Find Nursing Colleges

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Value Nursing Schools in North Carolina

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in North Carolina

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

77 Colleges
$2,375 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$65,879 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

With all the nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 Value Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 77 schools in North Carolina 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

Top 15% Best Nursing Schools

#1

Craven Community College

New Bern, NC
$2,022 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Craven Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Craven Community College is a small public school located in the city of New Bern.

Craven Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,022 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Craven Community College take out $10,791 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

Request Information
#2

Pitt Community College

Winterville, NC
$1,940 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Pitt Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Winterville, Pitt Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pitt Community College are $1,940 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Pitt Community College carry an average student debtload of $19,250.

Full Nursing at Pitt Community College Report

Request Information
$2,015 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Piedmont Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the rural area of Polkton, South Piedmont Community College is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Piedmont Community College are $2,015 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from South Piedmont Community College carry an average student debtload of $11,000.

Read full report on Nursing at South Piedmont Community College

Request Information
#4

College of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City, NC
$2,228 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means College of the Albemarle is a great value for nursing students. Located in the town of Elizabeth City, College of the Albemarle is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Albemarle are $2,228 per year. On average, nursing graduates from College of the Albemarle take out $5,875 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at College of the Albemarle Report

Request Information

Out of the 77 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Forsyth Technical Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Tech is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Forsyth Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $2,152 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Forsyth Tech accumulate an average of around $16,634 in student debt.

Read More…

Request Information
$1,944 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Vance-Granville Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the town of Henderson, Vance-Granville Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Vance-Granville Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,944 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Vance-Granville Community College carry an average student debtload of $8,251.

Read full report on Nursing at Vance-Granville Community College

Request Information
$1,926 Average Tuition & Fees

McDowell Technical Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the rural area of Marion, McDowell Technical Community College is a public school with a small student population.

McDowell Technical Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,926 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Nursing at McDowell Technical Community College

Request Information
$2,310 Average Tuition & Fees

Alamance Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. ACC is a small public school located in the rural area of Graham.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ACC are $2,310 per year.

Read full report on Nursing at Alamance Community College

Request Information
$2,226 Average Tuition & Fees

Davidson County Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. DCCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Thomasville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at DCCC are $2,226 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at DCCC take out is $14,000.

Full Nursing at Davidson County Community College Report

Request Information

Brunswick Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the rural area of Bolivia, Brunswick Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Brunswick Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,532 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Brunswick Community College take out $8,127 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Brunswick Community College

Request Information
#11

Gaston College

Dallas, NC

Gaston College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Dallas, Gaston College is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gaston College are $2,862 per year. Nursing majors at Gaston College take out an average of $10,750 in student loans while working on their egree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Gaston College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Nursing at Gaston College

Request Information

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
12 Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC
13 Richmond Community College Hamlet, NC
14 Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
15 Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value 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
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
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.

Find Nursing Schools Near You

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