Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at University of North Carolina at Greensboro

UNC Greensboro's nursing program sits squarely in the middle of North Carolina's options—better than half but missing the earnings that graduates from similar regional programs command. At $68,115 starting, graduates earn about $3,700 less than the NC median and significantly trail peers at Duke ($77,288) or even University of Mount Olive ($81,493). This wouldn't necessarily disqualify the program, except that earnings barely budge over the next three years, suggesting graduates may be clustering in lower-paying nursing roles rather than advancing into specialty or leadership positions.

The debt picture offers some relief: at $24,701, students borrow roughly $1,500 less than the state median, keeping the debt-to-earnings ratio at a manageable 0.36. For a family seeking an affordable entry into nursing, this matters—especially at an institution serving a substantial number of Pell-eligible students. But "affordable" isn't the same as "optimal value" when nursing programs just miles away consistently produce $10,000+ higher earnings.

The tradeoff is straightforward: your child gets into nursing with reasonable debt but will likely need to be strategic about first-job placement to reach the earnings potential that this degree program should provide. If they're willing to hunt for positions in high-paying systems or pursue additional certifications early, the program works. If they're expecting the degree alone to carry them to strong nursing income, the flat earnings trajectory suggests otherwise.