Associate's · Charleston, West Virginia

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

High confidence High confidence: 100+ 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 1.7 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $73,259; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $85,636; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $16,815; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $50k (likely $50k – $60k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $50k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in WV; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 1.7 years (likely 1.4–2.1); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $365k (likely $285k – $448k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $965k (likely $771k – $1.18M); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 47%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26