Certificate (under 1 year)+23% vs national median1,057 grads tracked
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Arapahoe Community College
Ranked 44th of 147 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$29,422
middle 50%: $22,437 – $39,463
Median · 5 years out
$47,308
middle 50%: $32,411 – $67,103
Median · 10 years out
$65,534
middle 50%: $44,966 – $87,655
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (certificate (under 1 year)) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Practical Nursing certificate holders earn a median of $29,422 in year one. This grows to $47,308 by year five and $65,534 by year ten.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
8.9 yrs
≈ $11,053 total interest
Same major at other universities
Community College of Denver
$49,317 · 5 yrs out
City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College
$49,085 · 5 yrs out
Rochester Community and Technical College
$48,487 · 5 yrs out
Middlesex Community College
$48,487 · 5 yrs out
St. Cloud Technical and Community College
$47,460 · 5 yrs out
Richland Community College
$47,460 · 5 yrs out
Red Rocks Community College
$46,810 · 5 yrs out
Clarendon College
$46,417 · 5 yrs out
Normandale Community College
$46,207 · 5 yrs out
Parkland College
$45,708 · 5 yrs out
Oakton College
$45,552 · 5 yrs out
South Texas College
$45,539 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Arapahoe Community College
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$96,991 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Certificate)
$94,228 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$93,789 · 5 yrs out
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection (Certificate)
$91,987 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$87,772 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Certificate)
$81,157 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$78,843 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$74,110 · 5 yrs out
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Associate)
$74,110 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Certificate)
$73,872 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Certificate)
$71,696 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Associate)
$71,212 · 5 yrs out
Related fields of study
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Compare universities
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
Compare universities
Alternative and Complementary Medical Support Services
Compare universities
Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Medical Systems
Compare universities
Chiropractic
Compare universities
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
Compare universities