2023 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.
Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
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 Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 76 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best programs for nursing students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
Nursing majors at Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing take out an average of $20,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a great place for nursing students. St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bethlehem.
On average, nursing graduates from St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing take out $21,381 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing is a great place for nursing students. West Penn Hospital 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 West Penn Hospital School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
On average, nursing graduates from UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing take out $27,892 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Citizens School of Nursing. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the suburb of New Kensington, Citizens School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at Citizens School of Nursing take out an average of $21,312 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the city of Reading, RHSHS is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from RHSHS carry an average student debtload of $25,208.
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With a ranking of #7, UPMC Mercy School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, UPMC Mercy School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing take out an average of $24,743 in student loans while working on their egree.
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UPMC Jameson School of Nursing came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. UPMC Jameson School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of New Castle.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UPMC Jameson School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $24,750 in student debt.
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Washington Hospital School of Nursing landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Washington, Washington Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Washington Hospital School of Nursing take out is $23,719.
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With a ranking of #10, DLP Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the small city of Johnstown, Memorial Medical Center is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Memorial Medical Center carry an average student debtload of $24,420.
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Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Pottsville.
On average, nursing graduates from Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
| 13 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 14 | Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 15 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New York | 17,708 |
| New Jersey | 5,648 |
| Maryland | 4,104 |
| Delaware | 1,267 |
| District of Columbia | 990 |
More Nursing Rankings in Pennsylvania
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 |
Majors Similar 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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