Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Iowa Central Community College

Iowa nursing graduates typically start around $62,000, but Iowa Central's program delivers $56,500—nearly $5,000 below the state median and $12,000 below the national average. This places it in the bottom half of Iowa's 18 nursing programs, trailing competitors like Iowa Western ($65,268) and Kirkwood ($64,461) by roughly $8,000 annually. Over a career, that gap compounds to a six-figure difference in lifetime earnings.

The debt load of $21,093 sits right at typical levels, which would be manageable if earnings were stronger. But with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.37, graduates face a less favorable financial position than peers at higher-earning programs. The flat earnings trajectory—virtually no growth between year one and year four—suggests limited advancement or raises in those critical early years, which is unusual in a field known for wage progression through experience and specialization.

For parents weighing Iowa nursing programs, stronger-performing in-state alternatives exist at similar community colleges. Unless location-specific factors make Iowa Central the only viable option, programs like Iowa Western or Kirkwood offer similar associate degrees with meaningfully better financial outcomes from day one.