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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee

46 Colleges
$68,124 Avg Salary
$23,683 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 Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

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. 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 Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 46 schools in Tennessee 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.

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Tennessee.

Our 2023 rankings named East Tennessee State University the most popular school in Tennessee for nursing students. ETSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Johnson City.

Nursing majors at ETSU take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $176.

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Out of the 46 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Lincoln Memorial University landed the # 2 spot on the list. LMU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Harrogate.

Nursing majors at LMU take out an average of $24,097 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $97, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#4

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Out of the 46 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the # 4 spot on the list. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Memphis.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UofM take out is $26,625. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $115.

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The excellent programs at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UT Knoxville accumulate an average of around $19,518 in student debt.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

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#6

South College

Knoxville, TN

South College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, South College is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from South College carry an average student debt load of $44,006.

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#7

Union University

Jackson, TN

Union University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Union take out is $29,200. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $477.

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#8

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

Southern Adventist 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. Located in the large suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Southern Adventist take out an average of $25,547 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $375.

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#9

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Belmont University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Belmont accumulate an average of around $25,500 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 $673.

Full Nursing at Belmont University Report

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#10

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

Austin Peay State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Austin Peay State University take out an average of $27,618 in student loans while working on their egree.

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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
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
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 Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

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.

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