Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Ogeechee Technical College

The debt situation here is the real story: at $18,250, Ogeechee Technical College charges significantly more than the typical Georgia nursing program ($12,910) while producing middle-of-the-pack earnings. Your child would graduate owing roughly 41% more than most in-state peers, yet earning about the same as the state median. That's a meaningful difference when building a career as an LPN—an extra $5,000 in debt means additional years of loan payments on an already modest salary.

The earnings themselves aren't alarming at $42,248, placing this program solidly in the middle tier for Georgia (60th percentile). It trails the state's top performers like Augusta Technical ($51,024) by about $9,000 annually, but it meets the baseline for entry-level practical nursing work. However, when you're borrowing more upfront for average outcomes, the value calculation shifts. Programs like North Georgia Technical and Athens Technical deliver similar or better earnings with debt loads closer to the state norm.

For families where every dollar of debt matters—and with 42% of students here receiving Pell grants, many fall into that category—this program requires careful consideration. If Ogeechee Technical offers unique scheduling flexibility or geographic convenience that other Georgia programs can't match, the premium might be justified. Otherwise, exploring alternatives with lower borrowing requirements would likely serve your child better financially.