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Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas

28 Colleges
$62,518 Avg Salary
$21,482 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was ranked 2nd in Arkansas. In fact, 2,882 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Arkansas to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Baptist Health College - Little Rock the best school in Arkansas for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock, BHCLR is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from BHCLR carry an average student debtload of $23,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $87.

Full Nursing at Baptist Health College - Little Rock Report

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#2

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

The excellent programs at University of Arkansas helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. Located in the small city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at UARK accumulate an average of around $26,625 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 $410.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is a great place for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock, UAMS is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UAMS take out is $25,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $59, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Report

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#4

Harding University

Searcy, AR

Out of the 28 schools in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Harding University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Harding take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $330, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#5

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR

Out of the 28 schools in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, Henderson State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Henderson State University is a small public school located in the town of Arkadelphia.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Henderson State University accumulate an average of around $19,250 in student debt.

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Arkansas State University - Newport landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Newport, ASUN is a public school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at ASUN take out an average of $17,302 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Pine Bluff, JRMC 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 JRMC School of Nursing take out is $19,500.

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#8

John Brown University

Siloam Springs, AR

John Brown University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. JBU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Siloam Springs.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at JBU accumulate an average of around $27,077 in student debt.

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University of Arkansas at Little Rock ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. UA Little Rock is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Little Rock.

On average, nursing graduates from UA Little Rock take out $32,086 in student loans while working on their degree.

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With a ranking of #10, Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the small city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at A-State take out is $23,057.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that 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
Alabama 7,364
Mississippi 2,838
West Virginia 1,771

One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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