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Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

27 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in North Carolina to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Carolinas College of Health Sciences to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in North Carolina. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a public school with a small student population.

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#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 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

On average, nursing graduates from Duke take out $29,049 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Duke University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cabarrus College of Health Sciences. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Concord.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $30,049 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences Report

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Charlotte helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the city of Charlotte.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debtload of $23,270. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $166.

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

Out of the 27 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the # 5 spot on the list. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the city of Greensboro.

Nursing majors at UNC Greensboro take out an average of $23,245 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $151.

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

#6

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ECU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,172. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $261.

Full Nursing at East Carolina University Report

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UNC Chapel Hill take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,237.

Read full report on Nursing at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

#8

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, NC

With a ranking of #8, Winston - Salem State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, WSSU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at WSSU accumulate an average of around $25,916 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $135, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Winston - Salem State University Report

#9

University of Mount Olive

Mount Olive, NC

With a ranking of #9, University of Mount Olive did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. UMO is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Mount Olive.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UMO take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,030.

Read More…

University of North Carolina at Wilmington came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a large student population.

Nursing majors at UNCW take out an average of $23,602 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $212, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

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

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

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.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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