Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Prairie State College

Prairie State College's nursing program starts strong with $68,277 in first-year earnings—solidly above Illinois' median of $66,360 and landing in the 60th percentile statewide. The debt load of $24,122 is manageable, creating a healthy 0.35 debt-to-earnings ratio that leaves graduates with breathing room. For families in the Chicago Heights area, particularly the 36% of students here on Pell grants, these numbers represent genuine economic mobility.

The concern is what happens next: earnings slip to $64,653 by year four, a 5% decline that's unusual in nursing where experience typically commands higher pay. This could reflect local market dynamics in the south suburbs or graduates moving into lower-paying nursing roles. Still, even with this dip, graduates earn close to state medians and carry less debt than the national average. Compare this to top Illinois programs like Ambria ($75,461) or Moraine Valley ($73,137), and you're looking at a $5,000-10,000 difference in starting pay—meaningful but not devastating given the debt advantage.

For an in-state nursing credential that launches careers above $68,000 with debt under $25,000, this program works. Just know your child may need to be strategic about job placement and career progression to counteract that early earnings peak rather than ride automatic salary growth.