Associate's · Bellingham, Washington

Is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Whatcom Community College worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 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 1.2 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $88,375; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $94,963; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $16,749; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $37k (likely $37k – $51k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $51k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in WA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1.2 years (likely 0.8–1.7); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $362k (likely $232k – $534k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $915k (likely $639k – $1.28M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 39%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26