Certificate (1-2 years)+14% vs national median739 grads tracked
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Ranked 66th of 256 certificate (1-2 years) programs in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$39,027
middle 50%: $30,001 – $49,059
Median · 5 years out
$64,916
middle 50%: $47,586 – $80,115
Median · 10 years out
$70,625
middle 50%: $52,765 – $89,880
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 certificate holders start with a median salary of $39k. Earnings grow to $71k by the tenth year.
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
6.8 yrs
≈ $8,027 total interest
Same major at other universities
Galveston College
$65,534 · 5 yrs out
Rogue Community College
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Colorado Mesa University
$65,353 · 5 yrs out
Mt. Hood Community College
$65,168 · 5 yrs out
Greenfield Community College
$65,153 · 5 yrs out
North Country Community College
$65,087 · 5 yrs out
Pueblo Community College
$64,731 · 5 yrs out
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
Other majors at Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate)
$81,339 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Associate)
$80,008 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Certificate)
$73,677 · 5 yrs out
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields (Certificate)
$71,728 · 5 yrs out
Agricultural and Food Products Processing (Certificate)
$71,728 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$71,412 · 5 yrs out
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields (Associate)
$66,891 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Certificate)
$65,835 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Certificate)
$65,835 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Certificate)
$63,170 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate)
$62,818 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Associate)
$62,350 · 5 yrs out
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