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Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

15 Schools Ranked

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Also there are many trade schools and bpptcamp that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Virginia to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Nursing Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
$20,906 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in Virginia for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at University of Virginia, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 75% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#2

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
$12,514 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent master’s degree programs at James Madison University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Virginia.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at JMU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 68% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#3

Shenandoah University

Winchester, Virginia
$23,430 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent master’s degree programs at Shenandoah University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Virginia.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Shenandoah does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Shenandoah University

#4

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia
$15,518 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia list.

VCU does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 62% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#5

Radford University

Radford, Virginia
$12,535 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Radford University is a great place for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Radford. In 2019-2020 about 87% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full Radford University Report

#6

Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
$15,270 Average Tuition & Fees

Eastern Mennonite University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Eastern Mennonite. In fact, around 82% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full Eastern Mennonite University Report

#7

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia
$16,644 Average Tuition & Fees

George Mason University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree nursing programs.

Online graduate courses are available at GMU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 87% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full George Mason University Report

#8

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia
$13,224 Average Tuition & Fees

Old Dominion University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Old Dominion. During the 2019-2020 year, about 82% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Old Dominion University

#9

Marymount University

Arlington, Virginia
$21,016 Average Tuition & Fees

Marymount University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list.

Online graduate courses are available at Marymount, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 68% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Marymount University

#10

Mary Baldwin University

Staunton, Virginia
$13,170 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Mary Baldwin University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Mary Baldwin. In 2019-2020 about 51% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#11

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, Virginia

ECPI University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia ranking.

Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at ECPI University. In fact, around 79% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Full ECPI University Report

#12

South University, Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach, Virginia
$16,320 Average Tuition & Fees

South University, Virginia Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list.

South University, Virginia Beach does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 24% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

#13

Bluefield College

Bluefield, Virginia
$9,234 Average Tuition & Fees

Bluefield College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia ranking.

Online graduate courses are available at Bluefield College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 58% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Read More…

#14

Regent University

Virginia Beach, Virginia
$17,190 Average Tuition & Fees

Regent University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Regent does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 94% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#15

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia
$8,360 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #15, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their master’s degree.

Online graduate courses are available at Liberty University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 97% took at least some of their classes online.

Read full report on Liberty University

View Best Nursing Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 15 schools only.

References

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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