2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
In 2020-2021, 322,592 nursing students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #3 most popular in the country.
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 in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 510 schools in the Southeast Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 25 Top Southeast Region Schools in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc the best school in the Southeast Region for nursing students. MTSA is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Madison.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Wake Forest University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
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The excellent programs at Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southeast Region . Standard College of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Falls Church.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Standard College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $27,280 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Frontier Nursing University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the rural area of Hyden, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Duke University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Nursing majors at Duke take out an average of $25,184 in student loans while working on their egree.
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West Coast University-Miami came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. West Coast University-Miami is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Doral.
On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University-Miami take out $38,146 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $665.
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Chamberlain University - Florida landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Chamberlain - Florida is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Jacksonville.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Florida carry an average student debtload of $38,460. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $256.
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Chamberlain University - Georgia came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Chamberlain - Georgia is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Atlanta.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Georgia accumulate an average of around $38,460 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 $256.
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Chamberlain University - Virginia ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Chamberlain - Virginia is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Arlington.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Virginia carry an average student debtload of $38,460. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $256.
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Sentara College of Health Sciences landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Sentara College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chesapeake.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Sentara College of Health Sciences take out is $27,686. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $155.
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With a ranking of #12, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
Nursing majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $16,836 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Trident Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the city of Charleston, Trident Technical College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Trident Technical College take out is $28,792.
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With a ranking of #14, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Concord, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences carry an average student debtload of $27,082.
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University of Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UF carry an average student debtload of $19,458. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $146, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Carolinas College of Health Sciences ranked #16 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a small public school located in the large city of Charlotte.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Carolinas College of Health Sciences carry an average student debtload of $23,000.
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Emory University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Emory take out $25,000 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 $556.
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Eastern Virginia Career College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize suburb of Fredericksburg, Eastern Virginia Career College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Eastern Virginia Career College accumulate an average of around $22,874 in student debt.
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Rasmussen University - Florida ranked #19 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Rasmussen University - Florida is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in the small city of Ocala.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Florida carry an average student debtload of $35,539. 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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Centra College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Centra College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Centra College of Nursing take out $21,076 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #21, Medical University of South Carolina did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. MUSC is a small public school located in the midsize city of Charleston.
On average, nursing graduates from MUSC take out $28,354 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $399, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #22, University of Mary Washington did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. UMW is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Fredericksburg.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UMW carry an average student debtload of $15,725.
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Auburn University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Auburn is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Auburn.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Auburn accumulate an average of around $20,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $562.
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With a ranking of #24, Herzing University - Birmingham did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Herzing University - Birmingham is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Herzing University - Birmingham carry an average student debtload of $33,946. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $107.
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With a ranking of #25, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. VCU is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Richmond.
On average, nursing graduates from VCU take out $26,687 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $238.
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Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 510 different Southeast nursing schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region award.
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
| North Carolina | 7,425 |
| Florida | 21,209 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Kentucky | 6,395 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southeast Region
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
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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