Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Horry-Georgetown Technical College

The earnings dip at Horry-Georgetown Technical College's nursing program is unusual and concerning. Graduates start at $66,034—already trailing South Carolina's median of $69,200 and ranking in just the 40th percentile statewide—then see earnings drop 5% to $62,938 by year four. That's a rare trajectory in nursing, where experience typically drives steady pay increases. Compare this to top SC technical colleges like Tri-County and Greenville, where graduates earn $7,000-8,000 more annually.

The one bright spot is debt: at $32,170, it's higher than the state median but still reasonable, resulting in a 0.49 debt-to-earnings ratio that's manageable. However, those debt payments become trickier when earnings move backward instead of forward. The question becomes whether graduates are leaving the profession, moving to lower-paying roles, or facing regional wage caps—none of which are ideal scenarios.

For families considering this program, the fundamentals don't align with what you'd expect from nursing. With 17 options across South Carolina, many offering both higher starting salaries and genuine earnings growth, it's worth exploring alternatives unless location constraints make Horry-Georgetown the only viable choice. The program gets students into nursing jobs, but it doesn't position them as competitively as other technical colleges in the state.