Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Saint Mary's College

Saint Mary's nursing program starts strong with first-year earnings of $75,000—placing it in the 60th percentile among Indiana nursing programs—but then something unusual happens: graduate earnings drop to $68,000 by year four. This backward trajectory is uncommon in nursing, where steady raises are the norm. The program keeps pace with Indiana's median initially, but falls below it as careers progress, suggesting graduates may struggle to advance into higher-paying specialties or leadership roles that typically drive nursing salary growth.

The debt load of $27,000 matches both state and national medians, making this an affordable option on paper. The 0.36 debt-to-income ratio is manageable for a first year, but becomes more comfortable only if the earnings trend reverses—which the data doesn't yet show. For context, the top-performing Indiana nursing programs maintain or increase earnings over this same timeframe, with schools like Chamberlain and Purdue Global graduates earning $7,000-$13,000 more by year four.

For families evaluating this program, the key question is why earnings decline when they should be climbing. It could be graduates working part-time, switching to lower-paid nursing roles, or geographic limitations of the South Bend market. This warrants a direct conversation with the nursing department about career placement patterns and whether graduates are securing positions that offer advancement opportunities.