Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at SOWELA Technical Community College

SOWELA's nursing program costs almost nothing relative to what graduates can expect to earn—just $5,606 in median debt versus $72,690 in first-year earnings. That 0.08 debt-to-earnings ratio ranks in the 95th percentile nationally, meaning this is one of the most affordable nursing programs in the country. For Louisiana families, this matters even more: while competing programs in the state saddle graduates with a median of $27,259 in debt, SOWELA students enter the workforce nearly debt-free.

The earnings picture is solid but not exceptional. At $72,690, graduates earn above the national median for associate nursing programs and nearly match Louisiana's state median. They trail the top Louisiana programs by a few thousand dollars—Southern University at Shreveport's graduates earn about $5,700 more—but that gap is negligible compared to the $20,000+ difference in debt loads. Given that 42% of SOWELA students receive Pell grants, the low debt burden makes nursing careers accessible to students who might otherwise struggle with college costs.

For Louisiana families, this is straightforward: SOWELA delivers market-rate nursing earnings with virtually no financial risk. The modest earnings gap versus top-tier state programs is easily offset by graduating with minimal debt.