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Best Nursing Schools in Rhode Island

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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Rhode Island

5 Colleges
$76,319 Avg Salary
$27,009 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Rhode Island with 1,091 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

With all the healthcare programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Nursing Schools in Rhode Island ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 5 schools in Rhode Island to see which ones offered the best programs for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Rhode Island

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top Rhode Island Schools in Nursing

Our 2023 rankings named New England Institute of Technology the best school in Rhode Island for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of East Greenwich, New England Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from New England Tech carry an average student debtload of $30,854.

Full Nursing at New England Institute of Technology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Community College of Rhode Island. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in Rhode Island list. CCRI is a fairly large public school located in the city of Warwick.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from CCRI carry an average student debtload of $18,500.

Read full report on Nursing at Community College of Rhode Island

#3

Salve Regina University

Newport, RI

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Salve Regina University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Rhode Island list. Located in the large suburb of Newport, Salve Regina is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Salve Regina take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $505.

Read full report on Nursing at Salve Regina University

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Rhode Island is a great place for nursing students. URI is a large public school located in the suburb of Kingston.

On average, nursing graduates from URI take out $26,577 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 $419.

Full Nursing at University of Rhode Island Report

#5

Rhode Island College

Providence, RI

Out of the 5 schools in Rhode Island that were part of this year’s ranking, Rhode Island College landed the # 5 spot on the list. RIC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Providence.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at RIC accumulate an average of around $27,780 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Rhode Island College

Best Nursing Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Massachusetts 6,626
Connecticut 3,058
New Hampshire 2,129
Maine 1,262
Vermont 390

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

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 5 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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