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Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina

90 Colleges
$65,879 Avg Salary
$19,587 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was ranked 3rd in North Carolina. In fact, 7,425 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 90 schools in North Carolina 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.

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in North Carolina.

Our analysis found University of North Carolina at Wilmington to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. UNCW is a large public school located in the city of Wilmington.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UNCW carry an average student debt load of $21,500. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $212.

Read full report on Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington

#2

Duke University

Durham, NC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Duke take out $25,184 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Duke University Report

#3

Gaston College

Dallas, NC

Out of the 90 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Gaston College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Gaston College is a small public school located in the suburb of Dallas.

On average, nursing graduates from Gaston College take out $10,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#4

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means East Carolina University is a great place for nursing students. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Greenville.

Nursing majors at ECU take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $261, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UNC Greensboro take out is $22,250. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $151, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Greensboro Report

#6

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, NC

With a ranking of #6, Winston - Salem State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. WSSU is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at WSSU accumulate an average of around $24,946 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $135, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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With a ranking of #7, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at UNC Charlotte take out an average of $23,828 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $166.

Read full report on Nursing at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Western Carolina University 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 distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from WCU take out $23,614 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $215, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#9

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, NC

With a ranking of #9, Fayetteville State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville, Fayetteville State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Fayetteville State University take out $22,125 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Fayetteville State University Report

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out is $25,000.

Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report

Queens University of Charlotte ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Queens is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Charlotte.

On average, nursing graduates from Queens take out $32,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Queens University of Charlotte Report

#12

Gardner - Webb University

Boiling Springs, NC

Gardner - Webb University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the distant town of Boiling Springs, Gardner - Webb is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gardner - Webb accumulate an average of around $23,203 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $302, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Appalachian State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the town of Boone.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Appalachian State carry an average student debt load of $18,902. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $180, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Appalachian State University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the state of North Carolina that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina award.

Rank College Location
14 Carolinas College of Health Sciences Charlotte, NC
15 Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC
16 Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC
17 Pitt Community College Winterville, NC
18 Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
18 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville, NC

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 7,112
Virginia 6,775
Florida 21,209
Tennessee 6,004
Kentucky 6,395
South Carolina 3,296
Louisiana 3,502
Arkansas 2,882
Alabama 7,364
Mississippi 2,838
West Virginia 1,771

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.

  • 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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