Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Simmons University

Simmons nursing graduates start strong with $85,096 in first-year earnings—well above both national and Massachusetts medians—but their salaries decline to $79,398 by year four. While this still beats the national benchmark by nearly $5,000, it places them squarely in the middle of Massachusetts nursing programs (60th percentile), notably behind state leaders like Framingham State ($95,426) and several other local options. For a program charging enough to generate $27,916 in typical debt, the trajectory raises questions about career advancement opportunities or whether graduates are shifting to lower-paying specialties after gaining experience.

The debt load itself is manageable—roughly one-third of first-year earnings—and graduates leave with only slightly more debt than the state average. That's the safety net here: even if earnings don't grow as hoped, new nurses can realistically handle their loan payments. The 66% admission rate suggests accessibility without lowering the bar too far, given the respectable SAT average.

The central question is whether this investment makes sense when other Massachusetts programs deliver better outcomes at similar or lower cost. If your child is set on Simmons for its urban Boston location or specific clinical partnerships, the numbers work. But purely from an ROI perspective, exploring the top-performing state programs first would be the prudent move.