Certificate (1-2 years)+12% vs national median1,685 grads tracked
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Kirkwood Community College
Ranked 74th of 256 certificate (1-2 years) programs in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$35,521
middle 50%: $26,031 – $46,734
Median · 5 years out
$64,265
middle 50%: $52,489 – $74,897
Median · 10 years out
$70,697
middle 50%: $55,689 – $84,508
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (certificate (1-2 years)) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Practical nursing graduates from Kirkwood Community College see median first-year earnings of $36k. Salaries reach $71k 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
7.1 yrs
≈ $8,439 total interest
Same major at other universities
Mountainland Technical College
$64,689 · 5 yrs out
Suffolk County Community College
$64,628 · 5 yrs out
CUNY Medgar Evers College
$64,546 · 5 yrs out
Ogden-Weber Technical College
$64,523 · 5 yrs out
Florence - Darlington Technical College
$64,499 · 5 yrs out
South Suburban College
$64,338 · 5 yrs out
Rock Valley College
$63,907 · 5 yrs out
Snow College
$63,705 · 5 yrs out
Mountain Gateway Community College
$63,318 · 5 yrs out
Pickens Technical College
$63,270 · 5 yrs out
South Central College
$63,214 · 5 yrs out
Austin Community College
$63,177 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Kirkwood Community College
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Certificate)
$85,664 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Certificate)
$83,557 · 5 yrs out
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$80,729 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Certificate)
$76,958 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,675 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,570 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$67,528 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Certificate)
$65,511 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$65,062 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$65,062 · 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