by our College Data Analytics Team
[Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 53 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 Chattahoochee Technical College the top school for nursing graduate earnings in Georgia. Set in the suburb of Marietta, Chattahoochee Technical College is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $86,454.
West Georgia Technical College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Set in the rural area of Waco, West Georgia Technical College is a public institution. Nursing graduates of West Georgia Technical College earn a median of about $84,753 a year early in their careers.
Brenau University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in nursing, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Gainesville, Brenau University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Brenau University typically earn about $106,944 annually.
A rank of #4 makes Chamberlain College Of Nursing Georgia one of the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the city of Sandy Springs, Chamberlain College Of Nursing Georgia is a private for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $92,768.
Albany State University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in nursing, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the city of Albany, Albany State University is a public institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Albany State University typically earn about $89,492 annually.
Clayton State University earned the #6 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Clayton State University is a public school located in the suburb of Morrow. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $93,169.
Southern Crescent Technical College landed the #7 spot for nursing salaries this year. Southern Crescent Technical College is a public school located in the town of Griffin. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Southern Crescent Technical College typically earn about $77,547 annually.
Georgia Perimeter College ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Georgia Perimeter College is a public school located in the city of Atlanta. Early-career nursing graduates from Georgia Perimeter College make a median of around $81,885 per year.
Gwinnett Technical College earned the #9 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett Technical College is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Gwinnett Technical College earn a median of about $84,508 a year early in their careers.
University Of West Georgia came in at #10 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Carrollton, University Of West Georgia is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $92,868.
Georgia Highlands College earned the #11 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of Rome, Georgia Highlands College is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Georgia Highlands College make a median of around $75,652 per year.
Emory University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Emory University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $89,034.
South University Savannah came in at #13 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Savannah, South University Savannah is a private for-profit institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $90,784.
South Universitysavannah Online earned the #14 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. South Universitysavannah Online is a private for-profit school located in the city of Savannah. Nursing graduates of South Universitysavannah Online earn a median of about $90,784 a year early in their careers.
Athens Technical College came in at #15 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Athens, Athens Technical College is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $76,282.
Thomas University earned the #16 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Thomasville, Thomas University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Thomas University make a median of around $93,635 per year.
Kennesaw State University placed #17 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the suburb of Kennesaw, Kennesaw State University is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $83,064.
Reinhardt University ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Reinhardt University is a private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Waleska. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Reinhardt University typically earn about $81,266 annually.
Georgia Gwinnett College earned the #19 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Georgia Gwinnett College is a public school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from Georgia Gwinnett College typically earn about $80,074 annually.
Georgia Southwestern State University earned the #20 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Americus, Georgia Southwestern State University is a public institution. Nursing graduates of Georgia Southwestern State University earn a median of about $85,821 a year early in their careers.
Georgia State University earned the #21 position for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Atlanta, Georgia State University is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $81,487.
Augusta Technical College ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying nursing schools. Located in the city of Augusta, Augusta Technical College is a public institution. Early-career nursing graduates from Augusta Technical College make a median of around $78,837 per year.
University Of North Georgia landed the #23 spot for nursing salaries this year. Located in the town of Dahlonega, University Of North Georgia is a public institution. After graduating, nursing degree recipients from University Of North Georgia typically earn about $84,545 annually.
North Georgia Technical College came in at #24 for nursing graduate earnings this year. Set in the rural area of Clarkesville, North Georgia Technical College is a public institution. Students who complete the nursing program here go on to a median salary of roughly $79,144.
Herzing University Atlanta placed #25 among the highest-paying schools for nursing. Located in the city of Atlanta, Herzing University Atlanta is a private not-for-profit institution. Nursing graduates of Herzing University Atlanta earn a median of about $81,525 a year early in their careers.
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s highest-paid nursing ranking:
This list is compiled 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 · 53 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.