Certificate (1-2 years)+12% vs national median278 grads tracked
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Rock Valley College
Ranked 75th of 256 certificate (1-2 years) programs in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$48,213
middle 50%: $36,591 – $60,085
Median · 5 years out
$63,907
middle 50%: $50,644 – $75,975
Median · 10 years out
$70,171
middle 50%: $56,473 – $86,991
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
Rock Valley College nursing certificate holders earn a median $48,213 in their first year. Median pay reaches $70,171 by year 10.
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
6.4 yrs
≈ $7,203 total interest
Same major at other universities
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
Kirkwood Community College
$64,265 · 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
Lake Superior College
$62,978 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Rock Valley College
Construction Trades (Associate)
$101,595 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Certificate)
$101,595 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Certificate)
$96,422 · 5 yrs out
Precision Production (Certificate)
$76,015 · 5 yrs out
Precision Metal Working (Certificate)
$76,015 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$74,260 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$73,728 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$72,966 · 5 yrs out
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$71,961 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$70,489 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Associate)
$69,834 · 5 yrs out
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$69,154 · 5 yrs out
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