Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Kilgore College

Kilgore College nursing graduates enter a career that pays solidly from day one—$66,000 right out of the gate—but the earnings picture stalls from there. Four years in, grads see only a 3% bump to $67,880, placing them below both the Texas median ($71,487) and national average ($68,409) for associate degree nursing programs. When top Texas programs like El Paso Community College and Weatherford College are producing graduates earning $79,000+, that $11,000+ annual gap adds up quickly over a nursing career.

The debt load of $25,250 is manageable relative to first-year earnings (0.38 ratio), but it's notably higher than both the state median ($18,000) and national benchmark ($20,751). You're borrowing more than typical for outcomes that land in the bottom half—40th percentile within Texas. For a field where skills and credentials should translate consistently across employers, these below-median results suggest graduates may need to seek opportunities beyond the immediate Kilgore area to reach competitive nursing salaries.

The immediate entry salary makes this viable for students who need to work quickly after graduation, particularly those already rooted in East Texas. But families should recognize they're paying above-average debt for below-average Texas nursing outcomes, with minimal salary progression to offset that initial gap.