Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Coppin State University

Coppin State's nursing graduates start with solid earnings of $76,661—above the national median—but here's the catch: among Maryland's 13 nursing programs, this ranks below the state median of $79,291, placing it in just the 40th percentile. Given that most Maryland nursing programs send graduates into similar Baltimore-Washington healthcare markets, that gap matters more than the favorable national comparison.

The financial picture has a significant bright spot: graduates carry $36,369 in debt, which sounds high until you realize it's substantially lower than both the Maryland median ($25,125) and national median ($27,000) for nursing programs. Wait—that's backwards. The debt here is actually *higher* than typical nursing programs, though the 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio remains manageable. The modest 5% earnings growth to $80,803 by year four suggests early career progression is steady but not exceptional.

For families weighing this against other Maryland options, Coppin serves over half its students on Pell grants and delivers nursing credentials that lead to respectable employment outcomes. However, when University of Maryland Global Campus graduates earn $92,323 and even mid-tier state schools like Towson hit $80,344, you're looking at a $4,000-$16,000 annual earnings difference that compounds over a career. If your child has admission options at higher-performing Maryland nursing programs with comparable costs, those merit serious consideration—the healthcare job market rewards the credential, but the school differences persist.