Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at St Cloud Technical and Community College

Minnesota nursing graduates generally command strong salaries, but St. Cloud Technical and Community College's program trails most state competitors by a meaningful margin. Starting at $59,395, graduates earn roughly $7,000 less than the Minnesota median and nearly $9,000 below the national benchmark—landing this program in just the 5th percentile nationally. To put that gap in perspective, six other Minnesota community colleges produce nursing graduates who start $10,000-$15,000 higher.

The debt load of $30,522 exceeds both state and national medians, though the 0.51 debt-to-earnings ratio remains manageable for nursing. Earnings do climb to $66,618 by year four, which helps close the gap somewhat. Still, that four-year mark barely reaches where many Minnesota nursing grads start their careers.

For families considering this program, the central question is location versus opportunity cost. If staying in St. Cloud is essential, these earnings will support loan repayment and provide a solid middle-class income. But if your student can access programs like Minnesota West or Minnesota State Southeast—where starting salaries exceed $74,000—the additional earnings would pay for relocation costs many times over within the first year alone.