Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Southeastern Community College

Southeastern's nursing program produces graduates who earn above the Iowa median right out of the gate—$61,159 versus $61,556 statewide—but then something unusual happens: earnings drop 8% by year four, falling to $56,506. This backward trajectory is the opposite of what you'd expect in a field where experience typically means higher pay, and it places the program in the 13th percentile nationally despite Iowa's generally strong nursing market.

The debt load of $22,288 is manageable at 0.36 times first-year earnings, but it's worth noting that graduates from Iowa Western or Kirkwood earn $3,000-4,000 more annually with similar debt burdens. That gap compounds quickly—over four years, choosing a higher-earning program could mean an extra $15,000 in take-home pay. The earnings decline here might reflect graduates moving into lower-paying settings or losing shift differentials as they transition roles, but without more context, it's a concerning pattern.

For families prioritizing nursing as a stable career investment, this program gets you licensed and working with reasonable debt, but it's sitting at the middle-to-lower end of Iowa's community college nursing options. If your student can access Iowa Western or Kirkwood without significant additional cost or commute burden, those programs deliver measurably better financial outcomes.