Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Kauai Community College

The estimated debt of roughly $16,000 for this nursing program looks manageable at first glance, representing just 24% of first-year earnings based on comparable programs nationally. However, Hawaii's nursing landscape tells a more complex story. While peer programs in Hawaii suggest starting earnings around $68,000, the state median for nursing associates sits at $86,000—and University of Hawaii Maui College's nursing graduates earn over $102,000. That's a substantial gap that should prompt questions about whether this particular program connects graduates to Hawaii's higher-paying nursing opportunities or whether it serves a different market segment.

The trajectory from estimated first-year earnings to actual reported fourth-year earnings of $77,000 shows solid growth, though it still lags behind what other Hawaii nursing programs achieve. For a state with a high cost of living and documented nursing shortages that typically drive up wages, these figures suggest graduates may face constraints—whether that's limited access to specialized roles, hospital systems that pay differently across islands, or other factors specific to Kauai's healthcare market. The debt-to-earnings ratio remains reasonable enough that the program shouldn't financially burden graduates, but families should directly ask the school why outcomes appear more modest than comparable programs elsewhere in the state and whether Kauai's isolated location affects career advancement opportunities.