Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

The $36,865 debt load here stands out immediately—it's 33% higher than Minnesota's median for nursing programs and 78% above the national benchmark. When you're borrowing that much for an associate degree in a field where many Minnesota community colleges deliver similar credentials with debt in the $20,000-$30,000 range, you need to see exceptional earnings to justify it. Fond du Lac graduates earn $57,141 in their first year, which falls short of both the state median ($66,484) and trails top Minnesota programs by $15,000-$18,000 annually. While earnings do grow to $63,083 by year four, that's still below what many nursing grads in the state start at.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65 isn't catastrophic—nurses generally manage their loans successfully—but it's harder to stomach when peer programs in Minnesota offer better outcomes. Ranking at the 40th percentile statewide means more than half of Minnesota's nursing programs deliver stronger early earnings, often with less debt. For context, Minnesota West and Minnesota State College Southeast graduates earn $12,000-$18,000 more right out of the gate.

If location in Cloquet is critical for your family or this program offers unique support systems, it can still work—nursing credentials open doors regardless of where you train. But purely on financial terms, several Minnesota community colleges offer a more favorable return on investment for the same credential.