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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky

42 Colleges
$65,824 Avg Salary
$26,802 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Kentucky. In total, 6,395 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Kentucky.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. 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 Kentucky ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in Kentucky to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky

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

Our analysis found Frontier Nursing University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Kentucky. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Hyden.

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Out of the 42 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Galen College of Nursing - Louisville landed the # 2 spot on the list. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Louisville.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Galen College of Nursing - Louisville carry an average student debtload of $41,365. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $117, based 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 Galen College of Nursing - ARH. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Galen College of Nursing - ARH is a small private for-profit school located in the town of Hazard.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Galen College of Nursing - ARH carry an average student debtload of $34,938. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $111.

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#4

Bellarmine University

Louisville, KY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bellarmine University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Louisville.

On average, nursing graduates from Bellarmine U take out $28,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $285.

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#5

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Kentucky is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UK take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $363, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#6

Sullivan University

Louisville, KY

Sullivan University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky ranking. Sullivan University is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Sullivan University carry an average student debtload of $35,507.

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#7

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

Northern Kentucky University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at NKU accumulate an average of around $30,429 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $252.

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With a ranking of #8, Kentucky Christian University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Kentucky Christian University is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Grayson.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Kentucky Christian University accumulate an average of around $32,561 in student debt.

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#9

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

University of Louisville ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the city of Louisville, UofL is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UofL carry an average student debtload of $25,656. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $178, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#10

Midway University

Midway, KY

Midway University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the rural area of Midway, Midway is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Midway take out is $22,375.

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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
Alabama 7,364
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

Nursing Concentrations

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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