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Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

28 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs 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.

2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee

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 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Knoxville take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,875.

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#2

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Belmont University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Belmont carry an average student debtload of $25,282. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $673.

Read full report on Nursing at Belmont University

#3

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. UofM is a very large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UofM carry an average student debtload of $27,057. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $115.

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#4

King University

Bristol, TN

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means King University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Bristol, King is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at King take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $29,502.

Full Nursing at King University Report

#5

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Lipscomb University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the large city of Nashville, Lipscomb is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Lipscomb carry an average student debtload of $24,515.

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#6

Union University

Jackson, TN

With a ranking of #6, Union University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Union take out $31,776 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $477.

Full Nursing at Union University Report

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at UT Chattanooga take out an average of $24,775 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

Tennessee Technological University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Tennessee Tech University carry an average student debtload of $19,572.

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#9

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN

Freed-Hardeman University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Henderson, FHU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from FHU take out $23,598 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. UTHSC is a small public school located in the large city of Memphis.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UTHSC carry an average student debtload of $28,763.

Read full report on Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Arkansas 2,882
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
West Virginia 1,771
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775
Georgia 7,112

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

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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