U.S. median for this major: $85,212.
College Scorecard field of study; 185 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 34% 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 $58,437. College Scorecard.
VU 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 VU'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 | $11,043 | $45,828 | 1.0 years |
| $30–48k | $12,055 | $50,028 | 1.1 years |
| $48–75k | $15,279 | $63,408 | 1.4 years |
| $75–110k | $22,311 | $92,591 | 2.0 years |
| $110k+ | $24,780 | $102,837 | 2.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (58% 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 ($81,278) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $45,744 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 Indiana colleges
Every Indiana 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 | Purdue University Northwest | $88,935 | $24,552 | $6,079 | 43% |
| 2 | Indiana University-South Bend | $84,541 | $26,412 | $8,653 | 40% |
| 3 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | $84,157 | $31,000 | $22,866 | 67% |
| 4 | Indiana University-Kokomo | $83,756 | $26,832 | $3,968 | 46% |
| 5 | University of Indianapolis | $83,156 | $27,187 | $21,602 | 56% |
| 6 | Indiana University-Northwest | $82,626 | $29,890 | $5,130 | 37% |
| 7 | Indiana University-East | $82,212 | $27,000 | $8,134 | 40% |
| 8 | Indiana State University | $81,988 | $30,155 | $10,873 | 43% |
| 9 | Indiana University-Bloomington | $81,781 | $25,000 | $16,264 | 80% |
| 10 | Marian University | $81,706 | $37,444 | $24,018 | 67% |
| 11 | Marian University-Ancillamostly 2-year | $81,706 | $37,444 | $19,463 | — |
| 12 | University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | $81,680 | $30,849 | $18,196 | 55% |
| 13 | Anderson University | $81,507 | $27,000 | $25,021 | 54% |
| 14 | Valparaiso University | $81,278 | $27,366 | $18,578 | 70% |
| 15 | Vincennes Universitymostly 2-year | $81,270 | $23,000 | $11,225 | 39% |
| 16 | University of Evansville | $80,773 | $27,000 | $18,499 | 64% |
| 17 | Purdue University | $80,403 | $20,455 | $14,600 | 83% |
| 18 | Saint Mary's College | $80,396 | $27,000 | $25,292 | 69% |
| 19 | Indiana University-Southeast | $80,132 | $25,719 | $7,888 | 39% |
| 20 | Indiana University-Indianapolis | $79,722 | $28,408 | $11,668 | 54% |
| 21 | Goshen College | $78,185 | $27,000 | $14,493 | 65% |
| 22 | University of Southern Indianabachelor's & associate | $77,878 | $25,089 | $12,923 | 48% |
| 23 | Ball State University | $76,161 | $26,000 | $14,940 | 62% |
| 24 | Purdue University Fort Wayne | $74,918 | $27,000 | $13,171 | 36% |
| 25 | Bethel University | $73,384 | $28,500 | $18,610 | 53% |
| 26 | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | $71,970 | $31,931 | $31,872 | 47% |
| 27 | Huntington University | $71,310 | $31,000 | $19,310 | 64% |
2 more Indiana 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 VU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About VU
- Acceptance rate: 89% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 70% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $63,191
- Full cost breakdown · all 59 majors · overview
Related majors at VU
- Health Administration$55,485
- Public Health—
- Health Sciences$115,095
VU Nursing questions
How much do VU Nursing graduates earn?
Nursing graduates of Valparaiso University earn a median $81,278 four years after graduating and $73,747 one year after. The U.S. median for Nursing graduates across 858 colleges is $85,212.
How much debt do VU Nursing graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Nursing graduates of Valparaiso University is $27,366, about 34% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $27,000.
Is VU a good school for Nursing in Indiana?
On pay, Nursing graduates of Valparaiso University earn $81,278 four years out, $229 below the median for the same major across 29 Indiana colleges ($81,507) and $3,934 below the U.S. median ($85,212). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does VU rank for Nursing in Indiana?
Of 27 Indiana colleges reporting Nursing graduate earnings, Valparaiso University ranks 14th; among the 24 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 13th. The highest is Purdue University Northwest at $88,935.
What jobs do Nursing graduates get?
A common career is registered nurse, with a median wage of $100,490 in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area and $97,550 nationally. Others include medical and health services managers.
Is VU the right fit for your family?
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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: “Valparaiso University Nursing: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/valparaiso-university/majors/nursing (College Scorecard and BLS data).