2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Finding the Best Nursing 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 90 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones were the most popular 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.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Drexel University the most popular school in Pennsylvania for nursing students. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
On average, nursing graduates from Drexel take out $32,645 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $828, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Thomas Jefferson University is a great place for nursing students. Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Thomas Jefferson University take out is $19,917. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $558.
Out of the 90 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UPenn accumulate an average of around $80,208 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $391, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. PA College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lancaster.
On average, nursing graduates from PA College take out $18,235 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $305.
Out of the 90 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Harrisburg Area Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at HACC take out an average of $21,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Nursing at Harrisburg Area Community College
Duquesne University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Duquesne carry an average student debt load of $42,309. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $750.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public school with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at Pitt take out an average of $41,024 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $398.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Community College of Allegheny County landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. CCAC is a large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
On average, nursing graduates from CCAC take out $14,333 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Community College of Allegheny County
With a ranking of #9, Holy Family University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Holy Family is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
On average, nursing graduates from Holy Family take out $28,021 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $192.
Gwynedd Mercy University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the suburb of Gwynedd Valley, Gwynedd - Mercy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gwynedd - Mercy accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $417.
Villanova University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at Villanova take out an average of $46,304 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $473, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #12, Widener University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Widener is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Chester.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Widener take out is $36,984. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $691.
With a ranking of #13, Wilkes University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Wilkes is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Wilkes-Barre.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Wilkes carry an average student debt load of $35,410. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $466.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the state of Pennsylvania that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
14 | School Removed | |
15 | La Salle University | Philadelphia, PA |
16 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
17 | School Removed | |
18 | Delaware County Community College | Media, PA |
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 |
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Majors Similar to Nursing
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 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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