Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods delivers starting nursing salaries below both Indiana's median ($71,791) and the national benchmark ($74,888), landing in the 40th percentile statewide—meaning six out of ten Indiana nursing programs produce better initial earnings. With graduates earning $69,460 their first year while carrying $31,931 in debt (above both state and national medians of $27,000), the program costs more while delivering less than typical Indiana options. For context, nearby competitors like Chamberlain ($83,188) and Purdue Northwest ($77,691) produce significantly stronger outcomes.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.46 isn't catastrophic—graduates should be able to manage payments on a nursing salary—but parents should recognize they're paying premium prices without premium results. The school serves many lower-income students (51% receive Pell grants), which speaks to its mission, but doesn't change the financial calculus for families comparing options. The moderate sample size suggests these numbers are reasonably reliable.

If your child is already committed to this campus for personal reasons and needs the flexible, supportive environment it provides, nursing remains employable enough to service this debt load. But families shopping Indiana nursing programs purely on return-on-investment should look at the state's stronger performers first—you can find better earnings with less debt at multiple Indiana schools.