2023 Best Value Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Doctor's Degree School for You
With 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the #3 most popular major in the United States.
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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 380 schools in the United States to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Doctorate in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named La Salle University the best value school in the United States for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. La Salle is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at La Salle are $1,455 a year.
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Out of the 380 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Aspen University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Denver, Aspen University is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Aspen University are $4,357 per year.
Aspen University also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Morningside College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.
Morningside graduate students pay an average of $6,516 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mount Marty University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the remote town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Mount Marty are $9,650 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Mount Marty also is in the top 5% of our Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Out of the 380 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Wilmington University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Wilmington University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of New Castle.
Wilmington University graduate students pay an average of $9,060 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #6, Ferris State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Big Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Ferris are $8,232 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Ferris is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list.
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Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
PLNU graduate students pay an average of $11,880 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, PLNU also is in the top 5% of our Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Peoria, St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing graduate students pay an average of $8,740 in tuition and fees each year.
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Ashland University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the fringe town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Ashland are $6,972 per year.
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Delta State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Cleveland, Delta State University is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Delta State University are $8,360 per year.
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Viterbo University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of La Crosse, Viterbo is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Viterbo are $9,488 per year.
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American Sentinel University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. American Sentinel University is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Aurora.
American Sentinel University graduate students pay an average of $6,920 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #13, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rochester.
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine graduate students pay an average of $22,716 in tuition and fees each year.
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McKendree University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. McKendree is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lebanon.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at McKendree are $9,756 a year.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.
Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #16, University of Southern Mississippi did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their doctor’s degree. Southern Miss is a large public school located in the city of Hattiesburg.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Southern Miss are $11,204 per year.
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Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree nursing programs. Chamberlain - Illinois is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Chamberlain - Illinois are $14,090 a year.
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University of Scranton came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Scranton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at University of Scranton are $11,630 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, University of Scranton is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list.
Full Nursing at University of Scranton Report
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York College of Pennsylvania landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of York, YCP is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
YCP graduate students pay an average of $11,646 in tuition and fees each year.
YCP also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Webster University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Webster is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Webster graduate students pay an average of $13,500 in tuition and fees each year.
Webster also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Omaha, Nebraska Methodist College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nebraska Methodist College graduate students pay an average of $12,158 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Nursing at Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health Report
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE graduate students pay an average of $9,316 in tuition and fees each year.
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Mississippi University for Women ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the remote town of Columbus, MUW is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MUW are $7,756 per year.
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Grand Canyon University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree nursing programs. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Grand Canyon University are $11,538 a year.
Read full report on Nursing at Grand Canyon University
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Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 380 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 52 | Salisbury University | Salisbury, MD |
| 53 | Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences | Lancaster, PA |
| 54 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA |
| 55 | Alverno College | Milwaukee, WI |
| 55 | Purdue University Global | Indianapolis, IN |
| 57 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | Thomas Edison State University | Trenton, NJ |
| 58 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 60 | Eastern Mennonite University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 61 | Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, IN |
| 61 | Villanova University | Villanova, PA |
| 63 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 63 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
| 65 | Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, IN |
| 65 | Bryan College of Health Sciences | Lincoln, NE |
| 67 | University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences | San Marcos, CA |
| 68 | North Park University | Chicago, IL |
| 69 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL |
| 70 | Walsh University | North Canton, OH |
| 71 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 72 | The College of Saint Scholastica | Duluth, MN |
| 72 | Anderson University South Carolina | Anderson, SC |
| 74 | Union University | Jackson, TN |
| 75 | Gardner - Webb University | Boiling Springs, NC |
| 76 | Chatham University | Pittsburgh, PA |
Nursing by Region
View the Best Value Nursing Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Nursing Rankings
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
- 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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