2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
With all the nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 90 schools in North Carolina 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.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our analysis found University of North Carolina at Wilmington to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UNCW take out is $21,969. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $221, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington Report
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Duke University is a great place for nursing students. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
On average, nursing graduates from Duke take out $72,914 in student loans while working on their degree.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gaston College is a great place for nursing students. Gaston College is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Dallas.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means East Carolina University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at ECU take out an average of $34,428 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $380.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Greensboro is a large public school located in the city of Greensboro.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UNC Greensboro carry an average student debt load of $21,150. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $182.
Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Greensboro Report
Winston - Salem State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem, WSSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from WSSU carry an average student debt load of $21,516. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $151.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public school located in the city of Charlotte.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debt load of $30,060. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $184.
With a ranking of #8, Western Carolina University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. WCU is a large public school located in the distant town of Cullowhee.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at WCU accumulate an average of around $27,174 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $235, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Fayetteville State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Fayetteville State University is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Fayetteville State University carry an average student debt load of $17,599.
Read full report on Nursing at Fayetteville State University
With a ranking of #10, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $44,809 in student debt.
Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report
Queens University of Charlotte came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the city of Charlotte, Queens is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Queens accumulate an average of around $32,827 in student debt.
Gardner - Webb University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Boiling Springs.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Gardner - Webb carry an average student debt load of $28,047. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $363, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Appalachian State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Appalachian State carry an average student debt load of $12,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $166, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Carolinas College of Health Sciences | Charlotte, NC |
| 15 | Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh, NC |
| 16 | Forsyth Technical Community College | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 17 | Pitt Community College | Winterville, NC |
| 18 | Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | Asheville, NC |
| 18 | Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte, NC |
Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Kentucky | 6,395 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Florida | 21,209 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
Nursing Related Majors
Nursing Concentrations
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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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