2021 Best Nursing Schools
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
With 305,309 degrees and certificates handed out in 2018-2019, nursing is the #3 most popular major in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.
The Best Nursing Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 1,729 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2021 Best Nursing Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Nursing
Our 2021 rankings named Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing the best school in the United States for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Teaneck, Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $20,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $208.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Nursing Schools list. St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bethlehem.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing take out is $16,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $171, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The excellent programs at Samuel Merritt University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the United States. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Oakland.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Samuel Merritt University carry an average student debtload of $84,868. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $977.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aria Health School of Nursing. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Nursing Schools list. Aria Health School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Trevose.
Nursing majors at Aria Health School of Nursing take out an average of $26,205 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 $272.
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The excellent programs at Unitek College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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Lutheran School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Lutheran School of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Louis.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Lutheran School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $8,100 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $84, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Shadyside School of Nursing landed the #7 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Shadyside School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
Nursing majors at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Shadyside School of Nursing take out an average of $12,400 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $129.
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Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. MTSA is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Madison.
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Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences landed the #9 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the small city of Reading, RHSHS is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at RHSHS take out an average of $15,835 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $164.
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Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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Citizens School of Nursing landed the #11 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of New Kensington, Citizens School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Citizens School of Nursing take out $15,250 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 $158.
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With a ranking of #12, Baylor College of Medicine did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Baylor College of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Houston.
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Mercy Hospital School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Mercy Hospital School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
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Trinity Health System School of Nursing landed the #14 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Steubenville, Trinity Health System School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Trinity Health System School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $15,350 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 $159.
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Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing landed the #15 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. West Penn Hospital School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
On average, nursing graduates from West Penn Hospital School of Nursing take out $13,371 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 $139.
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Midwestern University - Glendale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the suburb of Glendale, Midwestern University - Glendale is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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University of Providence landed the #17 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the small city of Great Falls, University of Providence is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from University of Providence take out $12,500 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $130, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing landed the #18 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Brockton, Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing take out is $20,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $208.
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Concordia University - Saint Paul landed the #19 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Concordia University - Saint Paul is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Concordia University - Saint Paul accumulate an average of around $17,499 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $182.
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Stanbridge University landed the #20 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Stanbridge is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
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Loma Linda University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools list. Located in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Loma Linda University take out an average of $49,206 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $557, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #22, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Rochester.
Nursing majors at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine take out an average of $46,519 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $537.
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The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston landed the #23 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large city of Houston, UTHealth is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
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Jameson Health System landed the #24 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the fringe town of New Castle, Jameson Health System is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Jameson Health System take out an average of $15,500 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $161, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Saint Vincent College landed the #25 spot in the 2021 rankings for the best nursing programs. Saint Vincent is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Latrobe.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Saint Vincent accumulate an average of around $114,902 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $1,339, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Remaining Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Nursing Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 1729 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools award.
Nursing by Region
View the Best Nursing Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
One of 34 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 99,641 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 93,192 |
| Allied Health Professions | 86,697 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 82,868 |
| Public Health | 36,569 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 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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