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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

30 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 Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 30 schools in Tennessee to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named East Tennessee State University the most popular school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. ETSU is a large public school located in the city of Johnson City.

Of the 563 students majoring in nursing at ETSU, 15% are male and 85% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from ETSU take out $26,540 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 $176.

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#2

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of Memphis helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Tennessee. UofM is a very large public school located in the city of Memphis.

About 91% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 9% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UofM carry an average student debt load of $27,057. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $115.

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#3

South College

Knoxville, TN

Out of the 30 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, South College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Knoxville, South College is a private for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at South College accumulate an average of around $42,762 in student debt.

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Out of the 30 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 242 students majoring in nursing at UT Knoxville, 12% are male and 88% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Knoxville take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,875.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

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#5

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Belmont University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 186 students majoring in nursing at Belmont, 8% are male and 92% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Belmont accumulate an average of around $25,282 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $673.

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Lincoln Memorial University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. LMU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Harrogate.

About 83% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 17% are male.

Nursing majors at LMU take out an average of $30,082 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 $107.

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#7

Union University

Jackson, TN

Union University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Union accumulate an average of around $31,776 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $477.

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#8

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

Austin Peay State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Austin Peay State University take out $30,081 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Tennessee Technological University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Tennessee Tech University accumulate an average of around $19,572 in student debt.

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The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Chattanooga take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,775.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

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

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

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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