Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Pine Technical & Community College

Pine Technical's practical nursing program shows initial earnings nearly $5,000 below Minnesota's state median—landing at the 40th percentile among the state's 25 nursing programs. That gap widens when you look at top performers: Dakota County Technical College grads earn $48,973 after a year, about $11,000 more than Pine Tech graduates. The 17% earnings growth to year four is decent, but even with that improvement, graduates are still trailing state and national benchmarks. The debt load of $13,625 is actually lower than Minnesota's typical $18,866 for nursing programs, which helps the financial picture somewhat.

The real caution here is the small sample size—fewer than 30 graduates in this data set. That means these numbers could swing significantly year to year and may not represent what your child would actually experience. With only 15% of students receiving Pell grants, this appears to be a less economically diverse campus than many community colleges, though that's more institutional context than program quality.

For a practical nursing certificate, you want earnings that justify even modest debt within the first year. At $37,690 initially, graduates here are clearing their loans in manageable time, but they're starting their careers at a disadvantage compared to peers at other Minnesota programs. If Pine City's location works for your family, this program is serviceable—but students admitted to Dakota County, Lake Superior, or Ridgewater should seriously consider those options instead.