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Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

76 Colleges
$13,369 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$74,117 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 76 schools in Pennsylvania to see which programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 15% Best Nursing Schools

#1

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA
$33,150 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at La Salle are $33,150 per year. On average, nursing graduates from La Salle take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $478.

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$10,660 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing is a great value for nursing students. West Penn Hospital School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

West Penn Hospital School of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $10,660 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at West Penn Hospital School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.

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$12,626 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a great value for nursing students. St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bethlehem.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing are $12,626 per year. On average, nursing graduates from St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing take out $21,381 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$14,610 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $14,610 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing take out an average of $20,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$13,334 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 76 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Reading, RHSHS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

RHSHS undergraduate students pay an average of $13,334 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from RHSHS carry an average student debtload of $25,208.

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$12,710 Average Tuition & Fees

Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Pottsville.

Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $12,710 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$13,051 Average Tuition & Fees

UPMC Jameson School of Nursing ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. UPMC Jameson School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of New Castle.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UPMC Jameson School of Nursing are $13,051 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at UPMC Jameson School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $24,750 in student debt.

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$13,049 Average Tuition & Fees

Washington Hospital School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Washington, Washington Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Washington Hospital School of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $13,049 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Washington Hospital School of Nursing take out is $23,719.

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$15,545 Average Tuition & Fees

UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $15,545 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing take out $27,892 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#10

UPMC Mercy School of Nursing

Pittsburgh, PA
$15,545 Average Tuition & Fees

UPMC Mercy School of Nursing ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, UPMC Mercy School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing are $15,545 a year. Nursing majors at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing take out an average of $24,743 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Harrisburg Area Community College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a large student population.

HACC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,295 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at HACC take out is $29,839.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the state of Pennsylvania seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania award.

Rank College Location
12 Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA
13 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
14 Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville, PA
15 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
15 Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 17,708
New Jersey 5,648
Maryland 4,104
Delaware 1,267
District of Columbia 990

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

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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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