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Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas

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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 analysis found Baptist Health College - Little Rock to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Arkansas. BHCLR is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize 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.

Full Nursing at Baptist Health College - Little Rock Report

#2

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Arkansas is a great place for nursing students. UARK is a fairly large public school located in the small 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.

Full Nursing at University of Arkansas Report

The excellent programs at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. UAMS is a small public school located in the medium-sized 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.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

#4

Harding University

Searcy, AR

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Harding University is a great place for nursing students. 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.

Full Nursing at Harding University Report

#5

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR

The excellent programs at Henderson State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. Located in the distant 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.

Read More…

Arkansas State University - Newport came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. 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.

Read More…

Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. 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.

Full Nursing at Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing Report

#8

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR

John Brown University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. Located in the distant town of Siloam Springs, JBU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

Read full report on Nursing at John Brown University

University of Arkansas at Little Rock landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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

Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas at Little Rock

With a ranking of #10, Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. A-State is a fairly 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.

Full Nursing at Arkansas State University - Main Campus Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

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