2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools
Finding the Most Popular Online Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
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. 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. This report analyzed 417 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular online programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the United States
Check out the online nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Online Schools in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the most popular online school in the United States for nursing students. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at WGU accumulate an average of around $21,420 in student debt.
Out of the 417 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Capella University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Capella University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Capella University accumulate an average of around $27,599 in student debt.
Out of the 417 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Excelsior College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Albany, Excelsior College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Excelsior College take out is $23,176.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Southern New Hampshire University is a great place for nursing students pursuing an online degree. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Manchester.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SNHU take out is $31,500.
Read full report on Nursing at Southern New Hampshire University
With a ranking of #6, American Sentinel University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. American Sentinel University is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Aurora.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from American Sentinel University carry an average student debtload of $24,075.
With a ranking of #7, Chamberlain University - Illinois did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the suburb of Addison.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois accumulate an average of around $38,460 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $256, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Purdue University Northwest came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Hammond, Purdue Northwest is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Purdue Northwest take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $152, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Purdue University Global did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Purdue University Global is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Indianapolis.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Purdue University Global accumulate an average of around $39,595 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $157.
University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at USF Tampa accumulate an average of around $24,636 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $181, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Nursing at University of South Florida - Main Campus Report
Loyola University Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago carry an average student debtload of $26,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $767.
Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at ASU - Skysong take out an average of $25,937 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $264.
Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Liberty University take out is $28,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $554.
With a ranking of #14, Wilmington University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Wilmington University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of New Castle.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Wilmington University take out is $23,448.
Grand Canyon University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Grand Canyon University carry an average student debtload of $24,999. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $198, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at Maryville U take out an average of $31,009 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $416, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Nova Southeastern University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. NUS Florida is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NUS Florida carry an average student debtload of $31,538. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $334.
East Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #18 on the list. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Greenville.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from ECU carry an average student debtload of $26,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $261.
National University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from National University carry an average student debtload of $37,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $198, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #20, University of Michigan - Flint did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. UM Flint is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Flint.
On average, nursing graduates from UM Flint take out $40,680 in student loans while working on their degree.
Georgia Southern University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. GaSou is a very large public school located in the town of Statesboro.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at GaSou accumulate an average of around $28,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $121, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Arkansas came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. UARK is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UARK carry an average student debtload of $26,625. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $410, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Memphis ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. UofM is a very large public school located in the city of Memphis.
On average, nursing graduates from UofM take out $26,625 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $115.
Frontier Nursing University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the rural area of Hyden, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
With a ranking of #25, Rutgers University - Camden did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Rutgers Camden is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Camden.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rutgers Camden take out is $27,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $217.
Rest of the Top Most Popular Online Nursing Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Online Nursing Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 417 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Utah Valley University | Orem, UT |
| 52 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 53 | Amarillo College | Amarillo, TX |
| 54 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR |
| 55 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
| 56 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 56 | Washburn University | Topeka, KS |
| 58 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NC |
| 59 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 60 | Davenport University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 61 | ECPI University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 62 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University | Weatherford, OK |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Online Nursing Schools award.
Most Popular Online Nursing by Region
View the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Nursing Rankings
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Majors Related 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.
NursingDegreeSearch.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© NursingDegreeSearch.com – All Rights Reserved.