Bachelor's · Durham, North Carolina

Is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Duke University 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 2.3 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $93,485; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $94,268; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $15,000; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $101k (likely $101k – $101k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $58k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NC; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.3 years (likely 2.0–2.6); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $296k (likely $231k – $358k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $860k (likely $744k – $979k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 96%; 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 / ≤ 5%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

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

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at Duke University

Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Master's)$299,873
Mathematics (Bachelor's)$297,029
Law (Doctoral)$261,230
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate certificate)$253,270
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$222,160
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's)$196,585
Computer Science (Bachelor's)$195,809
International Business (Master's)$185,418
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Post-baccalaureate certificate)$183,985
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$174,522
Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's)$163,348
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral)$161,843

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at other schools in North Carolina

Chamberlain University-North Carolina$96,132
University of Mount Olive$93,698
Galen Health Institutes-Asheville$91,862
South University-High Point$91,363
North Carolina Central University$90,760
Fayetteville State University$88,701
Lees-McRae College$87,523
University of North Carolina Wilmington$86,606
Winston-Salem State University$84,952
University of North Carolina at Charlotte$84,723