Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Mount Saint Mary's University

Mount Saint Mary's University nursing graduates earn nearly $100,000 right out of school—substantially above the national median of $75,000 and placing this program in the 95th percentile nationally. That's the good news. The complication? California's nursing market pays exceptionally well across the board, and these graduates are actually earning slightly *below* the state median of $101,000. When you're paying private tuition in a state where public universities routinely deliver six-figure nursing salaries, that gap matters.

The financial fundamentals remain solid. With $27,000 in median debt, graduates owe just 27% of their first-year salary—a manageable ratio that most nursing programs would envy. Earnings grow modestly to $106,000 by year four, and more than half of students receive Pell grants, suggesting the program serves working-class families well. The debt level matches the national median for nursing programs, though it's slightly above California's $25,000 median.

The calculus comes down to fit and cost. If your child thrives in smaller private school environments and receives meaningful financial aid to offset Mount Saint Mary's tuition, strong outcomes are likely. But if you're comparing sticker prices, understand that several Cal State campuses deliver higher nursing salaries with lower debt burdens. The program works—it just doesn't stand out in California's competitive nursing landscape the way it does nationally.