Bachelor's · Elmhurst, Illinois

Is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Elmhurst University worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.9 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $83,203; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $85,255; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $18,750; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $98k (likely $98k – $126k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $46k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in IL; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.9 years (likely 2.4–3.7); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $167k (likely $81k – $257k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $626k (likely $470k – $804k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 64%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in: not reported / ≤ 20%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

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AP classes

AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Psychology
AP Statistics

IB Higher Level

Biology HL
Chemistry HL

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