Dewey University-Carolina Nursing (ADN): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
- Private nonprofit university
- Carolina, PR
- About 10 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Dewey University-Carolina nursing graduates earn less than graduates of most nursing programs nationally, $13,912 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $6,120 in federal loans, less than at more than 99% of nursing programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Puerto Rico median of $15,590.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Puerto Rico and national columns are the medians across all nursing associate's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Puerto Rico nursing program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Puerto Rico medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $65 a month, or 5.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
72% of graduates (21 of 29) were working in Puerto Rico one year after graduating.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to nursing, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Registered Nurses
$39,880Median pay in Puerto Rico. 21,270 people work in this job in Puerto Rico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Medical and Health Services Managers
$82,580Median pay in Puerto Rico. 1,180 people work in this job in Puerto Rico. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035, with about 62,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Nurse Practitioners
$132,300Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 41% from 2025 to 2035, with about 29,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Nurse Anesthetists
$236,590Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Dewey University-Carolina
Nursing ranks 2nd of 3 associate's programs at Dewey University-Carolina by first-year earnings. The others are Health and Medical Administration ($16,262) and Allied Health and Medical Assisting ($11,681).
Other nursing associate's programs near Carolina
Common questions
The median graduate earns $13,912 one year after graduating. Registered nurses in the San Juan metro area earn a median of $41,980 across all experience levels.
The median federal loan balance is $6,120, which ranks the lowest of 6 nursing associate's programs in Puerto Rico. That works out to about $65 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 44% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 29%. Compare the cost with other Puerto Rico programs before deciding.
Most do. 72% (21 of 29) were working in Puerto Rico one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Puerto Rico comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the nursing program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024