Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Northern Oklahoma College

Northern Oklahoma College's nursing graduates face an unusual challenge: their earnings actually drop 10% by year four, from $57,846 to $52,202. That's backwards from what nursing careers typically deliver, and it puts this program near the bottom of the pack—5th percentile nationally and in the lower quarter of Oklahoma's 15 nursing programs. For context, the state's top performers like Rose State and Connors State start graduates at over $70,000, with earnings that typically climb from there.

The $18,131 in typical debt is manageable relative to first-year earnings, but that 0.31 ratio becomes less reassuring when you realize earnings decline rather than grow. Oklahoma's median nursing graduate earns $68,544, meaning NOC students start about $11,000 behind and lose ground over time. This pattern could reflect part-time work, geographic constraints in rural Oklahoma, or graduates struggling to advance in their careers—none of which are easy to predict beforehand.

For families, this means NOC's nursing program carries higher risk than typical associate's nursing degrees. If your child is geographically flexible and can commute to alternatives like Rose State or Oklahoma City Community College, those programs deliver significantly stronger outcomes. NOC might work if location or cost access is paramount, but the declining earnings trend suggests graduates aren't gaining the career traction you'd expect from a nursing credential.