2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 181 schools in the Southwest Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 25 Top Southwest Region Schools in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Midwestern University - Glendale the best school in the Southwest Region for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Glendale, Midwestern University - Glendale is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baylor College of Medicine. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Baylor College of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ottawa University - Phoenix. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the large city of Phoenix, Ottawa University - Phoenix is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Ottawa University - Phoenix carry an average student debtload of $26,768.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas Wesleyan University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Fort Worth.
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Out of the 181 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Arizona landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Phoenix, Chamberlain - Arizona is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Arizona 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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Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the large city of Lubbock, TTUHSC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at TTUHSC accumulate an average of around $22,250 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $242.
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Aspen University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Denver, Aspen University is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Aspen University take out $35,922 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Houston, UTHealth is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UTHealth take out is $21,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $203.
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Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of College Station.
On average, nursing graduates from Texas A&M College Station take out $21,625 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 $232.
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Chamberlain University - Texas landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Chamberlain - Texas is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.
Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Texas take out an average of $38,460 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 $256.
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West Coast University - Dallas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the large city of Dallas, West Coast University - Dallas is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at West Coast University - Dallas take out an average of $38,146 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $665.
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Baptist Health System School of Health Professions ranked #12 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Baptist Health System School of Health Professions is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Antonio.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Baptist Health System School of Health Professions accumulate an average of around $28,978 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 $110.
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Texas Christian University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Worth.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at TCU take out is $25,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $559.
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The University of Texas Medical Branch did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Galveston, UTMB Galveston is a public school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UTMB Galveston carry an average student debtload of $21,463. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $215.
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Texas A & M University - Central Texas came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Killeen, Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a public school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Texas A & M University - Central Texas accumulate an average of around $19,825 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #16, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Austin take out is $20,840. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $222.
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Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large city of San Antonio, Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio take out an average of $41,365 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $117, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from ASU - Skysong take out $25,937 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $264, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio is a public school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UT Health San Antonio carry an average student debtload of $25,000.
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South Texas College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the city of McAllen.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at South Texas College take out is $9,273.
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With a ranking of #21, Grand Canyon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Grand Canyon University accumulate an average of around $24,999 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $198, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Central Arizona College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Pinal County Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Coolidge.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Pinal County Community College carry an average student debtload of $15,679.
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Northeast Texas Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #23 on the list. NTCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NTCC carry an average student debtload of $20,000.
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Sam Houston State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SHSU take out is $26,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $172.
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University of Oklahoma - Health Sciences Center did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #25 on the list. UOHSC is a small public school located in the large city of Oklahoma City.
On average, nursing graduates from UOHSC take out $26,980 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $318, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Southwest Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Carrington College, Mesquite | Mesquite, TX |
| 29 | El Centro College | Dallas, TX |
| 30 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 31 | Weatherford College | Weatherford, TX |
| 32 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, TX |
| 33 | Lubbock Christian University | Lubbock, TX |
| 34 | University of Central Oklahoma | Edmond, OK |
| 35 | Northeastern State University | Tahlequah, OK |
| 36 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 21,862 |
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southwest 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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