Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at University of Rochester

At a prestigious institution like the University of Rochester, you'd expect nursing graduates to command top salaries, but the reality is more sobering. While first-year earnings of $75,093 match the national average, they fall significantly short of New York's nursing market, ranking in just the 25th percentile statewide. When the state median sits at $89,296, Rochester's graduates are earning about $14,000 less annually than their peers at other New York nursing programs.

The debt picture offers some consolation—at $31,000, it's manageable and only slightly above both national and state medians. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.41 means graduates can reasonably expect to pay off loans within a few years of entering the workforce. Earnings do grow to $83,708 by year four, showing a healthy 12% increase, though this still lags behind what nurses typically earn elsewhere in the state.

For a family paying premium tuition at a selective university (36% admission rate, 1480 average SAT), these outcomes raise questions about return on investment. Your child could potentially achieve better earnings at less prestigious SUNY or CUNY nursing programs that significantly outperform Rochester in graduate salaries. Unless the Rochester name carries specific value for your family's goals, the state's public nursing programs appear to offer superior financial outcomes.