ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at Northwest Technical College - Bemidji

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from Northwest Technical College - Bemidji earn a median salary of $77,350 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $82,200. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.9 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

$61,840

Typical Career

$77,350

Top Performers

$90,956

Estimated break-even: 4.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$516

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,446. Most students can comfortably afford about a $516 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 62.4%
Public Administration 5.8%
Retail Trade 5.1%

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

$82,200

Nominal: $77,350 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

4.9 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 $52,593 $64,190 $75,158
5 Years After Graduation $61,840 $77,350 $90,956
10 Years After Graduation $73,442 $87,772 $110,752

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 $77,350 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $77,350 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $82,200 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Northwest Technical College - Bemidji in Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, and Nursing Research can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $64,190, increasing to $77,350 after five years and reaching $87,772 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $82,199.79, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive edge in their earnings relative to national standards, despite Minnesota's cost of living index being slightly lower than the national average.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 62.4% employed in this field one year post-graduation. This trend continues with 59.8% and 24.1% remaining in the same industry five and ten years later, respectively. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 4.9 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a nursing career at this institution appears favorable. Overall, the data suggests that pursuing a nursing degree at Northwest Technical College can lead to stable employment and increasing financial benefits over time.

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See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at Northwest Technical College - Bemidji 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.