Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Roane-Jackson Technical Center

This program sits solidly in the middle of West Virginia's practical nursing landscape, earning $40K right out of the gate while carrying an estimated debt load of about $11,250—based on what similar technical center programs report statewide. That debt figure is notably lower than both the state median ($13,125) and the national median ($14,800), which matters when you're entering a field where first-year salaries cluster in a predictable range.

The earnings picture requires perspective. At $39,990, graduates here are making slightly more than the typical West Virginia LPN ($38,898) but roughly $4,000 less than the national median. More telling: the top technical centers in the state—places like West Virginia Junior College-Morgantown and United Technical Center—are placing graduates who earn $46,000 or more. That's a $6,000 annual gap that compounds over a career, though all these programs lead to the same licensure exam and job market.

The 0.28 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests manageable loan payments, particularly for the 77% of students here receiving Pell grants who likely need credentials that pay off quickly. The practical question: whether the lower debt justifies earning below what comparable programs deliver, especially when nursing is one of the few fields where program choice demonstrably affects starting salary even within the same license type. The financial safety is real, but so is the earnings ceiling.