Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Southwestern Illinois College

Southwestern Illinois College's nursing program sits at an interesting crossroads: significantly lower debt than typical nursing programs, but earnings that trail both state and national benchmarks. At $14,615 in median debt—about $6,000 below the state average and nearly $7,000 below the national median—graduates start with manageable student loans. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.22 means most grads will repay their loans in about 2-3 years. However, first-year earnings of $65,290 place this program in just the 40th percentile among Illinois nursing programs, roughly $6,000 below competitors like Moraine Valley and College of Lake County.

The flat earnings trajectory—essentially no growth from year one to year four—is the bigger concern. While the low debt provides breathing room early on, stagnant wages mean graduates may miss out on $20,000+ in cumulative earnings compared to peers at higher-performing Illinois programs over those first four years. Among the state's 48 nursing programs, you're getting middle-of-the-pack outcomes at a below-average price.

For families prioritizing minimal debt and immediate employment in nursing, this works—the fundamentals are solid and the degree leads to licensure. But if your child is deciding between nursing programs within Illinois, the top-quartile schools deliver substantially higher earnings that quickly outpace the modest debt savings here.