ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at University of South Carolina Beaufort

SC · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from University of South Carolina Beaufort earn a median salary of $76,507 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $80,365. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.6 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

$59,312

Typical Career

$76,507

Top Performers

$97,392

Estimated break-even: 4.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$510

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,376. Most students can comfortably afford about a $510 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 South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 19.5%
Educational Services 14.9%
Accommodation & Food Services 10.2%

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

$80,365

Nominal: $76,507 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% 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).

4.6 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 $57,005 $69,912 $79,658
5 Years After Graduation $59,312 $76,507 $97,392
10 Years After Graduation $61,703 $87,351 $100,394

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 $76,507 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $76,507 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $80,365 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the University of South Carolina Beaufort's nursing programs can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $69,912, which increases to $76,507 after five years and reaches $87,351 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $80,364.5, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to the national average despite the lower cost of living in South Carolina, where the cost of living index is 0.952 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (19.5%), Educational Services (14.9%), and Accommodation & Food Services (10.2%). This distribution highlights the diverse opportunities available to nursing graduates. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 4.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a nursing degree is favorable. Overall, the career prospects and financial returns suggest that pursuing Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, or Nursing Research at this institution is a sound decision for students.

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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.