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

Monroe University's nursing graduates earn $105,000 their first year out—40% above the national median and solidly above New York's state median of $89,000. While this places them in the 95th percentile nationally, keep in mind they're at the 60th percentile within New York, where nursing salaries run particularly high. They're earning less than top NY programs like Helene Fuld ($119,000) or CUNY's strongest nursing schools, but they're still doing well in an expensive, competitive market. The debt load of $33,000 is reasonable for nursing, yielding a manageable 0.32 debt-to-earnings ratio—these graduates earn enough to handle their loans comfortably.

The major caveat here is sample size: fewer than 30 graduates means these numbers could shift significantly year to year. With 58% of students receiving Pell grants, Monroe serves a predominantly lower-income population, and strong first-year earnings matter tremendously for these graduates. The data suggests Monroe is successfully launching nursing graduates into New York's healthcare market, even if they're not quite reaching the earnings of the state's top-tier programs. For families who can't access CUNY's lower tuition or more selective programs, Monroe appears to deliver solid outcomes—just recognize these figures may not be as stable as those from larger programs.