Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Tabor College

Kansas nursing programs cluster fairly tightly around $68,000 in first-year earnings, which is where Tabor's graduates likely land based on peer institutions across the state. That figure trails the national median for bachelor's-prepared nurses by about $6,500—a meaningful gap given that nursing salaries are typically more standardized than many fields. The top-performing Kansas programs, like Ottawa and Southwestern, show graduates earning closer to $75,000-$76,000, suggesting location and clinical partnerships matter even within a single state.

The estimated $29,000 debt load produces a manageable 0.42 debt-to-earnings ratio, though it sits slightly above both state and national medians for nursing programs. For a small private college in rural Kansas, this is reasonable but not exceptional—your child would be borrowing moderately to access a profession with reliable demand. The critical unknown here is whether Tabor's clinical network and NCLEX pass rates match the stronger programs in the state, factors that directly influence both job placement and starting salary.

The bottom line: if your child is committed to staying in Kansas, Tabor offers an estimated financial picture that won't create crippling debt but also doesn't show clear advantages over alternatives. The $7,000 earnings difference between median Kansas programs and top performers would erase the debt difference within two years, making program quality—not just cost—the decisive factor.