2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 77,470 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. This report analyzed 581 schools in the Southeast Region 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 the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Southeast Region Schools in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Rasmussen University - Florida the most popular school in the Southeast Region for nursing students. Located in the city of Ocala, Rasmussen University - Florida is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Florida take out an average of $35,539 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $161, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 581 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Alabama landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Mobile, USA is a public school with a large student population.
Nursing majors at USA take out an average of $26,429 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $230, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a great place for nursing students. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Lauderdale.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale take out is $38,116. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $151.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Birmingham, UAB is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UAB carry an average student debt load of $22,958. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $307, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Wilmington helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at UNCW take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $212.
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Frontier Nursing University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Hyden.
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University of Central Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UCF accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.
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Galen College of Nursing - Louisville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Louisville.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Galen College of Nursing - Louisville carry an average student debt load of $41,365. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $117, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #9, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NKU carry an average student debt load of $30,429. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $252.
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Miami Dade College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the large city of Miami, MDC is a public school with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at MDC take out an average of $14,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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South University’s online programs came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Savannah, South University's online programs is a private for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from South University's online programs carry an average student debt load of $40,204. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $250.
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With a ranking of #12, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. USF Tampa is a very large public school located in the large city of Tampa.
Nursing majors at USF Tampa take out an average of $24,636 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $181, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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ECPI University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at ECPI University accumulate an average of around $30,534 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 $174.
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East Tennessee State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at ETSU accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $176, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Liberty University accumulate an average of around $28,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $554.
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Miami Regional University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #16 on the list. Miami Regional University is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Miami Springs.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Miami Regional University carry an average student debt load of $32,633.
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St Petersburg College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. SPC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Clearwater.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at SPC accumulate an average of around $22,934 in student debt.
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Florida State College at Jacksonville ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. FSCJ is a fairly large public school located in the city of Jacksonville.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at FSCJ accumulate an average of around $17,750 in student debt.
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Nova Southeastern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale, NUS Florida is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at NUS Florida accumulate an average of around $31,538 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 $334.
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The University of Alabama ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. UA is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Tuscaloosa.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UA accumulate an average of around $25,125 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 $646.
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Duke University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #21 on the list. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Duke carry an average student debt load of $25,184.
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Emory University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.
On average, nursing graduates from Emory take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $556, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the city of Saint Petersburg, Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay carry an average student debt load of $41,365. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $117, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #24, The University of West Florida did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. UWF is a large public school located in the city of Pensacola.
Nursing majors at UWF take out an average of $21,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #25, Mississippi University for Women did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. MUW is a small public school located in the town of Columbus.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at MUW accumulate an average of around $22,680 in student debt.
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Additional Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 581 different Southeast nursing schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region award.
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Alabama | 7,364 |
Kentucky | 6,395 |
Tennessee | 6,004 |
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 Related Majors
Nursing Concentrations
Most Popular Majors Related 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.