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Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

55 Colleges
$69,595 Avg Salary
$23,663 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is one of the most popular subjects to study in Virginia. With 6,775 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 3rd out of all the majors we track in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 55 schools in Virginia to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing the best school in Virginia for nursing students. Standard College of Nursing is a 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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Out of the 55 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Virginia landed the # 2 spot on the list. Chamberlain - Virginia is a small private for-profit school located in the 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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The excellent programs at Sentara College of Health Sciences helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Virginia. Sentara College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large 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.

Full Nursing at Sentara College of Health Sciences Report

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small 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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#5

Eastern Virginia Career College

Fredericksburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Virginia Career College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Fredericksburg, Eastern Virginia Career College is a private for-profit college with a 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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#6

Centra College of Nursing

Lynchburg, VA

With a ranking of #6, Centra College of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the 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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#7

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

University of Mary Washington landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. UMW is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UMW carry an average student debtload of $15,725.

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Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. VCU is a fairly 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.

Full Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

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#9

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a very large student population.

Nursing majors at JMU take out an average of $23,125 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 $329.

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With a ranking of #10, Riverside College of Health Careers did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Newport News, Riverside College of Health Careers is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Riverside College of Health Careers carry an average student debtload of $27,651.

Full Nursing at Riverside College of Health Careers Report

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Best 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
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

Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.

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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