Bachelor's · Dubuque, Iowa

Is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at University of Dubuque 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 in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 3.6 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $81,047; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $79,173; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $27,025; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $107k (likely $107k – $141k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $39k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in IA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 3.6 years (likely 2.6–5.1); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $77k (likely −$33k – $202k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $453k (likely $236k – $685k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 45%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

Change income, residency or loans Compare Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at other schools

🩺 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward health & medicine majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

AP Biology
AP Chemistry
AP Psychology
AP Statistics

IB Higher Level

Biology HL
Chemistry HL

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