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Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

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2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

71 Colleges
$68,192 Avg Salary
$27,237 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.

Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 71 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to see which ones offered the best programs for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

#1

University of Providence

Great Falls, MT

Our 2023 rankings named University of Providence the best school in the Rocky Mountains Region for nursing students. Located in the city of Great Falls, University of Providence is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from University of Providence carry an average student debtload of $20,031.

Read More…

#2

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Governors University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. WGU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at WGU accumulate an average of around $21,420 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Western Governors University Report

Out of the 71 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, RMUoHP is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions

Out of the 71 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Platt College - Aurora landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Aurora, Platt College - Aurora is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Platt College - Aurora accumulate an average of around $48,125 in student debt.

Read More…

#5

Carroll College

Helena, MT

The excellent programs at Carroll College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the remote town of Helena, Carroll Montana is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Carroll Montana accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. CU Anschutz is a very large public school located in the city of Denver.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CU Anschutz take out is $31,125. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $191.

Full Nursing at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Report

With a ranking of #7, Lewis - Clark State College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Lewis - Clark State College is a small public school located in the city of Lewiston.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lewis - Clark State College take out is $25,441.

Read full report on Nursing at Lewis - Clark State College

Carrington College, Boise landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Boise, Carrington College, Boise is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Nursing majors at Carrington College, Boise take out an average of $29,274 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

University of Northern Colorado landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from University of Northern Colorado carry an average student debtload of $25,971. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $206, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Northern Colorado

Red Rocks Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the city of Lakewood, Red Rocks Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Red Rocks Community College

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 Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Denver College of Nursing Denver, CO
12 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
13 Westminster College Utah Salt Lake City, UT
14 Pikes Peak Community College Colorado Springs, CO

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.

State Degrees Awarded
Colorado 6,496
Utah 17,535
Idaho 1,593
Montana 745
Wyoming 397

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

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 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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