2023 Best Nursing Schools
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 1,850 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in the United States
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing the best school in the United States for nursing students. Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $20,000.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools list. Located in the suburb of Teaneck, Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $29,603.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. MTSA is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools list. St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bethlehem.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $21,381 in student debt.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a great place for nursing students. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.
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With a ranking of #6, Trinity Health System School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Steubenville, Trinity Health System School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Trinity Health System School of Nursing take out an average of $20,824 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. West Penn Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Penn Hospital School of Nursing take out is $20,000.
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UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $27,892 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #9, Citizens School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of New Kensington, Citizens School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Citizens School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $21,312.
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Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Reading, RHSHS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from RHSHS take out $25,208 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Midwestern University - Glendale came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Glendale, Midwestern University - Glendale is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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UPMC Mercy School of Nursing came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, UPMC Mercy School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UPMC Mercy School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $24,743.
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UPMC Jameson School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. UPMC Jameson School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of New Castle.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UPMC Jameson School of Nursing take out is $24,750.
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Samuel Merritt University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.
On average, nursing graduates from Samuel Merritt University take out $25,500 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $551.
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With a ranking of #15, Washington Hospital School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Washington, Washington Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Washington Hospital School of Nursing take out an average of $23,719 in student loans while working on their egree.
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DLP Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the city of Johnstown, Memorial Medical Center is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Memorial Medical Center take out $24,420 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Pottsville.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $29,000 in student debt.
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Lutheran School of Nursing landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Lutheran School of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Saint Louis.
Nursing majors at Lutheran School of Nursing take out an average of $18,110 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Brockton, BHSN is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at BHSN accumulate an average of around $26,254 in student debt.
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Albany Medical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the small city of Albany, AMC Albany is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #21, Wake Forest University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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Graham Hospital School of Nursing came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Canton, Graham Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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Helene Fuld College of Nursing ranked #23 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. HFCN is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from HFCN carry an average student debtload of $33,485.
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Saint Elizabeth School of Nursing ranked #24 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. Located in the small city of Lafayette, St. Elizabeth School of Nursing and University of Saint Francis Cooperative Nursing Program is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from St. Elizabeth School of Nursing and University of Saint Francis Cooperative Nursing Program carry an average student debtload of $43,960. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $424.
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With a ranking of #25, Saint Vincent College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Saint Vincent is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Latrobe.
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Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 1850 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools award.
Nursing by Region
View the Best Nursing Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Nursing Rankings
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing Focus Areas
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 266,651 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,104 |
| Nursing Administration | 9,838 |
| Nursing Practice | 7,992 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 5,092 |
| Nursing Science | 4,600 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,287 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,021 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,936 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 1,883 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 773 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 563 |
| School Nursing | 553 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 509 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 444 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 419 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 331 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 181 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 57 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 53 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 14 |
| Forensic Nursing | 14 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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