Pay, demand, and what a US nursing degree returns
You are probably reading this either before you commit to a program or somewhere in the middle of one, wondering whether the money and the visa risk were a reasonable bet. Here are the numbers, then the parts of the calculation that do not show up in the numbers.
What the work pays
The Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median annual wage for registered nurses at $97,550 in May 2025. Median means half of all RNs earned more, so it is not a starting salary and you should not plan your first year around it. New graduate pay varies enormously by state and setting.
Experienced RNs and specialists earn well above it, and advanced practice changes the picture substantially. Nurse practitioners had a median of $132,300 and nurse anesthetists $236,590, against 36% projected employment growth for that group between 2025 and 2035.
Gallup has ranked nursing the most trusted profession in the United States for more than two decades running. That standing is part of why employers invest in sponsorship at all.
What the demand looks like
Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average across all occupations. More useful than the growth rate is the volume: about 180,800 openings a year, most from people leaving the occupation or retiring rather than from new positions.
That volume is why the profession is a plausible immigration route at all. It is also why registered nursing sits on the Department of Labor’s Schedule A list, which removes a step from the green card process.
The costs your classmates do not carry
This is the part left out of the cheerful version.
You are generally ineligible for federal financial aid, so the loans and grants your domestic classmates use are not available to you. Most international students pay out-of-state or private tuition rates. On top of that sit visa costs, exam fees, and a VisaScreen certificate at $740 that most people writing about US nursing never mention.
And there is a cost with no invoice attached. Your twelve months of work authorization after graduation are the whole window in which the degree has to convert into a sponsored job. A domestic classmate who takes eight months to find the right role has taken eight months. You would have four left.
So is it worth it
Financially, for most people who complete it and get licensed and employed, yes. The wage holds up, the demand holds up, and the Schedule A designation is a structural advantage most occupations do not have.
The risk is not that the degree is worth less than it costs. The risk is the conversion window, which is why almost everything else on this site is about timing rather than about nursing.
If you are still choosing a program, ask admissions one question before you apply: does the program issue an I-20? Many accelerated and RN-to-BSN programs run substantial online components, and F-1 rules cap how much of your coursework can be online.
If you are a U.S.-educated nursing graduate looking for an employer that sponsors, apply to inSpring.
Last checked September 9, 2026. Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, registered nurses and advanced practice nursing, May 2025 wage data and 2025 to 2035 projections. National figures, not a promise about any job.