2023 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 66 schools in Pennsylvania to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Saint Vincent College the best school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their degree.
On average, students take out $26,112 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $392 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Saint Vincent graduates make an average of $49,935 annually.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,262 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $547.After graduating from UPenn, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $81,207 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Thomas Jefferson University is a great place for nursing students.
Degree recipients from Thomas Jefferson University accumulate an average of $31,910 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $535 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Thomas Jefferson University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $59,708 during the early year of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Villanova University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,526 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $594.After graduating from Villanova, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $62,813 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,146 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $275 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, SRU graduates make an average of $38,997 annually.
Chatham University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs.
On average, students take out $25,016 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Chatham graduates make an average of $59,386 annually.
University of Scranton landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,211 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $590 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from University of Scranton, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,740 during the early years of their career.
Millersville University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list.
On average, students take out $26,212 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $304, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Millersville graduates make an average of $41,464 annually.
Lincoln Technical Institute - Allentown came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
On average, students take out $18,386 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $118, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Lincoln Tech - Allentown graduates make an average of $36,234 annually.
York College of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,025 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $473 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, YCP graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,412 during the early year of their career.
Immaculata University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list.
Degree recipients from Immaculata accumulate an average of $30,438 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Immaculata, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $47,992 during the early years of their career.
Wilkes University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
On average, students take out $27,835 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $375.After graduating from Wilkes, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $55,632 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #13, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working.
On average, students take out $23,994 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $447, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Pitt, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $49,696 during the early years of their career.
Cedar Crest College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
Once they receive their degree, Cedar Crest graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $53,696 during the early year of their career.
Duquesne University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students. It came in at #15 on the list.
On average, students take out $24,974 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $654, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Duquesne graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $48,645 during the early year of their career.
With a ranking of #16, University of Pittsburgh - Titusville did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,755 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $270 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Pitt Titusville, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $42,140 during the early years of their career.
Drexel University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list.
On average, students take out $27,800 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $737, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Drexel graduates make an average of $60,176 annually.
Holy Family University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,639 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $197, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Holy Family graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $52,770 during the early year of their career.
King’s College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,656 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $525, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, King’s College PA graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,863 during the early year of their career.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
After graduating from WCUPA, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $43,790 during the early years of their career.
Moravian College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,752 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $513.After graduating from Moravian, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $47,817 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #22, Gannon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working.
On average, students take out $30,024 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $381.After graduating from Gannon, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $58,347 during the early years of their career.
Harrisburg Area Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students. It came in at #23 on the list.
On average, students take out $22,075 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from HACC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $35,757 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #24, DeSales University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working.
On average, students take out $26,565 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $645 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, DeSales graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $52,466 during the early year of their career.
California University of Pennsylvania landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs.
On average, students take out $30,277 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $162 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Cal U graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $40,624 during the early year of their career.
Best Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 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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