2023 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina
Finding the Best Nursing 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 77 schools in North Carolina to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Wake Forest University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem.
The excellent programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
On average, nursing graduates from Duke take out $25,184 in student loans while working on their degree.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cabarrus College of Health Sciences. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Concord.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $27,082 in student debt.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Carolinas College of Health Sciences. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a public college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Carolinas College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $23,000 in student debt.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great place for nursing students. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UNC Chapel Hill carry an average student debtload of $25,000.
Read full report on Nursing at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public school located in the city of Charlotte.
Nursing majors at UNC Charlotte take out an average of $23,828 in student loans while working on their egree. 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
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UNC Greensboro carry an average student debtload of $22,250. 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
With a ranking of #8, East Carolina University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at ECU take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $261.
Winston - Salem State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, WSSU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from WSSU carry an average student debtload of $24,946. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $135, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Nursing at Winston - Salem State University
University of North Carolina at Wilmington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from UNCW take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $212, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington
North Carolina A & T State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. NC A&T is a large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NC A&T take out is $30,303.
Honorable Mentions
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 North Carolina award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Chamberlain University - North Carolina | Charlotte, NC |
| 13 | University of Mount Olive | Mount Olive, NC |
| 14 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 15 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NC |
Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges 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 |
More Nursing Rankings in North Carolina
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
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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