by our College Data Analytics Team
[Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 96 schools on the early-career earnings of their nursing graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send nursing graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked Cuny Queensborough Community College the top school for nursing graduate earnings in New York. Located in the city of Bayside, Cuny Queensborough Community College is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Cuny Queensborough Community College make a median of around $117,931 per year.
Cuny College Of Staten Island came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Located in the city of Staten Island, Cuny College Of Staten Island is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $114,605.
Strong graduate earnings at Suny Downstate Medical Center earned it the #3 place for nursing. Suny Downstate Medical Center is a public school located in the city of Brooklyn. Nursing graduates of Suny Downstate Medical Center earn a median of about $122,683 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #4 makes Cuny Graduate School And University Center one of the highest-paying schools for nursing. Set in the city of New York, Cuny Graduate School And University Center is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Cuny Graduate School And University Center make a median of around $124,159 per year.
New York University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Set in the city of New York, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of New York University earn a median of about $119,854 a year early in their careers.
Wagner College came in at #6 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Staten Island, Wagner College is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Wagner College earn a median of about $118,823 a year early in their careers.
Cuny Lehman College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Located in the city of Bronx, Cuny Lehman College is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Cuny Lehman College earn a median of about $128,057 a year early in their careers.
Cuny Hostos Community College landed the #8 spot for nursing salaries this year. Located in the city of Bronx, Cuny Hostos Community College is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $116,225.
Cochran School Of Nursing placed #9 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the suburb of Yonkers, Cochran School Of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $105,751.
Pace University New York landed the #10 spot for nursing salaries this year. Pace University New York is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. Early-career nursing graduates from Pace University New York make a median of around $113,091 per year.
College Of Mount Saint Vincent landed the #11 spot for nursing salaries this year. Set in the city of Bronx, College Of Mount Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career nursing graduates from College Of Mount Saint Vincent make a median of around $114,857 per year.
Molloy College landed the #12 spot for nursing salaries this year. Set in the suburb of Rockville Centre, Molloy College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Molloy College typically earn about $113,004 annually.
Helene Fuld College Of Nursing earned the #13 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New York, Helene Fuld College Of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Helene Fuld College Of Nursing make a median of around $111,629 per year.
Long Island University C W Post Campus landed the #14 spot for nursing salaries this year. Long Island University C W Post Campus is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Brookville. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Long Island University C W Post Campus typically earn about $120,566 annually.
Cuny Hunter College earned the #15 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of New York, Cuny Hunter College is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $114,310.
Adelphi University landed the #16 spot for nursing salaries this year. Located in the suburb of Garden City, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $114,243.
Cuny York College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Cuny York College is a public school located in the city of Jamaica. Nursing graduates of Cuny York College earn a median of about $96,826 a year early in their careers.
Farmingdale State College placed #18 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Farmingdale State College is a public school located in the suburb of Farmingdale. Early-career nursing graduates from Farmingdale State College make a median of around $112,031 per year.
Cuny New York City College Of Technology landed the #19 spot for nursing salaries this year. Located in the city of Brooklyn, Cuny New York City College Of Technology is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Cuny New York City College Of Technology make a median of around $99,059 per year.
Monroe College Main Campus ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Set in the city of Bronx, Monroe College Main Campus is a private for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Monroe College Main Campus earn a median of about $105,209 a year early in their careers.
Mercy College earned the #21 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Dobbs Ferry, Mercy College is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Mercy College earn a median of about $125,187 a year early in their careers.
St Pauls School Of Nursing Queens placed #22 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the city of Rego Park, St Pauls School Of Nursing Queens is a private for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $107,336.
Cuny Medgar Evers College earned the #23 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Cuny Medgar Evers College is a public school located in the city of Brooklyn. Early-career nursing graduates from Cuny Medgar Evers College make a median of around $99,498 per year.
Dominican College Of Blauvelt ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Dominican College Of Blauvelt is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Orangeburg. Early-career nursing graduates from Dominican College Of Blauvelt make a median of around $110,771 per year.
Mount Saint Mary College landed the #25 spot for nursing salaries this year. Set in the city of Newburgh, Mount Saint Mary College is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Mount Saint Mary College earn a median of about $107,453 a year early in their careers.
These schools also send nursing graduates into strong-paying careers this 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 · 96 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.
