Is Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing Worth It?

Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing gives you a focused, low-risk financial bet. This is a single-track nursing school, and the numbers reflect that. Your typical median debt sits at $15,000, which is small next to what four years at a private nonprofit usually runs. Pair that with median earnings of $72,850 ten years out, and the payoff math works in your favor.

The bachelor's program in Registered Nursing carries that same $15,000 debt load against a starting-range median of $59,674. Because the school only trains nurses, you don't have the usual private-college problem of low-paying majors dragging down the average. There is no soft humanities track here that leaves you with debt and no job. Every degree points at a licensed clinical role with steady regional demand across central Illinois hospital systems.

The risk is narrow but real. If you enroll and don't pass nursing coursework or licensure, you have no other major to fall back on. Your borrowing is modest, so the downside is contained, but the whole value of this school depends on you finishing and getting licensed. This is not a place to explore what you want to do.

You are a good fit if you already know you want nursing and want to keep debt low while entering a field that pays a livable wage in this region. Look elsewhere if you are undecided or want a broad academic experience.

On net price, lower-income families will lean on the roughly one-third Pell share plus other grants and loans to cover costs, while higher-income families paying closer to sticker still come out ahead given the $15,000 typical debt and the clear salary path. Either way, the debt stays manageable relative to the nursing paycheck it buys.