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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

57 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 57 schools in Pennsylvania to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

#1

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Our analysis found Drexel University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Pennsylvania. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Of the 533 students majoring in nursing at Drexel, 11% are male and 89% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Drexel take out $30,671 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $596, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#2

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Thomas Jefferson University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Thomas Jefferson University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Of the 506 students majoring in nursing at Thomas Jefferson University, 14% are male and 86% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Thomas Jefferson University take out $28,302 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $537.

Full Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University Report

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#3

Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Gwynedd Mercy University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of Gwynedd Valley, Gwynedd - Mercy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 304 students majoring in nursing at Gwynedd - Mercy, 13% are male and 88% are female.

Nursing majors at Gwynedd - Mercy take out an average of $36,789 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $375.

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#4

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duquesne University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at Duquesne take out an average of $27,560 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. 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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#5

Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA

Out of the 57 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Holy Family University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Holy Family is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Holy Family carry an average student debt load of $31,497. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $197.

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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public school with a very large student population.

Women make up 82% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Pitt carry an average student debt load of $26,233. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $368.

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#7

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Villanova accumulate an average of around $30,032 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $433, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#8

Widener University

Chester, PA

Widener University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Widener is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chester.

Of the 214 students majoring in nursing at Widener, 9% are male and 91% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Widener take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $30,779. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $531.

Full Nursing at Widener University Report

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West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. WCUPA is a large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.

Of the 202 students majoring in nursing at WCUPA, 11% are male and 89% are female.

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#10

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UPenn accumulate an average of around $24,423 in student debt.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools 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

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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