Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Wesleyan College

Wesleyan College's nursing program starts strong with first-year earnings of $70,482, but graduates actually earn *less* four years later—a troubling $4,200 decline that runs counter to normal career progression. While that debt load of $38,170 isn't catastrophic relative to starting pay, it's substantially higher than what nursing graduates carry at most Georgia schools (where the median is just $26,686). You're paying more and getting less: this program ranks in just the 40th percentile among Georgia nursing programs, meaning 60% of the state's nursing schools produce better-earning graduates.

The comparison to Georgia's stronger programs is stark. State college options like East Georgia State and Georgia Highlands send graduates into the workforce earning $83,000+—about $13,000 more than Wesleyan's graduates four years out—with far less debt. Given Georgia's robust nursing program landscape with 37 options, the case for choosing Wesleyan becomes difficult to justify on purely financial grounds.

For a parent, this is a program that works if nursing school proximity or Wesleyan's small-college environment is worth accepting below-average Georgia nursing salaries and above-average debt. But if your student has admission options at Georgia's public colleges or higher-ranked private programs, those would likely deliver better financial outcomes in a field where credentials matter more than the institution's name.