Find Nursing Colleges

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

55 Colleges
$69,595 Avg Salary
$23,663 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 Virginia. In total, 6,775 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Virginia.

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 55 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best programs for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

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 Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing the best school in Virginia for nursing students. Standard College of Nursing is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Falls Church.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Standard College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $27,280 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing

Request Information

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chamberlain University - Virginia. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. Chamberlain - Virginia is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Arlington.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Virginia carry an average student debtload of $38,460. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $256.

Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University - Virginia

Request Information

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sentara College of Health Sciences. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. Sentara College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chesapeake.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Sentara College of Health Sciences take out is $27,686. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $155.

Read full report on Nursing at Sentara College of Health Sciences

Request Information

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

Nursing majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $16,836 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Virginia - Main Campus

Request Information
#5

Eastern Virginia Career College

Fredericksburg, VA

Out of the 55 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Virginia Career College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg, Eastern Virginia Career College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Eastern Virginia Career College accumulate an average of around $22,874 in student debt.

Read More…

Request Information
#6

Centra College of Nursing

Lynchburg, VA

Centra College of Nursing came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Centra College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Centra College of Nursing take out $21,076 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Centra College of Nursing

Request Information
#7

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

University of Mary Washington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. UMW is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UMW carry an average student debtload of $15,725.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Mary Washington

Request Information

With a ranking of #8, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.

On average, nursing graduates from VCU take out $26,687 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $238.

Read full report on Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University

Request Information
#9

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at JMU take out an average of $23,125 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 $329.

Full Nursing at James Madison University Report

Request Information

With a ranking of #10, Riverside College of Health Careers did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Newport News, Riverside College of Health Careers is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Riverside College of Health Careers carry an average student debtload of $27,651.

Read More…

Request Information

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
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

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.

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free matching tool for schools matches students with nursing schools across the U.S.