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

Campbellsville's nursing program carries notably more debt than you'd typically see in Kentucky, and that's before considering the limited earnings. At $27,539, graduates here borrow about 20% more than the state median, while earning roughly $7,700 less than other Kentucky nursing grads in their first year. That gap matters—the state has 30 nursing programs, and at least five produce graduates earning $68,000+ right out of the gate.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates tracked) makes it hard to know if these numbers represent the typical experience, but the pattern is worth examining. A 0.48 debt-to-earnings ratio isn't crisis territory for nursing, and graduates do see steady 9% earnings growth over four years. However, when neighboring programs like University of Pikeville produce nurses earning $76,570 annually, the comparison becomes uncomfortable. You're looking at a $19,000 annual difference—money that could retire that extra debt in about 18 months.

For parents shopping Kentucky nursing programs, this one doesn't make the short list. The combination of above-average debt and below-average earnings suggests you'd be better served exploring the programs consistently placing graduates above $68,000. If Campbellsville has other advantages—location, schedule flexibility, specific clinical partnerships—they'd need to be substantial to offset what amounts to roughly $100,000 in foregone earnings over five years compared to top-performing Kentucky programs.