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2023 Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools

35 Colleges

Finding the Best Nursing Basic Certificate 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 35 schools in the United States to see which basic certificate 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.

2023 Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in the United States

Check out the nursing basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Oregon Coast Community College the best school in the United States for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Located in the rural area of Newport, Oregon Coast Community College is a public school with a small student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#3

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Lone Star College System is a great place for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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Out of the 35 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio University - Athens Campus landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Red Rocks Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Lakewood, Red Rocks Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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#6

Gaston College

Dallas, NC

Gaston College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate nursing programs. Gaston College is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Dallas.

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#7

Pikes Peak Community College

Colorado Springs, CO

With a ranking of #7, Pikes Peak Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large suburb of Colorado Springs, PPCC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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With a ranking of #8, Lewis - Clark State College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Lewis - Clark State College is a small public school located in the city of Lewiston.

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#9

Gavilan College

Gilroy, CA

Gavilan College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate nursing programs. Gavilan College is a small public school located in the suburb of Gilroy.

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#10

Methodist College

Peoria, IL

With a ranking of #10, Methodist College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Methodist College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria.

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Nursing by Region

View the Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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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