Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton

At $9,000 in debt, this program delivers one of the lowest price tags in practical nursing—putting students in the 90th percentile for affordability nationally. That's the good news, and for families worried about taking on crushing debt, it matters. The challenge is what graduates earn afterward.

First-year earnings of $33,692 lag behind both the Tennessee median ($39,477) and the national benchmark ($44,134) by significant margins. While this program sits at the 40th percentile among Tennessee nursing programs—essentially middle-of-the-pack in-state—it ranks near the bottom nationally at the 17th percentile. The top Tennessee programs like TCAT Nashville and Chattanooga College launch graduates at $50,000+, a full $17,000 more than Elizabethton. Even modest growth to $36,020 by year four doesn't close that gap. With nearly half the students receiving Pell grants, many come from families where every thousand dollars of earnings difference matters.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.27 means graduates can theoretically pay off loans quickly, but the real cost here isn't financial burden—it's opportunity cost. Tennessee has 29 nursing programs, and two-thirds of them deliver better earnings outcomes. For families choosing where to invest time in training, the low sticker price shouldn't distract from the lower earning potential that follows.