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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida

96 Colleges
$67,544 Avg Salary
$28,342 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Florida. In total, 21,209 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Florida.

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.

The Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 96 schools in Florida 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 Rasmussen University - Florida to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Florida. Rasmussen University - Florida is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the small city of Ocala.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Florida take out is $22,529. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $221, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#2

Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL

The excellent programs at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Florida. Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale accumulate an average of around $34,102 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $173.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Central Florida is a great place for nursing students. UCF is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Orlando.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UCF accumulate an average of around $20,304 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $164.

Full Nursing at University of Central Florida Report

#4

Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

Out of the 96 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami Dade College landed the # 4 spot on the list. MDC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Miami.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MDC take out is $9,594.

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The excellent programs at University of South Florida - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Florida. Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at USF Tampa accumulate an average of around $35,609 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $136.

Full Nursing at University of South Florida - Main Campus Report

#6

Miami Regional University

Miami Springs, FL

With a ranking of #6, Miami Regional University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Miami Springs, Miami Regional University is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Miami Regional University take out $25,203 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Miami Regional University Report

#7

St Petersburg College

St. Petersburg, FL

St Petersburg College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida list. Located in the city of St. Petersburg, SPC is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SPC take out is $15,664.

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Florida State College at Jacksonville landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the large city of Jacksonville, FSCJ is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at FSCJ accumulate an average of around $12,324 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Florida State College at Jacksonville Report

#9

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Nova Southeastern University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. NUS Florida is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at NUS Florida accumulate an average of around $48,199 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 $438.

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#10

Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay

Saint Petersburg, FL

Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Saint Petersburg.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay take out is $30,556. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $133.

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With a ranking of #11, The University of West Florida did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Pensacola, UWF is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at UWF take out an average of $22,157 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at The University of West Florida

#12

University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL

University of Miami landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Coral Gables.

Nursing majors at U Miami take out an average of $90,901 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $576, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of Miami Report

Florida International University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida list. FIU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Miami.

On average, nursing graduates from FIU take out $28,281 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#14

Jacksonville University

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida list. JU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Jacksonville.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at JU accumulate an average of around $28,931 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Jacksonville University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the state of Florida that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida award.

Rank College Location
15 Florida SouthWestern State College Fort Myers, FL
16 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
17 Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL
18 Florida National University - Main Campus Hialeah, FL
19 Valencia College Orlando, FL

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
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 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

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

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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