Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Jefferson Regional School of Nursing

Jefferson Regional's nursing program produces graduates earning around $67,000 in their first year, landing just below both the Arkansas median and national benchmarks for associate-level nursing programs. With nearly 60% of students receiving Pell grants, the school clearly serves a population that needs affordable pathways into nursing—and at $20,000 in median debt, it delivers on that promise. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.30 means graduates owe less than four months of their starting salary, which is manageable by any standard.

What's worth noting is the earnings trajectory: graduates see a 19% income bump to nearly $80,000 by year four, suggesting this program successfully launches nursing careers that grow steadily. However, when you look across Arkansas nursing programs, Jefferson Regional sits in the middle of the pack—programs like Phillips Community College and ASU-Newport place graduates earning $8,000-11,000 more right out of the gate. That gap persists as a real difference in family finances over time.

For families in the Pine Bluff area seeking an accessible entry into nursing, this program offers solid fundamentals: reasonable debt, reliable employment, and income growth that follows. The tradeoff is that graduates start a step behind peers from top-performing Arkansas programs, though the debt burden remains light enough that catching up financially is realistic.