U.S. median for this major: $85,212.
College Scorecard field of study; 101 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 32% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $27,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $62,459. College Scorecard.
PLU Nursing: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses PLU's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $13,609 | $58,519 | 1.1 years |
| $30–48k | $12,948 | $55,676 | 1.1 years |
| $48–75k | $15,756 | $67,751 | 1.3 years |
| $75–110k | $22,535 | $96,901 | 1.9 years |
| $110k+ | $26,915 | $115,735 | 2.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (51% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Nursing graduates 4 years after graduating ($91,528) minus $40,219 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $51,309 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Nursing at Washington colleges
Every Washington college we cover that reports Nursing graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympic Collegemostly 2-year | $110,085 | — | $7,172 | 31% |
| 2 | Walla Walla University | $101,497 | $29,500 | $23,329 | 60% |
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $98,632 | $18,750 | $14,091 | 85% |
| 4 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | $98,632 | $18,750 | $12,319 | 65% |
| 5 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | $98,632 | $18,750 | $10,163 | 63% |
| 6 | Western Washington University | $96,695 | $20,146 | $21,193 | 65% |
| 7 | Gonzaga University | $95,155 | $27,000 | $35,119 | 86% |
| 8 | Bellevue Collegemostly 2-year | $93,424 | $20,379 | $11,430 | 36% |
| 9 | Seattle Pacific University | $93,334 | $27,000 | $24,488 | 62% |
| 10 | Pacific Lutheran University | $91,528 | $29,000 | $19,589 | 69% |
| 11 | Washington State University | $91,495 | $21,500 | $14,971 | 61% |
| 12 | Seattle University | $90,918 | $25,000 | $34,662 | 76% |
| 13 | Wenatchee Valley Collegemostly 2-year | $90,618 | $12,247 | $9,722 | 43% |
| 14 | Northwest University | $89,673 | $25,893 | $22,288 | 71% |
| 15 | Whitworth University | $82,980 | $24,950 | $26,534 | 71% |
4 more Washington colleges offer Nursing but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Nursing graduates
Registered nurse
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.6% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Medical and Health Services Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +24.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at PLU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About PLU
- Acceptance rate: 78% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 69% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $66,990
- Full cost breakdown · all 40 majors · overview
PLU Nursing questions
How much do PLU Nursing graduates earn?
Nursing graduates of Pacific Lutheran University earn a median $91,528 four years after graduating and $81,761 one year after. The U.S. median for Nursing graduates across 858 colleges is $85,212.
How much debt do PLU Nursing graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Nursing graduates of Pacific Lutheran University is $29,000, about 32% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $27,000.
Is PLU a good school for Nursing in Washington?
On pay, Nursing graduates of Pacific Lutheran University earn $91,528 four years out, $1,896 below the median for the same major across 15 Washington colleges ($93,424) and $6,316 above the U.S. median ($85,212). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does PLU rank for Nursing in Washington?
Of 15 Washington colleges reporting Nursing graduate earnings, Pacific Lutheran University ranks 10th; among the 12 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 8th. The highest is Olympic College at $110,085.
What jobs do Nursing graduates get?
A common career is registered nurse, with a median wage of $128,260 in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area and $97,550 nationally. Others include medical and health services managers.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Pacific Lutheran University Nursing: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/pacific-lutheran-university/majors/nursing (College Scorecard and BLS data).