2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Kentucky
Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Kentucky with 6,395 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Kentucky to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in Kentucky to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Galen College of Nursing - Louisville to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Kentucky. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.
Nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville take out an average of $34,746 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $118, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bellarmine University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Louisville.
On average, nursing graduates from Bellarmine U take out $23,459 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $369, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Kentucky Christian University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kentucky. Kentucky Christian University is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Grayson.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Kentucky Christian University carry an average student debtload of $19,209.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kentucky. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UK carry an average student debtload of $22,738. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $355, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Louisville is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Louisville, UofL is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UofL accumulate an average of around $20,179 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $222, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #6, Berea College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant town of Berea, Berea is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
With a ranking of #7, Spalding University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Louisville, Spalding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Spalding take out $20,429 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
University of Pikeville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the remote town of Pikeville, UPIKE is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UPIKE accumulate an average of around $30,308 in student debt.
Union College Kentucky landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Union College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Barbourville.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Union College take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,600.
With a ranking of #10, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at NKU take out an average of $23,657 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $328.
Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| Florida | 21,209 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
| North Carolina | 7,425 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 262,974 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,647 |
| Nursing Practice | 8,862 |
| Nursing Administration | 8,663 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 4,717 |
| Nursing Science | 4,701 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,895 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,075 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 2,011 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,768 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 747 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 622 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 567 |
| School Nursing | 539 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 502 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 340 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 269 |
| Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing | 262 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 192 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 87 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 26 |
| Forensic Nursing | 23 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 13 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 22 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.