ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at Umpqua Community College

OR · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from Umpqua Community College earn a median salary of $89,140 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OR, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $77,988. The degree typically pays for itself in 3.6 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

$72,032

Typical Career

$89,140

Top Performers

$100,994

Estimated break-even: 3.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$594

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $7,428. 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 Oregon buys what costs $1.14 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 37.0%
Public Administration 9.9%
Manufacturing 7.5%

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

$77,988

Nominal: $89,140 in Oregon (COL 114.3% of national avg) · 12.5% lower 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).

3.6 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 $63,427 $78,919 $91,064
5 Years After Graduation $72,032 $89,140 $100,994
10 Years After Graduation $81,776 $99,327 $113,755

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 $89,140 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OR, which has a cost-of-living index of 114.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $89,140 × (1.0 ÷ 1.1430) = $77,988 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from Umpqua Community College's nursing programs can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $44,737, which increases significantly to $80,863 after five years and reaches $98,392 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to $70,746.28 nationally, indicating that while the cost of living in Oregon is higher (COL index of 1.143), the long-term financial benefits of a nursing career remain substantial.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 37.0% employed in this field one year post-graduation, and similar percentages observed at five and ten years. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately 5.8 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a nursing career at Umpqua Community College appears favorable. This suggests that the educational and financial commitment is likely to yield significant long-term benefits in terms of both earnings and job stability.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at Umpqua Community 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.