Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Horry-Georgetown Technical College

The debt numbers here are the immediate red flag. At $27,826, graduates carry nearly double the state median ($22,500) and almost twice the national benchmark ($14,803). For a practical nursing certificate, that's exceptionally high—only 5% of similar programs nationwide saddle students with more debt. Meanwhile, first-year earnings of $40,724 trail both the South Carolina median ($47,544) and the national average ($44,134), landing this program at just the 40th percentile statewide.

The downward earnings trajectory compounds the problem. Graduates see income drop to $36,085 by year four—an 11% decline when they should be building skills and advancing. Compare that to top-performing SC programs like York Technical ($54,238) or Orangeburg Calhoun ($51,754), which deliver 25-40% higher starting salaries, presumably with similar or lower debt loads. The 0.68 debt-to-earnings ratio isn't catastrophic, but it's uncomfortable given the earnings decline and the fact that LPNs typically face limited upward mobility without returning for an RN degree.

For families considering this program, the math is unfavorable. Other South Carolina technical colleges offer practical nursing training with better earnings outcomes and likely more manageable debt. Unless geographic constraints make Horry-Georgetown the only option, look elsewhere in the state system where your investment will go further.