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 2023 rankings named Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing the best school in Pennsylvania for nursing students. Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing is a small private for-profit school located in the large 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.
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 large suburb of Bethlehem.
Nursing majors at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing take out an average of $14,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Nursing at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing
The excellent programs at Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. West Penn Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
On average, nursing graduates from West Penn Hospital School of Nursing take out $13,351 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Nursing at Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing Report
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is a great place for nursing students. UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing take out is $19,508.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Citizens School of Nursing. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large suburb of Tarentum, Citizens School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Citizens School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $16,000 in student debt.
Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Reading, RHSHS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from RHSHS take out $18,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
UPMC Mercy School of Nursing landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, UPMC Mercy School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UPMC Mercy School of Nursing take out $13,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
UPMC Jameson School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. UPMC Jameson School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of New Castle.
On average, nursing graduates from UPMC Jameson School of Nursing take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Washington Hospital School of Nursing came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large suburb of Washington, Washington Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Washington Hospital School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $15,147 in student debt.
Full Nursing at Washington Hospital School of Nursing Report
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 school with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at Memorial Medical Center take out an average of $19,999 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Nursing at DLP Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Report
Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Pottsville.
Nursing majors at Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing take out an average of $14,822 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Nursing at Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing
Additional Noteworthy Schools
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 Schools 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 |
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing Focus Areas
| 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 |
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
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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