ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College

IL · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College earn a median salary of $89,097 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $97,056. The degree typically pays for itself in 3.8 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$72,848

Typical Career

$89,097

Top Performers

$108,321

Estimated break-even: 3.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$594

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $7,425. Most students can comfortably afford about a $594 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.1x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Administrative & Support Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 41.3%
Educational Services 13.4%
Administrative & Support Services 7.4%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$97,056

Nominal: $89,097 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

3.8 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $58,445 $75,092 $90,896
5 Years After Graduation $72,848 $89,097 $108,321
10 Years After Graduation $79,614 $103,660 $130,871

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $89,097 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $89,097 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $97,056 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, and Nursing Research programs at City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College experience a strong earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $75,092, increasing to $89,097 five years post-graduation, and reaching $103,660 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $97,055.56, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to the national average despite the cost-of-living index in Illinois being slightly lower.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 42.1% employed in this field one year after graduation, and 41.3% and 21.2% remaining in similar roles five and ten years later, respectively. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 3.8 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a nursing career at Olive-Harvey College appears favorable. This suggests that students can expect a solid financial return in a relatively short timeframe, particularly in a consistently growing industry.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.