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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Kentucky

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Kentucky

43 Colleges
$65,824 Avg Salary
$27,614 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Kentucky with 6,395 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Kentucky to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 43 schools in Kentucky 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 colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a .

#1

Frontier Nursing University

Versailles, KY

Our analysis found Frontier Nursing University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Kentucky. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Versailles.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Frontier Nursing University carry an average student debt load of $61,913.

Read full report on Nursing at Frontier Nursing University

The excellent programs at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Kentucky. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville 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.

Full Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville Report

#3

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, KY

Out of the 43 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Kentucky University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at NKU take out an average of $42,546 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $328.

Read full report on Nursing at Northern Kentucky University

#4

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Kentucky University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public school with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at WKU take out is $29,851. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $285.

Read full report on Nursing at Western Kentucky University

#5

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kentucky. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UK accumulate an average of around $39,509 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $355, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Kentucky

#6

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

University of Louisville ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the city of Louisville, UofL is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UofL carry an average student debt load of $37,382. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $222, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Eastern Kentucky University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Eastern is a large public school located in the town of Richmond.

Nursing majors at Eastern take out an average of $32,908 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $126.

Read More…

#8

Bellarmine University

Louisville, KY

Bellarmine University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Bellarmine U carry an average student debt load of $33,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $369, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#9

Spalding University

Louisville, KY

Spalding University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in the city of Louisville, Spalding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Spalding accumulate an average of around $30,834 in student debt.

Read More…

#10

Murray State University

Murray, KY

Murray State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the town of Murray, Murray State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Murray State take out is $55,324.

Full Nursing at Murray State University Report

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
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

Nursing Concentrations

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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