Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Dallas College

Dallas College's nursing certificate comes with $10,470 in debt—substantially below both the state median of $14,535 and the national figure of $14,803. That's a meaningful advantage in a field where many programs saddle students with significantly more. The challenge lies in the earnings picture: while similar programs in Texas suggest first-year earnings around $46,000, some community colleges in the state report outcomes well above this—Alvin Community College's $65,000 and Angelina College's $54,637 show what's possible for LVN graduates who land in higher-paying facilities or regions.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.23 means graduates working in typical Texas LVN roles would need less than three months of gross pay to cover their loans—a manageable burden that beats most nursing certificate programs. However, the wide variation among Texas programs (ranging from $46,000 to $65,000) suggests that where you work matters enormously in this field. Dallas's strong healthcare market could work in graduates' favor, but the estimated nature of these figures means you won't know this program's actual track record until more outcome data becomes available. For families prioritizing low debt and quick entry into healthcare, this represents a reasonably priced pathway, though reaching those higher earnings levels seen at peer institutions isn't guaranteed.