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2023 Most Popular Nursing Basic Certificate Schools

45 Colleges

Finding the Best Nursing Basic Certificate School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

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. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Basic Certificate Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 45 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular basic certificate 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.

Check out the nursing basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Gaston College

Dallas, NC

Our 2023 rankings named Gaston College the most popular school in the United States for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Gaston College is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Dallas.

Of the 414 students majoring in nursing at Gaston College, 6% are male and 94% are female.

Full Nursing at Gaston College Report

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#2

Pikes Peak Community College

Colorado Springs, CO

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Pikes Peak Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large suburb of Colorado Springs, PPCC is a public college with a large student population.

Of the 382 students majoring in nursing at PPCC, 10% are male and 90% are female.

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#3

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

The in-demand basic certificate programs at Lone Star College System helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the United States. Located in the midsize city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 317 students majoring in nursing at North Harris Montgomery, 14% are male and 86% are female.

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#4

Butler Community College

El Dorado, KS

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Butler Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the distant town of El Dorado, Butler CC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 146 students majoring in nursing at Butler CC, 21% are male and 79% are female.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Central Virginia Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Central Virginia Community College is a public school with a small student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 7% are male.

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With a ranking of #6, El Paso Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their basic certificate. El Paso Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of El Paso.

Women make up 80% of the nursing majors at the school.

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#7

Blue Ridge Community College

Weyers Cave, VA

Blue Ridge Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Weyers Cave, BRCC is a public school with a small student population.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

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Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Covenant School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Lubbock.

Women make up 95% of the nursing majors at the school.

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Rappahannock Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Glenns, RCC is a public college with a small student population.

Women make up 98% of the nursing majors at the school.

Full Nursing at Rappahannock Community College Report

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#10

Central Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins, GA

Central Georgia Technical College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Warner Robins, CGTC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 42 students majoring in nursing at CGTC, 5% are male and 95% are female.

Full Nursing at Central Georgia Technical College Report

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Nursing by Region

View the Most Popular Nursing Basic Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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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