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

Meridian Community College's nursing program delivers solid first-year earnings of $65,755 on manageable debt of $15,545, but the subsequent earnings decline to $61,357 by year four deserves scrutiny. This downward trajectory is unusual for nursing—most programs see steady growth—and places graduates below both the Mississippi median ($67,054) and several competing community college programs across the state. Among Mississippi's 17 nursing programs, this ranks only at the 40th percentile.

The fundamentals remain decent: the debt load is reasonable (0.24 debt-to-earnings ratio), and graduates clear $60,000+ annually in a state where that's meaningful income. However, when nearby programs like Mississippi Delta ($74,925) and Southwest Mississippi ($70,513) produce graduates earning $9,000-13,000 more with similar debt burdens, the comparison is hard to ignore. With a robust sample size confirming these patterns, this isn't statistical noise.

For Mississippi families, particularly the 40% receiving Pell grants, this program provides a viable nursing credential at affordable cost. But if your student has access to one of the higher-performing community college nursing programs in the state—and can manage the logistics—the long-term earnings advantage could justify the extra effort to apply elsewhere.