Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Baptist Health College Little Rock

Baptist Health College Little Rock produces registered nurses earning nearly $69,000 within a year of graduation—placing it in the 60th percentile among Arkansas nursing programs. That's solid but not exceptional in a state where nursing salaries cluster tightly around $67,000. The debt burden of $23,358 is manageable given those earnings, with graduates earning roughly three dollars for every dollar borrowed.

What's notable here is the tradeoff: you're paying about $5,000 more in debt than the Arkansas median for nursing programs, yet earning only marginally more. Programs like Phillips Community College and Arkansas State University-Newport achieve significantly higher earnings ($74,000-$78,000) with similar or lower debt loads. The 100% admission rate and below-average SAT scores suggest this program is accessible, which matters if your child needs a reliable entry point into nursing rather than competing for spots at more selective programs.

For families prioritizing simply getting into nursing quickly with reasonable debt, this works. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 means graduates can realistically manage their loans on a nurse's salary. But if your child can access one of Arkansas's higher-performing nursing programs, the extra $6,000-$10,000 in annual earnings could make a meaningful difference over a career—that's the down payment on a house within a few years.