truewise Honest US education data

Practical and Vocational Nursing

Health Professions · federal classification: Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants

Practical and Vocational Nursing graduates with a undergrad cert typically earned about $54,699, measured a few years after finishing (median across US programs, College Scorecard).
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Median earnings by degree level

Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. Certificate median $54,699, $48,238 to $63,062; Associate's median $62,194, $53,212 to $71,421; Non-credential median $51,791, $37,514 to $55,070.$38k$54k$71kCertificate$54,699Associate's$62,194Non-credential$51,791
Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. Certificate median $54,699, $48,238 to $63,062; Associate's median $62,194, $53,212 to $71,421; Non-credential median $51,791, $37,514 to $55,070.$38k$54k$71kCertificate$54,699Associate's$62,194Non-credential$51,791
DegreeMedian earningsTypical rangeSchoolsClear the bar
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$54,699$48,238 to $63,06273596%
Associate's Degree$62,194$53,212 to $71,4213497%
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)$51,791$37,514 to $55,070978%

"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.

Job outlook

Projected employment growth +3% (2025 to 2035), about 248,000 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.

OccupationMedian payGrowthOpenings/yr
Nursing Assistants$42,260+2.6%196,200
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses$64,400+3%51,800

Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.

Where this is studied

The 8 colleges where the most students complete a practical and vocational nursing program, of 1,197 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.

Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.