Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Columbia Gorge Community College

Columbia Gorge Community College's nursing program delivers strong national results but falls noticeably short of Oregon's exceptionally high-paying nursing market. While graduates earn $78,167 in their first year—well above the national median and placing them in the 86th percentile nationwide—they lag nearly $6,000 behind the state median. In a state where most community college nursing programs launch graduates into $85,000+ starting salaries, Columbia Gorge ranks in just the 40th percentile among Oregon programs.

The debt picture is reasonable at $22,417, translating to a manageable 0.29 debt-to-earnings ratio. However, the nearly flat earnings trajectory from year one to year four suggests limited advancement potential in the region. This likely reflects the rural nature of The Dalles rather than program quality—healthcare wages in smaller markets simply don't match Portland metro rates. Given that Oregon's top nursing programs (Rogue, Lane, Mt Hood) all start graduates around $89,000-$90,000, location clearly matters here.

If your child plans to work in the Columbia River Gorge area, this program offers solid preparation with manageable debt. But if they're willing to relocate to Oregon's larger metro areas after graduation, attending a program closer to those markets might yield $10,000+ higher starting salaries. The small sample size means individual outcomes could vary significantly from these medians.