Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Coastal Carolina University

Coastal Carolina's nursing graduates start strong—landing in the 82nd percentile nationally with $84,021 in first-year earnings—but the numbers tell only part of the story here. The program comes with significantly higher debt than typical nursing programs (nearly $40,000 versus the $27,000 state and national median), and the small graduating class means these figures could shift considerably year-to-year. More concerning is the earnings trajectory: by year four, median pay drops to $73,434, falling below the state median.

That earnings decline deserves scrutiny. While some variation is normal with small samples, a 13% drop could signal graduates taking different career paths, relocating to lower-paying markets, or shifting to part-time work. Among South Carolina's 21 nursing programs, this one ranks solidly mid-pack (60th percentile), trailing schools like Lander and USC-Upstate that deliver comparable or better earnings with standard debt levels.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47 is manageable for a nursing degree, where steady employment is the norm. But with debt 47% above typical levels, your child would need that strong first-year salary to materialize—and given the limited sample size, there's less certainty here than at larger programs. If you're comparing in-state options, several schools offer similar outcomes with roughly $12,000 less debt, which matters over a 10-year repayment timeline.