2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Pennsylvania with 11,477 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 76 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at La Salle are $33,150 per year. Nursing majors at La Salle take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $478.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing is a great value for nursing students. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, West Penn Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at West Penn Hospital School of Nursing are $10,660 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from West Penn Hospital School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $20,000.
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The excellent programs at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of Bethlehem, St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing are $12,626 a year. Nursing majors at St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing take out an average of $21,381 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing are $14,610 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Roxborough Memorial Hospital School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences is a great value for nursing students. RHSHS is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Reading.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at RHSHS are $13,334 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at RHSHS take out is $25,208.
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Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the distant town of Pottsville, Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing are $12,710 per year. Nursing majors at Joseph F McCloskey School of Nursing take out an average of $29,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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UPMC Jameson School of Nursing landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the town of New Castle, UPMC Jameson School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UPMC Jameson School of Nursing are $13,051 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UPMC Jameson School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $24,750.
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Washington Hospital School of Nursing came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Washington Hospital School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Washington.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Washington Hospital School of Nursing are $13,049 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Washington Hospital School of Nursing take out $23,719 in student loans while working on their degree.
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UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing are $15,545 a year. Nursing majors at UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing take out an average of $27,892 in student loans while working on their egree.
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UPMC Mercy School of Nursing landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. UPMC Mercy School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
UPMC Mercy School of Nursing undergraduate students pay an average of $15,545 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at UPMC Mercy School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $24,743 in student debt.
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Harrisburg Area Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. HACC is a large public school located in the small city of Harrisburg.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at HACC are $8,295 a year. On average, nursing graduates from HACC take out $29,839 in student loans while working on their degree.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
| 13 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA |
| 14 | Lehigh Carbon Community College | Schnecksville, PA |
| 15 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 15 | Community College of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh, PA |
Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New York | 17,708 |
| Maryland | 4,104 |
| New Jersey | 5,648 |
| District of Columbia | 990 |
| Delaware | 1,267 |
More Nursing Rankings in Pennsylvania
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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.
- 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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