Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Metro

A $51,744 first-year salary estimate positions this program well above Puerto Rico's nursing assistant reality, where the state median sits at just $16,236. That national benchmark likely doesn't translate to San Juan's job market—comparable programs across Puerto Rico's 17 nursing schools show graduates earning roughly three times less than this estimate suggests. The disconnect matters because the $18,330 debt load, while reasonable by mainland standards, takes on different weight against actual Puerto Rican wages.

The debt figure itself is below the national median of $19,404 but more than double Puerto Rico's state median of $8,000 for this credential. If earnings track closer to the $16,236 that Universal Technology College reports—the only Puerto Rico program with published outcomes—that creates a debt-to-earnings ratio above 1.0, not the 0.35 shown here. For a two-year credential serving 66% Pell-eligible students, that shifts the financial picture considerably.

The core issue is market alignment. Nursing assistant roles in Puerto Rico operate in a different wage environment than the mainland programs driving this estimate. Parents should gather actual salary data from San Juan healthcare employers and talk to recent graduates before assuming this debt load makes sense. The national benchmarks here obscure more than they reveal about what this specific investment will likely return.