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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
$35,645 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Tennessee with 6,004 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

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 small city of Johnson City.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from ETSU carry an average student debt load of $41,019. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $206, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Lincoln Memorial University is a great place for nursing students. LMU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Harrogate.

Nursing majors at LMU take out an average of $33,075 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $109, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Lincoln Memorial University Report

#3

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

The excellent programs at Vanderbilt University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Vanderbilt accumulate an average of around $79,719 in student debt.

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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 very large public school located in the city of Memphis.

Nursing majors at UofM take out an average of $33,770 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $138, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of Memphis Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a great place for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UT Knoxville take out $37,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $345.

Read full report on Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#6

South College

Knoxville, TN

South College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, South College is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at South College accumulate an average of around $35,084 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $263.

Full Nursing at South College Report

#7

Union University

Jackson, TN

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

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Union carry an average student debt load of $71,756. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $464.

Full Nursing at Union University Report

#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 suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Southern Adventist take out an average of $32,493 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $383.

Read full report on Nursing at Southern Adventist University

#9

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Belmont University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Belmont take out an average of $37,949 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $771, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#10

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

Austin Peay State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the midsize city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Austin Peay State University take out is $33,981.

Read full report on Nursing at Austin Peay State University

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
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 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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