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Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region

124 Colleges
$67,632 Avg Salary
$24,151 Avg Student Debt

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 77,470 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

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.

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 in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 124 schools in the Southeast Region 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 colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing an online .

Our analysis found University of South Florida - Main Campus to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online degree in the Southeast Region . USF Tampa is a fairly large public school located in the city of Tampa.

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

#2

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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.

Read full report on Nursing at Liberty University

#3

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL

The excellent online programs at Nova Southeastern University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the large suburb of Fort Lauderdale, NUS Florida is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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.

Read full report on Nursing at Nova Southeastern University

#4

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend East Carolina University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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.

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#5

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, GA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgia Southern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the distant town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public college with a very large student population.

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.

Read full report on Nursing at Georgia Southern University

#6

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

University of Arkansas came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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.

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#7

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

University of Memphis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Memphis

With a ranking of #7, Frontier Nursing University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Hyden.

Read full report on Nursing at Frontier Nursing University

University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.

On average, nursing graduates from UNC Greensboro take out $22,250 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $151.

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#10

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, FL

University of North Florida landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. UNF is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jacksonville.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UNF accumulate an average of around $18,750 in student debt.

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Northwestern State University of Louisiana landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the town of Natchitoches, NSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NSU carry an average student debtload of $28,250.

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#12

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #12 on the list. UF is a very large public school located in the city of Gainesville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UF take out is $19,458. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $146.

Full Nursing at University of Florida Report

#13

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA

With a ranking of #13, Old Dominion University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Old Dominion accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Old Dominion University

Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public college with a very large student population.

Nursing majors at VCU take out an average of $26,687 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $238.

Full Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

South University’s online programs landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Savannah, South University's online programs is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at South University's online programs take out is $40,204. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $250.

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The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. UT Knoxville is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Knoxville.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UT Knoxville carry an average student debtload of $19,518.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

#17

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, NC

Winston - Salem State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, WSSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from WSSU take out $24,946 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $135.

Read full report on Nursing at Winston - Salem State University

With a ranking of #18, University of South Alabama did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Mobile, USA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from USA take out $26,429 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $230, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of South Alabama

Honorable Mentions

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 in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
19 Polk State College Winter Haven, FL
20 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
21 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
22 Auburn University Auburn, AL
23 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR
24 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC

Explore the most popular online nursing colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Tennessee 6,004
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
Georgia 7,112
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

More Nursing Rankings in the Southeast Region

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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