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Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina

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2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina

29 Colleges
$69,985 Avg Salary
$25,287 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in South Carolina with 3,296 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. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 29 schools in South Carolina to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina

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

#1

Trident Technical College

Charleston, SC

Our analysis found Trident Technical College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in South Carolina. Located in the city of Charleston, Trident Technical College is a public school with a large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Trident Technical College take out $28,792 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Trident Technical College

The excellent programs at Medical University of South Carolina helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Carolina. MUSC is a small public school located in the city of Charleston.

Nursing majors at MUSC take out an average of $28,354 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $399.

Read More…

#3

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

The excellent programs at Clemson University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Carolina. Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Clemson take out $24,742 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $282.

Full Nursing at Clemson University Report

Out of the 29 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the # 4 spot on the list. UofSC is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

Nursing majors at UofSC take out an average of $26,237 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $360.

Full Nursing at University of South Carolina - Columbia Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Anderson University South Carolina. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina list. Anderson University South Carolina is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Anderson.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Anderson University South Carolina accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $441, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Anderson University South Carolina Report

University of South Carolina - Upstate ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina list. Located in the midsize suburb of Spartanburg, USC Upstate is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USC Upstate take out is $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $137, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of South Carolina - Upstate Report

University of South Carolina - Aiken came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina ranking. Located in the suburb of Aiken, UofSC Aiken is a public school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UofSC Aiken take out $26,999 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at University of South Carolina - Aiken Report

#8

Lander University

Greenwood, SC

Lander University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in South Carolina list. Lander University is a small public school located in the distant town of Greenwood.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lander University take out is $24,936.

Read full report on Nursing at Lander University

#9

Claflin University

Orangeburg, SC

Claflin University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the town of Orangeburg, Claflin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Claflin take out is $28,526.

Read More…

#10

Francis Marion University

Florence, SC

With a ranking of #10, Francis Marion University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the small suburb of Florence, Francis Marion University is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Francis Marion University accumulate an average of around $29,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $115.

Read More…

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
North Carolina 7,425
Tennessee 6,004
Kentucky 6,395
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
Virginia 6,775
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Arkansas 2,882

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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