Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

UTC's nursing program sits in an unusual position: it delivers slightly below the Tennessee median for nursing graduates ($65,273 versus $67,094), placing it near the middle of the pack statewide, yet trails far behind the national average of $74,888. More troubling is that earnings actually drop by graduation year four to $62,910—a backward trend when nurses typically see modest gains as they build experience. With 32 Tennessee nursing programs to choose from, this ranks in the 40th percentile for the state, meaning most alternatives offer better starting positions.

The debt picture offers the main bright spot here. At $23,558, graduates borrow about $3,300 less than the typical Tennessee nursing student and carry a manageable 0.36 debt-to-earnings ratio. That means new nurses can reasonably service their loans without financial strain. The strong sample size confirms these aren't fluky numbers—this pattern holds across many graduates.

For families choosing between Tennessee nursing schools, UTC represents a middle-tier option that won't sink you in debt but also won't maximize your child's earning potential. Schools like Strayer University-Tennessee and Galen Health Institutes start graduates $11,000-$16,000 higher annually. Unless location or other factors make UTC the clear personal fit, prospective nurses should seriously evaluate programs in the top half of Tennessee schools, where both immediate earnings and career trajectories look stronger.