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Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

55 Colleges
$69,595 Avg Salary
$23,663 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Virginia. In total, 6,775 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Virginia.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Nursing Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 55 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best programs for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

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 2023 rankings named Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing the best school in Virginia for nursing students. Standard College of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Falls Church.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Standard College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $27,280 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Chamberlain University - Virginia. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. Chamberlain - Virginia is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Arlington.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Chamberlain - Virginia carry an average student debtload of $38,460. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $256.

Full Nursing at Chamberlain University - Virginia Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Sentara College of Health Sciences is a great place for nursing students. Sentara College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Chesapeake.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Sentara College of Health Sciences take out is $27,686. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $155.

Full Nursing at Sentara College of Health Sciences Report

The excellent programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Virginia. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Nursing majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $16,836 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#5

Eastern Virginia Career College

Fredericksburg, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Eastern Virginia Career College is a great place for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Fredericksburg, Eastern Virginia Career College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Eastern Virginia Career College accumulate an average of around $22,874 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Eastern Virginia Career College Report

#6

Centra College of Nursing

Lynchburg, VA

Centra College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Centra College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Centra College of Nursing take out $21,076 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#7

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA

University of Mary Washington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. UMW is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Fredericksburg.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UMW carry an average student debtload of $15,725.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Mary Washington

Virginia Commonwealth University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in Virginia list. VCU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Richmond.

On average, nursing graduates from VCU take out $26,687 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $238.

Read full report on Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University

#9

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a very large student population.

Nursing majors at JMU take out an average of $23,125 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 $329.

Read More…

Riverside College of Health Careers came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Newport News, Riverside College of Health Careers is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Riverside College of Health Careers carry an average student debtload of $27,651.

Read full report on Nursing at Riverside College of Health Careers

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
Georgia 7,112
Kentucky 6,395
West Virginia 1,771
Alabama 7,364
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
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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