Certificate (under 1 year)+12% vs national median1,295 grads tracked
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Prairie State College
Ranked 58th of 147 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$27,479
middle 50%: $20,233 – $38,345
Median · 5 years out
$43,116
middle 50%: $29,034 – $66,422
Median · 10 years out
$55,746
middle 50%: $35,519 – $81,776
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 at Prairie State College see $27k in year one. Median earnings reach $56k 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
9.9 yrs
≈ $12,301 total interest
Same major at other universities
Anoka Technical College
$43,948 · 5 yrs out
William Rainey Harper College
$43,936 · 5 yrs out
Joliet Junior College
$43,722 · 5 yrs out
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges - Wabash Valley College
$43,691 · 5 yrs out
North Central State College
$43,468 · 5 yrs out
Pickens Technical College
$43,140 · 5 yrs out
Century College
$43,047 · 5 yrs out
Utah Tech University
$42,709 · 5 yrs out
Colorado Mountain College
$42,660 · 5 yrs out
Sinclair Community College
$42,643 · 5 yrs out
Emily Griffith Technical College
$42,604 · 5 yrs out
College of Lake County
$42,208 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Prairie State College
Fire Protection (Associate)
$121,802 · 5 yrs out
Precision Production (Certificate)
$111,686 · 5 yrs out
Precision Metal Working (Certificate)
$104,958 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Associate)
$94,389 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Associate)
$90,181 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate)
$90,181 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Certificate)
$89,458 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Certificate)
$89,458 · 5 yrs out
Precision Production (Certificate)
$83,557 · 5 yrs out
Precision Metal Working (Certificate)
$83,557 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$80,210 · 5 yrs out
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) (Certificate)
$76,015 · 5 yrs out
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