2023 Best Nursing Schools in Connecticut
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Connecticut with 3,058 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
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 Schools in Connecticut ranking. This report analyzed 20 schools in Connecticut to see which ones offered the best programs for nursing students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in Connecticut
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
The excellent programs at Yale University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Connecticut. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Yale accumulate an average of around $92,875 in student debt.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fairfield University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Connecticut list. Located in the suburb of Fairfield, Fairfield U is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Fairfield U take out $51,473 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $712.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Quinnipiac University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Connecticut list. Quinnipiac is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hamden.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Quinnipiac accumulate an average of around $51,687 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $828.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Gateway Community College is a great place for nursing students. Gateway Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New Haven.
On average, nursing graduates from Gateway Community College take out $4,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Sacred Heart University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Sacred Heart is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fairfield.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Sacred Heart take out is $26,656. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $697, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Goodwin College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small city of East Hartford, Goodwin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Goodwin accumulate an average of around $41,110 in student debt.
Charter Oak State College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Connecticut list. Charter Oak State College is a small public school located in the large suburb of New Britain.
Capital Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Hartford, Capital Community College is a public college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Capital Community College carry an average student debtload of $10,000.
With a ranking of #10, University of Saint Joseph did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. USJ is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of West Hartford.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USJ take out is $37,399. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $428, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Best Nursing Colleges in the New England Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 2,129 |
| Massachusetts | 6,626 |
| Vermont | 390 |
| Maine | 1,262 |
| Rhode Island | 1,091 |
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 |
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 20 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.