Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at NorthWest Arkansas Community College

The puzzling part of NorthWest Arkansas Community College's nursing program isn't the starting salary—at $67,192, graduates launch just slightly below both state and national benchmarks. What demands explanation is why earnings drop to $54,345 by year four, a 19% decline that runs counter to typical nursing career trajectories.

With debt of $16,602 and strong first-year earnings, the immediate financial picture looks manageable—that's a 0.25 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off loans in just three months of income. The program ranks at the 60th percentile among Arkansas nursing programs, placing it in respectable company though well behind top performers like Phillips Community College ($78,213) and Arkansas State University-Newport ($74,682). However, the earnings decline by year four suggests graduates may be moving into different roles, working reduced hours, or facing local market constraints specific to this program's alumni.

For Arkansas families, this represents a low-risk entry point into nursing with manageable debt, but the earnings trajectory raises questions about long-term career positioning. The moderate sample size means these patterns could shift, but current data suggests graduates should plan carefully for their first few years post-graduation. If your child is committed to full-time hospital nursing in Northwest Arkansas's growing healthcare market, this program gets them credentialed affordably—just understand the earnings path may require strategic job changes to match peers at other Arkansas programs.