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Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania

31 Colleges
$74,117 Avg Salary
$28,960 Avg Student Debt

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.

The Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 31 schools in Pennsylvania 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.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Online Nursing Colleges.

Our analysis found California University of Pennsylvania to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the small suburb of California, Cal U is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Cal U take out $29,696 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at California University of Pennsylvania

The excellent online programs at Millersville University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the large suburb of Millersville, Millersville is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Millersville carry an average student debtload of $32,215.

Full Nursing at Millersville University of Pennsylvania Report

#3

Immaculata University

Immaculata, PA

The excellent online programs at Immaculata University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Immaculata is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Immaculata.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Immaculata take out is $33,260.

Full Nursing at Immaculata University Report

#4

Chatham University

Pittsburgh, PA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Chatham University is a great place for nursing students pursuing an online degree. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Chatham is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chatham carry an average student debtload of $25,260.

Read full report on Nursing at Chatham University

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a great place for nursing students pursuing an online degree. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SRU carry an average student debtload of $27,412.

Full Nursing at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Report

#6

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Drexel take out is $31,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $596, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Drexel University Report

#7

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, PA

Lock Haven University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. LHU is a small public school located in the distant town of Lock Haven.

Nursing majors at LHU take out an average of $29,651 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at Lock Haven University

#8

Wilkes University

Wilkes-Barre, PA

Wilkes University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Wilkes is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Wilkes-Barre.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Wilkes carry an average student debtload of $31,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $408, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Wilkes University Report

#9

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

With a ranking of #9, Duquesne University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Nursing majors at Duquesne take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $648.

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#10

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #10, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UPenn carry an average student debtload of $20,861.

Full Nursing at University of Pennsylvania Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges 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

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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