🩺 ADN vs. BSN Salary Comparison

Choosing the right nursing degree path dictates your early career finances. As Will explains, an ADN is a two-year program that gives you an associate's degree in nursing, while a BSN is a four-year bachelor's degree. Because the ADN is shorter, you will join the workforce sooner and make money quicker. This calculator compares the exact financial impact of those first five years.

An ADN is often completed at a community college for much less than a university BSN. However, your education does not stop there.

As Will points out, hospitals may have a clause when you get hired requiring you to get your BSN within five years. You can usually do this online over about a year.

Entering the workforce two years sooner means earning a full-time RN salary while BSN students are still paying tuition. Working full time while taking bridge courses is financially smart, though challenging.

The bedside pay gap is usually tiny. As Will notes, you might make a couple dollars more as a BSN depending on where you work.