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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Rhode Island

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Rhode Island

5 Colleges
$76,319 Avg Salary
$25,433 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Rhode Island with 1,091 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools in Rhode Island ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in Rhode Island to see which 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Colleges.

Our analysis found University of Rhode Island to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Rhode Island. Located in the suburb of Kingston, URI is a public college with a large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from URI take out $26,699 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $439.

Full Nursing at University of Rhode Island Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Community College of Rhode Island. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Rhode Island list. Located in the city of Warwick, CCRI is a public college with a large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from CCRI take out $15,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Community College of Rhode Island Report

#3

Rhode Island College

Providence, RI

The excellent programs at Rhode Island College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Rhode Island. Located in the large suburb of Providence, RIC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at RIC take out is $32,875.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend New England Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Rhode Island list. New England Tech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of East Greenwich.

On average, nursing graduates from New England Tech take out $23,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at New England Institute of Technology Report

#5

Salve Regina University

Newport, RI

Out of the 5 schools in Rhode Island that were part of this year’s ranking, Salve Regina University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Salve Regina is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Newport.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Salve Regina carry an average student debt load of $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $566, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 2,129
Massachusetts 6,626
Vermont 390
Connecticut 3,058
Maine 1,262

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 262,974
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,647
Nursing Practice 8,862
Nursing Administration 8,663
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,717
Nursing Science 4,701
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,895
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,075
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 2,011
Nurse Anesthetist 1,768
Critical Care Nursing 747
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 622
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 567
School Nursing 539
Clinical Nurse Leader 502
Clinical Nurse Specialist 340
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 269
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing 262
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 192
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 87
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 26
Forensic Nursing 23
Palliative Care Nursing 13

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 5 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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