Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Wayland Baptist University

Wayland Baptist's nursing graduates start with respectable earnings of $70,789, but here's the red flag: salaries drop to $66,425 by year four—a 6% decline when most nursing careers are climbing. This downward trajectory is unusual enough to warrant concern, especially when combined with debt of $44,990. While the program ranks in the 40th percentile among Texas nursing schools (meaning slightly below middle-of-the-pack), graduates are carrying significantly more debt than typical—at the 95th percentile nationally. That puts this program's debt load among the highest 5% in the country for nursing degrees.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64 means graduates owe roughly two-thirds of their first-year salary, which is manageable in absolute terms but less favorable when you consider that Texas nursing programs typically saddle students with just $25,697 in debt—nearly half of what Wayland graduates carry. Top Texas programs like West Coast University-Texas and University of Houston-Clear Lake are producing graduates earning $25,000 more annually with less debt burden.

For a family considering this program, the core question is whether Wayland's location or specific program features justify both the premium debt and below-average Texas earnings. The declining salary trajectory suggests graduates may face limited advancement opportunities or regional market constraints that could make that debt harder to manage over time.