2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region
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.
It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.
The Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 510 schools in the Southeast Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Southeast Region Schools in Nursing
Our analysis found Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in the Southeast Region . MTSA is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Madison.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Forest University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing is a great place for nursing students. Standard College of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Falls Church.
Nursing majors at Standard College of Nursing take out an average of $27,280 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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Out of the 510 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Frontier Nursing University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Hyden, Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Duke University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Duke take out $25,184 in student loans while working on their degree.
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West Coast University-Miami did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. West Coast University-Miami is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Doral.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University-Miami take out is $38,146. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $665.
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Chamberlain University - Florida came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Chamberlain - Florida is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Jacksonville.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Florida accumulate an average of around $38,460 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
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With a ranking of #9, Chamberlain University - Georgia did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Chamberlain - Georgia is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Atlanta.
Nursing majors at Chamberlain - Georgia take out an average of $38,460 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Georgia Report
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Chamberlain University - Virginia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Chamberlain - Virginia is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Arlington.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Chamberlain - Virginia accumulate an average of around $38,460 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $256.
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Sentara College of Health Sciences came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Sentara College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chesapeake.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Sentara College of Health Sciences carry an average student debtload of $27,686. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $155, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
On average, nursing graduates from University of Virginia take out $16,836 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #13, Trident Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Charleston, Trident Technical College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Trident Technical College carry an average student debtload of $28,792.
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Cabarrus College of Health Sciences ranked #14 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Concord, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $27,082 in student debt.
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University of Florida ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UF accumulate an average of around $19,458 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $146, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Carolinas College of Health Sciences ranked #16 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a fairly small public school located in the city of Charlotte.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Carolinas College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $23,000 in student debt.
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Emory University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Emory take out is $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $556.
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Eastern Virginia Career College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg, Eastern Virginia Career College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at Eastern Virginia Career College take out an average of $22,874 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Rasmussen University - Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #19 on the list. Rasmussen University - Florida is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the city of Ocala.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Florida accumulate an average of around $35,539 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $161.
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Centra College of Nursing landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Centra College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Centra College of Nursing take out is $21,076.
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Medical University of South Carolina landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. MUSC is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Charleston.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MUSC take out is $28,354. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $399, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #22, University of Mary Washington did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. UMW is a small public school located in the suburb of Fredericksburg.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UMW accumulate an average of around $15,725 in student debt.
Full Nursing at University of Mary Washington Report
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Auburn University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Auburn is a fairly large public school located in the city of Auburn.
Nursing majors at Auburn take out an average of $20,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $562.
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With a ranking of #24, Herzing University - Birmingham did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Herzing University - Birmingham is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Herzing University - Birmingham accumulate an average of around $33,946 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $107.
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Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. VCU is a very large public school located in the city of Richmond.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at VCU take out is $26,687. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $238, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 510 different Southeast nursing schools we analyzed.
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 Southeast Region award.
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Florida | 21,209 |
| North Carolina | 7,425 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Kentucky | 6,395 |
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southeast Region
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
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 |
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 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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