Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Florida Career College-Pembroke Pines

Florida Career College-Pembroke Pines nursing graduates start at $42,793—about $22,000 less than the typical Florida nursing grad and ranking in just the 10th percentile statewide. To put that in perspective, nearby Broward College nursing graduates earn $73,000 in their first year, while this program produces outcomes closer to the bottom tier of Florida's 73 nursing programs. The $36,339 debt load is significantly higher than both the state median ($25,749) and national median ($20,751), creating a concerning debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85.

The 27% earnings growth to $54,348 by year four provides some relief, but graduates are still trailing the state median throughout their early careers. For a field where associate degree nursing programs at Florida's community colleges regularly produce $70,000+ starting salaries with lower debt burdens, this represents a substantial value gap. The 71% Pell grant rate indicates the school serves students who may have limited financial cushion to absorb this disadvantage.

The math here is straightforward: parents should compare this option directly against Florida's many community college nursing programs. If admission is a challenge at those schools, that's worth understanding—but paying $10,000 more in debt for outcomes $30,000 lower annually isn't a trade-off that makes financial sense when alternatives exist in the same state.