Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Kent State University at East Liverpool

Kent State East Liverpool's nursing program sits at an unusual crossroads: relatively affordable debt paired with earnings that slip backward. Graduates start at $64,169—exactly matching Ohio's median but lagging the national average by $4,000. More concerning, earnings drop 8% to $59,213 by year four, while many nursing careers gain momentum during those critical early years. The program does rank in the 60th percentile within Ohio, meaning it outperforms more than half of the state's nursing programs, but that's largely because Ohio's nursing salaries run below the national curve.

The debt picture offers some relief. At $31,000, graduates carry more than most Ohio nursing programs ($26,952 median) but far less than the typical associate's degree holder nationally. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48, most graduates can realistically manage their loans—especially compared to programs where debt equals or exceeds first-year income. The robust sample size of 100+ graduates means these patterns are reliable, not statistical noise.

For families considering this program, the key question is whether the accessible debt justifies earnings that plateau early. If your child plans to stay in the East Liverpool region where living costs are lower, the math works better than it appears. But students eyeing higher-earning Ohio programs—Herzing Akron and several others consistently place graduates above $69,000—might find better returns elsewhere for roughly similar debt loads.