Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Marywood University

Marywood's nursing graduates start strong at $73,240, but earnings drop to $66,323 by year four—a 9% decline that's unusual in a field where experience typically commands higher pay. This puts the program below both Pennsylvania's median ($78,428) and the national benchmark, landing in just the 40th percentile among the state's 52 nursing programs. For comparison, graduates from nearby competitors like Villanova and Drexel are earning $20,000+ more annually within four years.

The debt picture offers some relief: at $36,489, borrowers carry less than half their first-year salary and considerably less than many Pennsylvania nursing programs. This manageable debt load means graduates can weather the earnings plateau better than they might elsewhere. However, when nearby programs deliver both higher earnings and similar debt burdens, the value gap becomes harder to justify.

For parents weighing in-state options, this comes down to whether Marywood's 84% acceptance rate and smaller setting matter enough to offset $12,000 less in annual earnings compared to the Pennsylvania median. The math suggests looking carefully at higher-ranked Pennsylvania programs first—the earning differential compounds significantly over a nursing career, potentially costing hundreds of thousands in lifetime income.