Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Chandler-Gilbert Community College

Chandler-Gilbert's nursing program produces graduates earning below what you'd expect in Arizona's robust healthcare market. Starting salaries of $67,572 trail the state median by over $6,000, placing graduates in the 40th percentile among Arizona nursing programs—below peers at other community colleges like Estrella Mountain ($78,359) and Glendale ($75,418). That gap represents roughly $7,000-11,000 less annually than top community college options in the state.

The debt load of $22,806 is relatively manageable, translating to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34, which means graduates face reasonable monthly payments. Earnings do grow to $71,535 by year four, but this still leaves them behind the state average. For an associate degree nursing program, these numbers aren't alarming, but Arizona clearly has stronger options at the community college level that offer similar affordability with better earning potential.

If your child is set on Chandler-Gilbert for location or other reasons, this program won't derail their career—nursing fundamentals transfer well, and the debt is reasonable. However, given that multiple Arizona community colleges deliver $8,000-10,000 higher starting salaries with comparable debt, it's worth exploring whether those programs are accessible. In nursing, where earnings are relatively standardized, even a few thousand dollars annually compounds significantly over a career.