2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
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 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 90 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Pennsylvania.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Drexel University the most popular school in Pennsylvania for nursing students. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Drexel accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $596.
Out of the 90 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Thomas Jefferson University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Thomas Jefferson University accumulate an average of around $27,852 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $537.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.
Nursing majors at UPenn take out an average of $20,861 in student loans while working on their egree.
The excellent programs at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, PA College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from PA College take out $26,106 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 $297.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Harrisburg Area Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania list. HACC is a large public school located in the city of Harrisburg.
Nursing majors at HACC take out an average of $29,839 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Nursing at Harrisburg Area Community College
Duquesne University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Duquesne take out is $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $648, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Pitt is a very large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Pitt take out is $24,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $319.
Community College of Allegheny County did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, CCAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from CCAC take out $22,851 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #9, Holy Family University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Holy Family is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Holy Family take out is $30,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $197.
With a ranking of #10, Gwynedd Mercy University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Gwynedd - Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Gwynedd Valley.
Nursing majors at Gwynedd - Mercy take out an average of $35,265 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 $375.
Villanova University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Villanova.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Villanova take out is $27,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $433, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #12, Widener University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Chester, Widener is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Widener carry an average student debt load of $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $531, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Wilkes University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the small city of Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Wilkes take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $408.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | California University of Pennsylvania | California, PA |
| 15 | La Salle University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 16 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA |
| 17 | Clarion University of Pennsylvania | Clarion, PA |
| 18 | Delaware County Community College | Media, PA |
Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools 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 |
Nursing Related Majors
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 26 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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