2023 Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Kentucky with 6,395 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
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.
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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 2023 rankings named Frontier Nursing University the best school in Kentucky for nursing students. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Versailles.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Frontier Nursing University carry an average student debtload of $61,913.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Galen College of Nursing - Louisville. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville take out is $30,556. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $133.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Galen College of Nursing - ARH is a great place for nursing students. Galen College of Nursing - ARH is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the town of Hazard.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - ARH accumulate an average of around $24,808 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $148.
Out of the 42 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellarmine University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.
On average, nursing graduates from Bellarmine U take out $33,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $369, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Out of the 42 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kentucky landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public school with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at UK take out an average of $39,509 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $355, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Sullivan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. 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 $25,625.
Northern Kentucky University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NKU carry an average student debtload of $42,546. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $328.
Kentucky Christian University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky ranking. Kentucky Christian University is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Grayson.
Nursing majors at Kentucky Christian University take out an average of $29,875 in student loans while working on their egree.
University of Louisville ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the large city of Louisville, UofL is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UofL take out $37,382 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $222, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Midway University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky 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 $18,750.
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 |
| 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 |
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
| 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 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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