Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing programs in Kentucky
32 schools in Kentucky teach this, at certificate or associate level. 30 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $63,005 at University of Pikeville.
What this work pays in Kentucky
Registered Nurses in Kentucky earn a median of $81,040 a year across 50,300 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $103,450 | 8,600 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $122,870 | 4,770 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $222,520 | 1,640 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | $71,920 | 1,130 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pikeville Pikeville | Associate's degree | $15,750 | $63,005 (31 grads) | 41 |
| Galen College of Nursing-ARH Hazard | Associate's degree | $24,808 | $58,358 (870 grads) | 126 |
| Galen College of Nursing-Louisville Louisville | Associate's degree | $24,808 | $58,358 (870 grads) | 278 |
| Galen Health Institutes-Pikeville Pikeville | Associate's degree | $24,808 | $58,358 (870 grads) | 0 |
| Big Sandy Community and Technical College Prestonsburg | Associate's degree | $13,000 | $58,334 (41 grads) | 42 |
| Sullivan University Louisville | Associate's degree | $25,625 | $57,619 (45 grads) | 116 |
| American National University-Louisville Louisville | Associate's degree | $28,785 | $57,318 (11 grads) | 32 |
| Hopkinsville Community College Hopkinsville | Associate's degree | $10,950 | $56,641 (46 grads) | 51 |
| Somerset Community College Somerset | Associate's degree | $13,812 | $56,641 (80 grads) | 41 |
| Morehead State University Morehead | Associate's degree | $21,625 | $54,430 (63 grads) | 61 |
| Hazard Community and Technical College Hazard | Associate's degree | $11,888 | $53,775 (27 grads) | 41 |
| Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College Bowling Green | Associate's degree | $16,503 | $53,179 (35 grads) | 35 |
| Kentucky State University Frankfort | Associate's degree | — | $53,045 (32 grads) | 13 |
| Western Kentucky University Bowling Green | Associate's degree | $11,395 | $52,897 (96 grads) | 111 |
| Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville | Associate's degree | $15,995 | $52,883 (195 grads) | 90 |
| Campbellsville University Campbellsville | Associate's degree | $24,975 | $52,733 (20 grads) | 17 |
| Henderson Community College Henderson | Associate's degree | $15,750 | $52,733 (47 grads) | 34 |
| Eastern Kentucky University Richmond | Associate's degree | $21,464 | $52,684 (45 grads) | 10 |
| Maysville Community and Technical College Maysville | Associate's degree | $17,347 | $52,464 (54 grads) | 34 |
| Midway University Midway | Associate's degree | $18,750 | $52,385 (37 grads) | 48 |
| Gateway Community and Technical College Florence | Associate's degree | $15,138 | $52,357 (26 grads) | 91 |
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College Lexington | Associate's degree | $18,500 | $51,317 (108 grads) | 97 |
| Ashland Community and Technical College Ashland | Associate's degree | $15,238 | $50,995 (49 grads) | 31 |
| Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College Cumberland | Associate's degree | $9,000 | $50,856 (36 grads) | 70 |
| Beckfield College-Florence Florence | Associate's degree | $25,833 | $50,813 (148 grads) | 80 |
| Owensboro Community and Technical College Owensboro | Associate's degree | $9,519 | $50,105 (27 grads) | 24 |
| West Kentucky Community and Technical College Paducah | Associate's degree | $11,068 | $49,053 (101 grads) | 57 |
| Madisonville Community College Madisonville | Associate's degree | $9,776 | $47,260 (58 grads) | 55 |
| ATA College Louisville | Associate's degree | $23,500 | $46,999 (50 grads) | 44 |
| Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Elizabethtown | Associate's degree | $12,718 | $45,026 (34 grads) | 52 |
| ATA College Louisville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg | Associate's degree | — | not published | 56 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.