Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

UW-Stevens Point's nursing program combines unusually low debt with below-average starting salaries—but the small sample size (under 30 graduates) makes it hard to know if these numbers represent a reliable pattern. Graduates leave owing just $18,987, less than 70% of nursing grads typically carry in Wisconsin, yet they earn $68,395 in their first year—about $4,000 below the state median and $6,500 below the national average. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.28 is excellent by any measure, but it's worth asking why starting salaries lag behind nearby programs like UW-Madison and several Herzing campuses, all of which pay $7,000+ more annually.

Within Wisconsin, this program sits at the 40th percentile for earnings, meaning most nursing programs in the state produce higher first-year salaries. The gap isn't catastrophic—we're talking about a $4,000 difference from the state median—but over several years, that compounds. With such a small cohort tracked, these numbers could easily shift with different data. If your child is cost-sensitive and confident they'll find nursing work in central Wisconsin where living costs are lower, the minimal debt load creates real flexibility. But if maximizing early earning potential matters, the state's higher-performing programs deserve serious consideration.