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. The highest-paying schools turn a nursing degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 13 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.
For graduate earnings in nursing, no school beat Fairfield University this year. Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fairfield. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Fairfield University typically earn about $105,879 annually.
A rank of #2 makes Goodwin College one of the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the city of East Hartford, Goodwin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Goodwin College earn a median of about $90,441 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in nursing will find them at Quinnipiac University, which ranked #3. Set in the suburb of Hamden, Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Quinnipiac University earn a median of about $98,844 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at University Of Bridgeport earned it the #4 place for nursing. Located in the city of Bridgeport, University Of Bridgeport is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of University Of Bridgeport earn a median of about $89,752 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #5 makes Capital Community College one of the highest-paying schools for nursing. Set in the city of New Britain, Capital Community College is a public institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Capital Community College typically earn about $89,425 annually.
Central Connecticut State University earned the #6 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Central Connecticut State University is a public school located in the suburb of New Britain. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Central Connecticut State University typically earn about $99,674 annually.
Western Connecticut State University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Western Connecticut State University is a public school located in the city of Danbury. Early-career nursing graduates from Western Connecticut State University make a median of around $93,863 per year.
Southern Connecticut State University came in at #8 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of New Haven, Southern Connecticut State University is a public institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Southern Connecticut State University typically earn about $92,153 annually.
University Of Connecticut landed the #9 spot for nursing salaries this year. University Of Connecticut is a public school located in the town of Storrs. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $102,294.
Saint Joseph College landed the #10 spot for nursing salaries this year. Saint Joseph College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of West Hartford. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $101,161.
Sacred Heart University came in at #11 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Sacred Heart University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fairfield. Early-career nursing graduates from Sacred Heart University make a median of around $104,973 per year.
University Of Hartford placed #12 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. University Of Hartford is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of West Hartford. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from University Of Hartford typically earn about $108,415 annually.
Yale University landed the #13 spot for nursing salaries this year. Yale University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of New Haven. Early-career nursing graduates from Yale University make a median of around $128,563 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 · 13 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.