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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee

44 Colleges
$68,124 Avg Salary
$35,645 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Tennessee with 6,004 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 Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 44 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best programs for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee

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 Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. MTSA is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MTSA take out is $131,581.

Full Nursing at Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc Report

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Vanderbilt carry an average student debtload of $79,719.

Full Nursing at Vanderbilt University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at UT Knoxville take out an average of $37,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $345.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. UTHSC is a small public school located in the large city of Memphis.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UTHSC accumulate an average of around $44,168 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center

#5

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Belmont University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Belmont take out an average of $37,949 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $771, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Belmont University

With a ranking of #6, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UT Chattanooga carry an average student debtload of $39,902.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

#7

King University

Bristol, TN

King University 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 city of Bristol, King is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at King take out is $36,687.

Read More…

#8

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

University of Memphis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee ranking. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Memphis.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UofM carry an average student debtload of $33,770. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $138, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

With a ranking of #9, Southwest Tennessee Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Memphis, Southwest is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Nursing at Southwest Tennessee Community College Report

#10

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN

Lipscomb University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the large city of Nashville, Lipscomb is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lipscomb take out is $25,000.

Read More…

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
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 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

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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