Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Northern Essex Community College

Northern Essex Community College's nursing program graduates earn $74,427 in their first year—solidly above the national median but sitting right at Massachusetts' middle of the pack. With debt of just $17,125, the 0.23 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates can reasonably expect to pay off loans in three to four months of gross income. That's manageable by any standard, particularly given that earnings climb to over $82,000 by year four.

The real question is opportunity cost within Massachusetts. While this program beats national benchmarks, it trails several nearby community college programs like Greenfield ($75,914) and Springfield Tech ($75,769), which offer similar credentials at comparable institutions. The difference isn't dramatic—we're talking roughly $1,500 annually—but for a two-year program at similar cost, parents should understand where this ranks among state options.

The small sample size here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in this dataset, a few outliers could swing these numbers significantly. That said, the program serves a meaningful number of Pell grant recipients and delivers debt loads well below both state and national medians. For students committed to staying in the Haverill area or who've already been admitted, this represents a solid path into nursing. But if location flexibility exists, comparing actual outcomes at Massachusetts' higher-performing community college nursing programs is worth the effort before committing.