Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Fox Valley Technical College

Fox Valley Technical College's nursing program sits squarely in the middle tier among Wisconsin's 22 nursing schools. At $63,050 in first-year earnings, graduates earn about $2,000 less than the state median and roughly $5,000 below the national benchmark. Within Wisconsin, this ranks at the 40th percentile—meaning about 60% of nursing programs in the state produce higher-earning graduates. Notably, several comparable technical colleges like Blackhawk and Milwaukee Area achieve $68,000-69,000 in first-year earnings, suggesting Fox Valley's outcomes trail peer institutions.

The debt load of $18,386 is reasonable and slightly below both state and national averages, creating a manageable 0.29 debt-to-earnings ratio. However, the slight earnings decline to $61,686 by year four is unusual for nursing, where experience typically commands higher pay. This backward movement may reflect local market dynamics in the Appleton area or employment patterns among graduates.

For a Wisconsin family, this program offers a financially safe path into nursing—the debt won't be crushing and employment prospects remain strong. But if your child can access higher-performing Wisconsin technical colleges like Blackhawk or Milwaukee Area, the $6,000-8,000 earnings advantage could total $30,000-40,000 over five years. Fox Valley works as a local option, but it's not the state's strongest value in nursing education.