2023 Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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 Related Rankings by Major
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 |
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.