2026 Most Popular Nursing Schools
There are 2,207 colleges that offer a degree in Nursing. The most popular schools, by student demand, are below:
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
With all the Nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick-and-mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school halfway across the country without even leaving your house.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. This report analyzed 2,207 schools in the United States to see which Nursing programs were the most popular. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.
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2026 Most Popular Nursing Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Schools.
Top 25 Most Popular Nursing Schools
The most popular school in the United States for Nursing students is Chamberlain University-Illinois. Chamberlain University-Illinois is a private for-profit school located in Addison, IL. This school awarded 13,367 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $83,585. Read full report on Nursing at Chamberlain University-Illinois
Capella University comes in at #2 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Minneapolis, MN, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 8,953 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $79,233. Full Nursing at Capella University Report
Western Governors University comes in at #3 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Salt Lake City, UT, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 7,799 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $74,978. Read More…
Grand Canyon University landed the #4 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school located in Phoenix, AZ. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5,116 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $62,543. Read full report on Nursing at Grand Canyon University
Walden University landed the #5 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Minneapolis, MN, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 4,948 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $76,759. Full Nursing at Walden University Report
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #6 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Arlington, TX, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3,485 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $64,801. Read full report on Nursing at The University of Texas at Arlington
Aspen University landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Aspen University is a private for-profit school located in Phoenix, AZ. This school awarded 1,999 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $78,528. Full Nursing at Aspen University Report
West Coast University-Orange County landed the #8 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Anaheim, CA, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 1,760 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $95,294. Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University-Orange County
Galen College of Nursing-Louisville landed the #9 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Louisville, KY, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 1,491 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $67,307. Read More…
Ivy Tech Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Indianapolis, IN, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,481 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $46,027. Read full report on Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College
University of South Alabama landed the #11 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Mobile, AL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,440 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $46,120. Read More…
Ohio University-Main Campus landed the #12 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Ohio University-Main Campus is a public school located in Athens, OH. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,401 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,614. Full Nursing at Ohio University-Main Campus Report
NUC University comes in at #13 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Bayamon, PR, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,335 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $18,183. Full Nursing at NUC University Report
Purdue University Global comes in at #14 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in West Lafayette, IN, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,160 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $45,209. Read full report on Nursing at Purdue University Global
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale comes in at #15 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale is a private nonprofit school located in Fort Lauderdale, FL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,154 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $41,151. Full Nursing at Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Report
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center landed the #16 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Lubbock, TX, this is a public institution. This school awarded 1,142 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $76,944. Read full report on Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Rasmussen University-Florida landed the #17 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Rasmussen University-Florida is a private for-profit school located in Ocala, FL. This school awarded 1,063 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $51,485. Read full report on Nursing at Rasmussen University-Florida
University of Alabama at Birmingham comes in at #18 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Birmingham, AL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,053 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,854. Read More…
Northern Kentucky University comes in at #19 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Northern Kentucky University is a public school located in Highland Heights, KY. This school awarded 1,035 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $44,702. Read More…
Frontier Nursing University landed the #20 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Frontier Nursing University is a private nonprofit school located in Versailles, KY. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,021 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $106,311. Full Nursing at Frontier Nursing University Report
ECPI University comes in at #21 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. ECPI University is a private for-profit school located in Virginia Beach, VA. This school awarded 1,016 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $45,216. Read full report on Nursing at ECPI University
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #22 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Cincinnati, OH, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,014 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,819. Full Nursing at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Report
West Coast University-Los Angeles comes in at #23 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in North Hollywood, CA, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 972 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $95,294. Read More…
University of North Carolina Wilmington landed the #24 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public school located in Wilmington, NC. This school awarded 960 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $44,355. Full Nursing at University of North Carolina Wilmington Report
University of Phoenix-Arizona landed the #25 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. University of Phoenix-Arizona is a private for-profit school located in Phoenix, AZ. During the most recent year for which we have data, 935 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $52,226. Read full report on Nursing at University of Phoenix-Arizona
Rest of the Top Most Popular Nursing Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.
Nursing by Region
View the Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| New England |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Great Lakes |
| Plains States |
| Southeast |
| Southwest |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Far Western US |
More Nursing Rankings
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this Most Popular Nursing Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 256,965 |
| Family Practice Nursing | 14,847 |
| Nursing Practice | 9,206 |
| Nursing Administration | 7,911 |
| Mental Health Nursing | 4,379 |
| Nursing Science | 4,245 |
| Nursing Research & Other | 4,125 |
| Adult Health Nursing | 2,457 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,960 |
| Public Health Nursing | 1,505 |
| Geriatric Nursing | 641 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 596 |
| Nurse Midwifery | 559 |
| School Nursing | 441 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 434 |
| Women’s Health Nursing | 323 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 321 |
| Surgical Nursing | 190 |
| Maternal & Neonatal Nursing | 160 |
| ER/Trauma Nursing | 57 |
| Environmental Health Nursing | 22 |
| Forensic Nursing | 21 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 7 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 99,987 |
| Allied Health Professions | 90,379 |
| Health/Medical Admin Services | 90,166 |
| Allied Health Services | 80,693 |
| Public Health | 41,086 |
References
*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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