2023 Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Arkansas with 2,882 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Arkansas to see which ones offered the best programs for healthcare students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Baptist Health College - Little Rock to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Arkansas. BHCLR is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Little Rock.
Nursing majors at BHCLR take out an average of $23,000 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $87, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Arkansas. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. UARK is a very large public school located in the small city of Fayetteville.
On average, nursing graduates from UARK take out $26,625 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $410.
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Out of the 28 schools in Arkansas that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences landed the # 3 spot on the list. UAMS is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UAMS accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $59.
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The excellent programs at Harding University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. Harding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Searcy.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Harding take out is $29,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $330.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Henderson State University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the distant town of Arkadelphia, Henderson State University is a public college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Henderson State University take out $19,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Arkansas State University - Newport came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ASUN take out is $17,302.
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Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. JRMC School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pine Bluff.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at JRMC School of Nursing accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.
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John Brown University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the distant town of Siloam Springs, JBU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from JBU take out $27,077 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Arkansas at Little Rock came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. Located in the city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UA Little Rock carry an average student debtload of $32,086.
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With a ranking of #10, Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at A-State accumulate an average of around $23,057 in student debt.
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Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that 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 |
More Nursing Rankings in Arkansas
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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