Best Nursing Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

990 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Nursing, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Nursing graduate earns $75,274/yr across 990 schools.

What do Nursing graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Programs Ranked
990
Avg Earnings
$75,274/yr
Avg DW Score
77/100
AI Risk
High
43% task exposure

All Nursing Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 California State University-Stanislaus
Turlock, CA · Public
91
88–91
$119,356/yr 38.2x
2 California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA · Public
91
87–91
$93,142/yr 34.7x
3 California State University-Chico
Chico, CA · Public
91
88–91
$113,181/yr 36.4x
4 California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA · Public
91
88–91
$110,626/yr 42.5x
5 California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA · Public
91
88–91
$96,890/yr 39.6x
6 California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA · Public
91
88–91
$103,028/yr 40.1x
7 California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · Public
91
88–92
$124,392/yr 56.0x
8 California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA · Public
91
88–91
$100,178/yr 39.6x
9 California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
91
88–91
$98,811/yr 43.1x
10 California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA · Public
91
88–91
$106,780/yr 41.1x
11 California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public
91
88–91
$116,001/yr 44.6x
12 San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public
91
87–91
$100,221/yr 32.1x
13 San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public
91
88–91
$117,532/yr 47.6x
14 Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA · Public
91
88–91
$125,646/yr 39.1x
15 Broward College
Fort Lauderdale, FL · Public
91
87–90
$79,135/yr 95.3x
16 Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ · Public
91
87–91
$95,053/yr 36.5x
17 New Mexico Highlands University
Las Vegas, NM · Public
91
87–91
$88,137/yr 36.0x
18 College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, NY · Public
91
88–91
$110,335/yr 39.2x
19 CUNY Graduate School and University Center
New York, NY · Public
91
88–91
$109,744/yr 40.9x
20 CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY · Public
91
88–91
$103,692/yr 37.7x
21 CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY · Public
91
88–91
$101,531/yr 42.2x
22 CUNY Medgar Evers College
Brooklyn, NY · Public
91
88–91
$115,779/yr 42.5x
23 CUNY New York City College of Technology
Brooklyn, NY · Public
91
88–91
$103,611/yr 36.8x
24 Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, NY · Public
91
87–91
$103,508/yr 31.7x
25 Empire State University
Saratoga Springs, NY · Public
91
87–91
$94,830/yr 32.9x
26 California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA · Public
91
87–91
$103,799/yr 33.2x
27 California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA · Public
91
88–91
$117,088/yr 43.4x
28 California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo, CA · Public
91
88–91
$103,484/yr 39.7x
29 University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
90
86–90
$94,611/yr 21.5x
30 College of Central Florida
Ocala, FL · Public
90
87–90
$78,006/yr 102.5x
31 Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL · Public
90
87–90
$77,838/yr 73.2x
32 Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL · Public
90
87–90
$77,442/yr 83.3x
33 Florida International University
Miami, FL · Public
90
86–89
$78,671/yr 34.7x
34 Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL · Public
90
87–90
$81,648/yr 83.2x
35 Polk State College
Winter Haven, FL · Public
90
87–90
$81,004/yr 69.2x
36 St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Public
90
86–89
$80,787/yr 80.9x
37 Albany State University
Albany, GA · Public
90
87–90
$77,491/yr 44.6x
38 Clayton State University
Morrow, GA · Public
90
87–90
$82,714/yr 45.0x
39 Dalton State College
Dalton, GA · Public
90
87–90
$78,830/yr 68.7x
40 University of Hawaii at Hilo
Hilo, HI · Public
90
86–90
$84,401/yr 29.0x
41 University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI · Public
90
86–90
$94,216/yr 22.0x
42 Coppin State University
Baltimore, MD · Public
90
87–89
$76,661/yr 34.1x
43 University of Maryland Global Campus
Adelphi, MD · Public
90
87–90
$92,323/yr 30.5x
44 Alcorn State University
Alcorn State, MS · Public
90
87–90
$85,255/yr 28.1x
45 Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
Portales, NM · Public
90
87–90
$83,465/yr 36.5x
46 CUNY York College
Jamaica, NY · Public
90
87–90
$113,718/yr 31.9x
47 SUNY College of Technology at Canton
Canton, NY · Public
90
87–90
$81,256/yr 30.1x
48 SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY · Public
90
87–90
$89,749/yr 29.1x
49 Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY · Public
90
87–90
$94,853/yr 24.3x
50 Northeastern State University
Tahlequah, OK · Public
90
87–90
$80,792/yr 32.2x

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Nursing?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, California State University-Stanislaus ranks #1 for Nursing with a score of 91/100 and graduate earnings of $119,356/yr.
How much do Nursing graduates earn?
Across 990 schools, Nursing graduates earn an average of $75,274/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $125,646/yr.
Is Nursing a good major for AI resistance?
Nursing has an average AI task exposure of 43%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.

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