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Best Value Nursing Schools in Kentucky

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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Kentucky

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

42 Colleges
$6,600 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$65,824 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Kentucky. In total, 6,395 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Kentucky.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Value Nursing Schools in Kentucky ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 42 schools in Kentucky to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Kentucky

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

$4,568 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Gateway Community and Technical College the best value school in Kentucky for nursing students. Gateway is a small public school located in the large suburb of Florence.

Gateway undergraduate students pay an average of $4,568 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Gateway take out an average of $23,604 in student loans while working on their egree.

Gateway also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Nursing at Gateway Community and Technical College Report

$4,568 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Bluegrass Community and Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Bluegrass Community and Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Lexington.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bluegrass Community and Technical College are $4,568 a year. Nursing majors at Bluegrass Community and Technical College take out an average of $23,125 in student loans while working on their egree.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list.

Read full report on Nursing at Bluegrass Community and Technical College

$4,568 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Jefferson Community and Technical College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kentucky. Jefferson Community and Technical College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Louisville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Jefferson Community and Technical College are $4,568 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Jefferson Community and Technical College take out $23,128 in student loans while working on their degree.

Jefferson Community and Technical College also made our Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky list, coming in at #1.

Full Nursing at Jefferson Community and Technical College Report

$4,488 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Henderson Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Henderson Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Henderson.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Henderson Community College are $4,488 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Henderson Community College accumulate an average of around $23,500 in student debt.

Read More…

#5

Hopkinsville Community College

Hopkinsville, KY
$4,488 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Hopkinsville Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kentucky. Located in the town of Hopkinsville, Hopkinsville Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Hopkinsville Community College are $4,488 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Hopkinsville Community College take out is $18,850.

Read More…

$4,488 Average Tuition & Fees

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the city of Bowling Green, SKYCTC is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SKYCTC are $4,488 a year. On average, nursing graduates from SKYCTC take out $18,228 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College

$4,488 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Owensboro Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Owensboro Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the rural area of Owensboro.

Owensboro Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,488 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Owensboro Community and Technical College carry an average student debtload of $14,745.

Read full report on Nursing at Owensboro Community and Technical College

#8

Madisonville Community College

Madisonville, KY
$4,488 Average Tuition & Fees

Madisonville Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the rural area of Madisonville, Madisonville Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Madisonville Community College are $4,488 a year. Nursing majors at Madisonville Community College take out an average of $18,068 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Madisonville Community College Report

$4,488 Average Tuition & Fees

Big Sandy Community and Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the remote town of Prestonsburg, Big Sandy Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Big Sandy Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,488 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Big Sandy Community and Technical College carry an average student debtload of $15,960.

Read More…

$4,488 Average Tuition & Fees

West Kentucky Community and Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. West Kentucky Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the remote town of Paducah.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,488 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from West Kentucky Community and Technical College carry an average student debtload of $16,070.

Read full report on Nursing at West Kentucky Community and Technical College

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

Nursing Concentrations

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.

  • 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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