Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Olivet Nazarene University

Olivet Nazarene's nursing program falls short of both state and national expectations, yet the modest debt keeps it from being a poor investment. Graduates earn $67,670 in their first year—about $5,500 below the Illinois median and nearly $7,200 below the national average. Among Illinois nursing programs, this ranks squarely in the middle at the 40th percentile, but trails stronger state options like Chamberlain ($83,188) and Governors State ($80,391) by $12,000-15,000 annually.

The positive news is that $27,000 in median debt equals the national and state averages, producing a manageable 0.40 debt-to-earnings ratio. Earnings also grow steadily to $74,424 by year four, essentially catching up to where most nursing graduates start. The robust sample size of 100+ graduates reinforces these patterns are real, not statistical noise.

For families, this represents a safe but underwhelming choice. Your child will graduate with reasonable debt and solid employment prospects—nursing remains in high demand—but will likely earn $5,000-10,000 less annually than peers from stronger Illinois programs. If Olivet offers significant merit aid or fits other priorities, the manageable debt makes this workable. But if your child can access public universities like Governors State or higher-ranked programs like Benedictine, the $10,000+ annual earnings premium will quickly outweigh any tuition difference.