Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Butler Community College

Nursing credentials typically deliver strong financial returns, and Butler Community College's program appears positioned to follow that pattern. Based on comparable nursing certificate and diploma programs nationally, graduates can expect first-year earnings around $66,398—solid income for a credential that doesn't require four years of study. The estimated debt load of $19,250 sits below the national median for these programs, suggesting Butler manages to keep costs relatively controlled for a field that can otherwise rack up steep training expenses.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.29 reflects what makes nursing credentials attractive: you're borrowing less than a third of your first year's income. For context, many bachelor's programs leave students owing a full year's salary or more. That said, these figures are drawn from peer programs nationwide rather than Butler's actual graduate outcomes, so there's inherent uncertainty here. Kansas has only six nursing programs at this level, and none have publicly reported data, which means you're working without local benchmarks to gauge whether Butler specifically delivers on these projections.

The practical takeaway: If your child is committed to nursing and prefers a shorter credential path, the estimated numbers suggest reasonable value. Just recognize you're making this decision based on what similar programs produce elsewhere, not Butler's proven track record with its graduates. Talk directly with the school about their clinical placement rates and employer connections in Kansas—those relationships matter as much as the credential itself in nursing.