Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at University of California-Irvine

UC Irvine's nursing program manages to combine minimal debt with solid earnings, though it doesn't quite reach the heights of California's top-performing public nursing schools. At $87,715 starting, graduates earn well above the national median but trail the California median by about $13,000. By year four, they're earning nearly $103,000, which shows healthy progression but still lags behind the six-figure starting salaries at several Cal State campuses.

The real strength here is the debt picture: $13,400 is exceptional for a bachelor's degree in any field, representing less than one-sixth of first-year earnings and roughly half the California median for nursing programs. This means UC Irvine nursing graduates enter the workforce with far more financial flexibility than most of their peers, despite attending a highly selective UC campus.

The 40th state percentile ranking is the complicating factor. California's nursing market is unusually strong, with median earnings over $100,000, and several less selective CSU campuses are producing nurses who out-earn UC Irvine graduates by $20,000-$35,000 right out of the gate. For parents, this suggests prioritizing program outcomes over institutional prestige—if your child gains admission to both UCI and a high-performing Cal State nursing program, the earnings data favors the latter. However, if choosing between UCI nursing and private schools with similar outcomes but $30,000+ in debt, the minimal debt burden makes this a financially prudent choice.