2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
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 large city of Philadelphia.
La Salle undergraduate students pay an average of $33,150 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. West Penn Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly 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.
Read full report on Nursing at Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bethlehem.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing are $12,626 a year. On average, nursing graduates from St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing take out $21,381 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing
The excellent programs at Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. 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.
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 fairly 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.
Read full report on Nursing at Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences
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 small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Pottsville.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing are $12,710 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing take out $29,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
UPMC Jameson School of Nursing came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. UPMC Jameson School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of New Castle.
UPMC Jameson School of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $13,051 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at UPMC Jameson School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $24,750 in student debt.
Washington Hospital School of Nursing ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the suburb of Washington, Washington Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly 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.
Full Nursing at Washington Hospital School of Nursing Report
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 small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing are $15,545 a year. On average, nursing graduates from UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing take out $27,892 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing
UPMC Mercy School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the 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.
With a ranking of #11, Harrisburg Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public school with a fairly 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.
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 |
More Nursing Rankings in Pennsylvania
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
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.