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Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 990
Avg grad salary: $73,847
Total graduates: 405,501

Top Colleges for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#SchoolMedian Salary (4yr)
1California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA

$139,795
2Samuel Merritt University

Oakland, CA

$135,557
3Dominican University of California

San Rafael, CA

$132,781
4San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

$132,542
5University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

$127,245
6Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA

$124,083
7California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, CA

$123,869
8California State University-Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA

$122,142
9California State University-Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA

$115,301
10St. Francis College

Brooklyn, NY

$114,191
11Mercy University

Dobbs Ferry, NY

$113,576
12Pacific Union College

Angwin, CA

$112,642
13CUNY Lehman College

Bronx, NY

$112,500
14Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, NY

$111,965
15Helene Fuld College of Nursing

New York, NY

$111,944
16California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA

$111,925
17American University of Health Sciences

Signal Hill, CA

$110,694
18California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA

$110,342
19Wagner College

Staten Island, NY

$109,601
20CUNY Medgar Evers College

Brooklyn, NY

$109,153
21Long Island University

Brookville, NY

$108,509
22California State University-Chico

Chico, CA

$108,170
23SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Brooklyn, NY

$107,199
24CUNY New York City College of Technology

Brooklyn, NY

$107,092
25University of Providence

Great Falls, MT

$106,728
26California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA

$106,552
27NYU

New York, NY

$106,295
28Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CA

$106,062
29UCLA

Los Angeles, CA

$105,969
30Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

$105,602
31University of Mount Saint Vincent

Bronx, NY

$105,495
32California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA

$105,346
33CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY

$105,224
34Monroe University

Bronx, NY

N/A
35Pace University

New York, NY

$105,016
36Adelphi University

Garden City, NY

$104,953
37Touro University

New York, NY

$104,686
38Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, MN

$104,496
39Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ

N/A
40Empire State University

Saratoga Springs, NY

$103,646
41College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, NY

$103,603
42California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

$103,598
43New York Institute of Technology

Old Westbury, NY

$103,053
44UC Irvine

Irvine, CA

$102,995
45Bushnell University

Eugene, OR

N/A
46CUNY Graduate School and University Center

New York, NY

$102,980
47Dominican University New York

Orangeburg, NY

$102,295
48Molloy University

Rockville Centre, NY

$101,659
49CUNY York College

Jamaica, NY

$101,249
50Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, CA

$100,394
51Simpson University

Redding, CA

$100,333
52SUNY College of Technology at Canton

Canton, NY

$99,773
53University of Phoenix-Arizona

Phoenix, AZ

$99,385
54University of Phoenix-California

Ontario, CA

$99,385
55University of Phoenix-Hawaii

Kapolei, HI

$99,385
56Mount Saint Mary College

Newburgh, NY

$99,380
57Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA

$99,294
58Vanguard University of Southern California

Costa Mesa, CA

$99,193
59University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, HI

$99,132
60California State University-San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA

$99,072

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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