2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools
Finding the Most Popular Online Nursing 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.
The Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 417 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular online programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.
2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing an online .
Top 25 Most Popular Online Schools in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the most popular online school in the United States for nursing students. WGU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Salt Lake City.
Nursing majors at WGU take out an average of $21,420 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Capella University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Capella University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.
Nursing majors at Capella University take out an average of $27,599 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Excelsior College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the small city of Albany, Excelsior College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Excelsior College carry an average student debtload of $23,176.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern New Hampshire University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. SNHU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SNHU carry an average student debtload of $31,500.
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American Sentinel University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. American Sentinel University is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Aurora.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at American Sentinel University accumulate an average of around $24,075 in student debt.
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Chamberlain University - Illinois came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Chamberlain - Illinois is a very large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Addison.
Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois 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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With a ranking of #8, Purdue University Northwest did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Hammond, Purdue Northwest is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Purdue Northwest take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $152, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Purdue University Global ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Purdue University Global is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Indianapolis.
Nursing majors at Purdue University Global take out an average of $39,595 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $157.
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University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public college with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at USF Tampa take out an average of $24,636 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $181, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Loyola University Chicago landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $767.
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Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a very 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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Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Liberty University carry an average student debtload of $28,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $554, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Wilmington University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Wilmington University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of New Castle.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Wilmington University carry an average student debtload of $23,448.
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Grand Canyon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #15 on the list. 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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Maryville University of Saint Louis ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, Maryville U is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Maryville U take out $31,009 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 $416.
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Nova Southeastern University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. NUS Florida is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at NUS Florida accumulate an average of around $31,538 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $334.
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East Carolina University ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. ECU is a very large public school located in the small city of Greenville.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $261.
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National University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. National University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at National University accumulate an average of around $37,500 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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University of Michigan - Flint did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #20 on the list. UM Flint is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Flint.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UM Flint take out is $40,680.
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Georgia Southern University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. GaSou is a fairly large public school located in the town of Statesboro.
Nursing majors at GaSou take out an average of $28,000 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 $121.
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University of Arkansas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #22 on the list. UARK is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fayetteville.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UARK accumulate an average of around $26,625 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 $410.
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University of Memphis ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Memphis.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UofM take out is $26,625. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $115.
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Frontier Nursing University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Hyden, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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Rutgers University - Camden ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Rutgers Camden is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Camden.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Rutgers Camden carry an average student debtload of $27,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $217.
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Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Online Nursing Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 417 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Utah Valley University | Orem, UT |
| 52 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 53 | Amarillo College | Amarillo, TX |
| 54 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR |
| 55 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
| 56 | Washburn University | Topeka, KS |
| 56 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 58 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NC |
| 59 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 60 | Davenport University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 61 | ECPI University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 62 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University | Weatherford, OK |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Online Nursing Schools award.
Most Popular Online Nursing by Region
View the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
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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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