2023 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was ranked 3rd in North Carolina. In fact, 7,425 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 77 schools in North Carolina to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Wake Forest University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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The excellent programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Duke take out is $25,184.
Full Nursing at Duke University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cabarrus College of Health Sciences. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the medium-sized city of Concord, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences take out an average of $27,082 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a great place for nursing students. Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a fairly small public school located in the city of Charlotte.
Nursing majors at Carolinas College of Health Sciences take out an average of $23,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public school with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UNC Charlotte take out $23,828 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $166.
Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Charlotte Report
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University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UNC Greensboro accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $151, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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East Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. ECU is a very large public school located in the small city of Greenville.
On average, nursing graduates from ECU take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $261, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Winston - Salem State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. WSSU is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at WSSU accumulate an average of around $24,946 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $135, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. UNCW is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UNCW take out is $21,500. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $212.
Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington Report
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North Carolina A & T State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large city of Greensboro, NC A&T is a public college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NC A&T carry an average student debtload of $30,303.
Read full report on Nursing at North Carolina A & T State University
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the state of North Carolina that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Chamberlain University - North Carolina | Charlotte, NC |
| 13 | University of Mount Olive | Mount Olive, NC |
| 14 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 15 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NC |
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 |
| 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 North Carolina
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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