WhatGradsMake
Certificate (under 1 year)-17% vs national median329 grads tracked

Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Southwest Technical College

Ranked 128th of 147 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$23,357
middle 50%: $17,909 – $30,135
Median · 5 years out
$31,715
middle 50%: $23,949 – $44,805
Median · 10 years out
n/a
not enough graduates to report

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 graduates from Southwest Technical College earn a median of $23k in year one. Salaries increase to $32k by year five.

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
16.3 yrs
≈ $19,734 total interest

Same major at other universities

Sauk Valley Community College
$32,352 · 5 yrs out
Lewis and Clark Community College
$32,349 · 5 yrs out
Rend Lake College
$32,328 · 5 yrs out
Utah State University
$32,101 · 5 yrs out
Southwestern Illinois College
$31,989 · 5 yrs out
Snow College
$31,846 · 5 yrs out
Tooele Technical College
$31,694 · 5 yrs out
Trinidad State College
$31,656 · 5 yrs out
Piedmont Technical College
$31,398 · 5 yrs out
Laredo College
$30,926 · 5 yrs out
John A. Logan College
$30,741 · 5 yrs out
Rappahannock Community College
$30,660 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at Southwest Technical College

Transportation and Materials Moving (Certificate)
$50,257 · 5 yrs out
Ground Transportation (Certificate)
$50,257 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Certificate)
$45,413 · 5 yrs out
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields (Certificate)
$43,216 · 5 yrs out
Animal Sciences (Certificate)
$43,216 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Certificate)
$33,937 · 5 yrs out

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