2023 Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas
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 analysis found Baptist Health College - Little Rock to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Arkansas. Located in the city of Little Rock, BHCLR is a private not-for-profit school with a 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.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Arkansas is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public college with a fairly 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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The excellent programs at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. Located in the 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.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Harding University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the distant town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit school 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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The excellent programs at Henderson State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. Henderson State University is a small public school located in the distant 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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With a ranking of #6, Arkansas State University - Newport did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. 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 landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. 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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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 came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. UA Little Rock is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize 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 school with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at A-State take out is $23,057.
Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools 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 |
More Nursing Rankings in Arkansas
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
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.