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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas

28 Colleges
$62,518 Avg Salary
$21,482 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Arkansas with 2,882 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

The Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 28 schools in Arkansas to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Baptist Health College - Little Rock the best school in Arkansas for nursing students. BHCLR is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Little Rock.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at BHCLR take out is $23,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $87.

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#2

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

The excellent programs at University of Arkansas helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. UARK is a very large public school located in the city of Fayetteville.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UARK carry an average student debtload of $26,625. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $410, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. UAMS is a small public school located in the city of Little Rock.

On average, nursing graduates from UAMS take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $59, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#4

Harding University

Searcy, AR

Out of the 28 schools in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Harding University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Harding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Searcy.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Harding accumulate an average of around $29,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $330.

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#5

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Henderson State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. Located in the town of Arkadelphia, Henderson State University is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Henderson State University carry an average student debtload of $19,250.

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Arkansas State University - Newport ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at ASUN accumulate an average of around $17,302 in student debt.

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Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. JRMC School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Pine Bluff.

On average, nursing graduates from JRMC School of Nursing take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#8

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR

John Brown University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. Located in the town of Siloam Springs, JBU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from JBU carry an average student debtload of $27,077.

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With a ranking of #9, University of Arkansas at Little Rock did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at UA Little Rock take out an average of $32,086 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Arkansas State University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. A-State is a large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.

On average, nursing graduates from A-State take out $23,057 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

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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