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 schools below stand out for the salaries their nursing graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 31 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.
Grantham University earned the #1 spot for highest-paid nursing graduates in Arkansas. Grantham University is a public school located in the city of LIttle Rock. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $115,555.
Students chasing top earnings in nursing will find them at Phillips Community College Of The University Of Arkansas, which ranked #2. Phillips Community College Of The University Of Arkansas is a public school located in the town of Helena. Early-career nursing graduates from Phillips Community College Of The University Of Arkansas make a median of around $78,213 per year.
College Of The Ouachitas produces some of the highest-paid graduates in nursing, landing the #3 spot this year. College Of The Ouachitas is a public school located in the town of Malvern. Early-career nursing graduates from College Of The Ouachitas make a median of around $73,195 per year.
A rank of #4 makes University Of Arkansas At Little Rock one of the highest-paying schools for nursing. University Of Arkansas At Little Rock is a public school located in the city of Little Rock. Early-career nursing graduates from University Of Arkansas At Little Rock make a median of around $81,970 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Arkansas State University Newport earned it the #5 place for nursing. Located in the rural area of Newport, Arkansas State University Newport is a public institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Arkansas State University Newport typically earn about $67,857 annually.
Arkansas State University Main Campus came in at #6 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Arkansas State University Main Campus is a public school located in the city of Jonesboro. Nursing graduates of Arkansas State University Main Campus earn a median of about $93,197 a year early in their careers.
Jefferson Regional Medical Center School Of Nursing ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Set in the town of Pine Bluff, Jefferson Regional Medical Center 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 $75,683.
Cossatot Community College Of The University Of Arkansas earned the #8 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of De Queen, Cossatot Community College Of The University Of Arkansas is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Cossatot Community College Of The University Of Arkansas earn a median of about $69,081 a year early in their careers.
University Of Arkansas Community College Batesville came in at #9 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Batesville, University Of Arkansas Community College Batesville is a public institution. Nursing graduates of University Of Arkansas Community College Batesville earn a median of about $76,176 a year early in their careers.
Baptist Health College Little Rock placed #10 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Set in the city of Little Rock, Baptist Health College Little Rock is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Baptist Health College Little Rock earn a median of about $68,834 a year early in their careers.
University Of Arkansas placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Set in the city of Fayetteville, University Of Arkansas is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $78,557.
University Of Arkansas Community College Morrilton placed #12 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Set in the town of Morrilton, University Of Arkansas Community College Morrilton is a public institution. Nursing graduates of University Of Arkansas Community College Morrilton earn a median of about $68,797 a year early in their careers.
Arkansas State University Mountain Home earned the #13 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Mountain Home, Arkansas State University Mountain Home is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $75,296.
University Of Central Arkansas landed the #14 spot for nursing salaries this year. Located in the city of Conway, University Of Central Arkansas is a public institution. Nursing graduates of University Of Central Arkansas earn a median of about $79,040 a year early in their careers.
Black River Technical College landed the #15 spot for nursing salaries this year. Black River Technical College is a public school located in the town of Pocahontas. Nursing graduates of Black River Technical College earn a median of about $69,880 a year early in their careers.
East Arkansas Community College placed #16 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Set in the town of Forrest City, East Arkansas Community College is a public institution. Nursing graduates of East Arkansas Community College earn a median of about $70,349 a year early in their careers.
National Park Community College placed #17 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Set in the suburb of Hot Springs, National Park Community College is a public institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from National Park Community College typically earn about $64,558 annually.
University Of Arkansas For Medical Sciences earned the #18 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. University Of Arkansas For Medical Sciences is a public school located in the city of Little Rock. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from University Of Arkansas For Medical Sciences typically earn about $102,738 annually.
Northwest Arkansas Community College came in at #19 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Northwest Arkansas Community College is a public school located in the city of Bentonville. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $65,022.
Henderson State University came in at #20 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Arkadelphia, Henderson State University is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Henderson State University earn a median of about $72,326 a year early in their careers.
Arkansas Tech University earned the #21 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Arkansas Tech University is a public school located in the town of Russellville. Nursing graduates of Arkansas Tech University earn a median of about $74,101 a year early in their careers.
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus came in at #22 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Magnolia, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Southern Arkansas University Main Campus earn a median of about $78,343 a year early in their careers.
University Of Arkansas Fort Smith placed #23 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the city of Fort Smith, University Of Arkansas Fort Smith is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from University Of Arkansas Fort Smith make a median of around $73,763 per year.
Harding University earned the #24 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Harding University is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Searcy. Nursing graduates of Harding University earn a median of about $69,427 a year early in their careers.
Arkansas Northeastern College placed #25 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the town of Blytheville, Arkansas Northeastern College is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Arkansas Northeastern College earn a median of about $54,162 a year early in their careers.
These schools also send nursing graduates into strong-paying careers this year:
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their nursing graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 31 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.