2023 Best Nursing Schools in Oregon
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Oregon with 1,502 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Schools in Oregon ranking. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in Oregon to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in Oregon
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Schools
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Bushnell University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Eugene, Bushnell University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oregon Health & Science University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Oregon list. OHSU is a small public school located in the city of Portland.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at OHSU accumulate an average of around $60,355 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $249.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Portland. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Oregon list. Located in the large city of Portland, University of Portland is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at University of Portland accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $749, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Columbia Gorge Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Oregon ranking. Located in the town of The Dalles, Columbia Gorge Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Columbia Gorge Community College take out an average of $18,115 in student loans while working on their egree.
George Fox University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. GFU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Newberg.
Nursing majors at GFU take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $471, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Sumner College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Portland, Sumner College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Sumner College carry an average student debtload of $28,637.
Warner Pacific University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Oregon list. Warner Pacific is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Portland.
With a ranking of #10, Oregon Coast Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Oregon Coast Community College is a fairly small public school located in the rural area of Newport.
Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 3,851 |
| California | 18,329 |
| Nevada | 2,015 |
| Alaska | 177 |
| Hawaii | 535 |
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 21 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.