Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus

The $8,475 in debt here is remarkably low—putting this program in the 89th percentile nationally means only 11% of comparable nursing programs nationwide graduate students with less debt. That's a significant advantage for families, particularly given that 83% of students receive Pell grants. The challenge is understanding what that investment yields in Puerto Rico's healthcare market.

National data suggest associate-level practical nursing programs produce median first-year earnings around $51,744, but Puerto Rico's nursing market tells a drastically different story. The one comparable program in PR with reported earnings shows graduates earning $16,236—less than a third of the national figure. This gap reflects Puerto Rico's distinct economic reality, where healthcare wages diverge sharply from mainland benchmarks. Without actual outcomes data from this campus, families are left estimating based on either peer programs that may not reflect local conditions, or national figures that almost certainly don't.

The low debt provides crucial breathing room if earnings land closer to Puerto Rico norms than national ones. At $16,236—the state benchmark—you'd still have a manageable debt burden. But the lack of reported data for this specific program means you're making a decision somewhat blind. Talk directly with the school's career services about actual job placement outcomes and typical starting salaries for their graduates at local healthcare facilities before committing.