Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Miller-Motte College-Fayetteville

The numbers here are deeply troubling, even accounting for the small sample size. Miller-Motte's nursing assistant program produces graduates earning just $14,037 in their first year—landing in the bottom 10% of North Carolina nursing programs and the bottom 5% nationally. That's less than a third of what graduates earn from NC community colleges like Isothermal or McDowell Technical, where first-year earnings exceed $51,000.

While earnings do climb to $21,285 by year four, that's still less than half the state median and barely above poverty wages for a household. The debt load is actually below average at $9,500, but even moderate debt becomes problematic when graduates struggle to find adequately paying work in a field that typically offers stable, decent-paying employment. Nearly half the student body receives Pell grants, suggesting many families here can ill afford a credential that underperforms this dramatically.

The stark underperformance compared to North Carolina's community college alternatives—which also cost considerably less—raises serious questions about this program's career preparation. With 48 nursing programs operating across the state, parents have numerous options that deliver earnings two to three times higher. The small sample size means these outcomes could theoretically improve, but you'd need compelling evidence of recent program changes before taking that gamble with your family's money and time.