Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Union University

Union University nursing graduates earn $68,399 their first year out—below the national median but solidly above Tennessee's typical BSN outcome of $67,094. That 60th percentile state ranking matters because most students will compare job offers within Tennessee, where Union grads compete effectively against larger state schools like UT-Martin. The $29,127 median debt is reasonable, translating to a manageable 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio.

The complication emerges in year four, when median earnings drop to $64,650. This backward slide—while graduates from top Tennessee programs like Strayer and Galen push past $76,000—suggests Union nurses may face different career trajectories. The pattern could reflect anything from workplace satisfaction issues to geographic constraints in Jackson's smaller healthcare market, but it's worth understanding why earnings don't follow the typical growth curve.

For families prioritizing immediate employment in Tennessee healthcare, Union delivers competent preparation at a fair price. The program places graduates into solid first-year positions, and the debt load won't dominate early-career budgets. However, the earnings decline and wider gap with top-performing state programs means you're not getting Tennessee's strongest nursing ROI. If your student can access programs in Nashville or Memphis that show sustained earnings growth, that difference compounds significantly over a nursing career.