by our College Data Analytics Team
[Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. The highest-paying schools turn a nursing degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find where nursing graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send nursing graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Wilmington University tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools in Delaware. Located in the suburb of New Castle, Wilmington University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Wilmington University typically earn about $94,212 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in nursing will find them at University Of Delaware, which ranked #2. University Of Delaware is a public school located in the suburb of Newark. Nursing graduates of University Of Delaware earn a median of about $93,619 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in nursing will find them at Delaware Technical Community College Terry, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Dover, Delaware Technical Community College Terry is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Delaware Technical Community College Terry earn a median of about $82,836 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Delaware State University earned it the #4 place for nursing. Delaware State University is a public school located in the city of Dover. Early-career nursing graduates from Delaware State University make a median of around $84,512 per year.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries nursing graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.