—it's $12,000 annually, which compounds over a career. Unless location or admission requirements make Averett the only viable option, the data suggests looking elsewhere for better return on similar investment.