Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Clarendon College

Clarendon College's nursing program shows something unusual that demands a closer look: graduates start strong at $72,350—beating both state and national medians—but earnings drop sharply to $52,597 by year four. This 27% decline is the opposite of what you'd expect in nursing, where experience typically increases earning power.

The numbers suggest this may be a rural nursing market effect. Clarendon serves the Texas Panhandle, and nurses there might face limited advancement opportunities or relocate to higher-paying markets over time, creating turnover in the dataset. At $23,788 in debt (reasonable for nursing, though above Texas's $18,000 median), the initial debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.33 is manageable. However, if your child's earnings follow the four-year trajectory, that debt becomes harder to manage.

The first-year outcomes are genuinely competitive—60th percentile in Texas puts this program solidly above average initially. But compare those year-four earnings to what graduates at Paris Junior College or Weatherford College earn, and the gap becomes concerning. Unless your child plans to stay in rural healthcare or has specific ties to the Panhandle region, larger Texas community colleges appear to offer more stable long-term earning potential without significantly higher debt.