Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Georgia Southwestern State University

Georgia Southwestern's nursing program starts strong with first-year earnings of $76,025, but here's the catch: graduates actually earn less four years later ($72,411). That backward trajectory is unusual for nursing and worth understanding. The debt load of $24,250 is reasonable—you'd owe about 32 cents for every dollar earned in that first year—but when earnings drift downward instead of climbing, it changes the payoff calculation.

The state comparison reveals another wrinkle. While this program performs slightly above the national median, it sits at just the 40th percentile among Georgia's 37 nursing programs. Look at what's possible in-state: East Georgia State College and Georgia Highlands College graduates are earning $84,000+ four years out. That's a $12,000 annual difference that compounds over a career. Given Georgia Southwestern's 77% admission rate and moderate debt, accessibility isn't the issue—it's the combination of below-state-median outcomes and that earnings decline.

If your child is set on this school for other reasons (location, campus fit, scholarship offer), the nursing program won't bury them in debt and provides a viable entry point to the profession. But purely as a financial decision within Georgia's nursing landscape, stronger options exist at similarly accessible public colleges. The earnings pattern suggests either local market limitations or career trajectory issues worth investigating during campus visits.