2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools
Finding the Most Popular Online 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.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. 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 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 417 schools in the United States to see which online programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.
2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing an online .
Top 25 Most Popular Online Schools in Nursing
Our analysis found Western Governors University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online degree in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City, WGU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at WGU take out is $21,420.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Capella University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, Capella University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Capella University take out is $27,599.
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The excellent online programs at Excelsior College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the United States. Excelsior College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Albany.
Nursing majors at Excelsior College take out an average of $23,176 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Out of the 417 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern New Hampshire University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Nursing majors at SNHU take out an average of $31,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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American Sentinel University 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 midsize suburb of Aurora, American Sentinel University is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from American Sentinel University take out $24,075 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Chamberlain University - Illinois came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Addison, Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Chamberlain - Illinois take out is $38,460. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.
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Purdue University Northwest came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Purdue Northwest is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Hammond.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Purdue Northwest carry an average student debtload of $25,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $152.
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Purdue University Global ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Purdue University Global take out is $39,595. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $157, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #10, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. USF Tampa is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Tampa.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USF Tampa take out is $24,636. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $181.
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Loyola University Chicago landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
On average, nursing graduates from Loyola Chicago take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $767, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #12, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from ASU - Skysong carry an average student debtload of $25,937. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $264.
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Liberty University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools ranking. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at Liberty University take out an average of $28,000 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 $554.
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With a ranking of #14, Wilmington University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of New Castle, Wilmington University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Nursing majors at Wilmington University take out an average of $23,448 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Grand Canyon University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the city of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Grand Canyon University take out $24,999 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $198.
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Maryville University of Saint Louis landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Maryville U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Maryville U carry an average student debtload of $31,009. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $416.
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Nova Southeastern University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Fort Lauderdale, NUS Florida is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from NUS Florida take out $31,538 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $334, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #18, 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 very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from ECU take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $261, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #19, National University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from National University take out $37,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $198.
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University of Michigan - Flint did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the small city of Flint, UM Flint is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UM Flint accumulate an average of around $40,680 in student debt.
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Georgia Southern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the town of Statesboro, GaSou is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at GaSou take out is $28,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $121.
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University of Arkansas landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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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University of Memphis ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools list. Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UofM accumulate an average of around $26,625 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $115, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Frontier Nursing University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #23 on the list. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Hyden.
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Rutgers University - Camden did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the city of Camden, Rutgers Camden is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Rutgers Camden take out an average of $27,500 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $217, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Additional Award Winners
This list represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Online Nursing Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 417 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Utah Valley University | Orem, UT |
| 52 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 53 | Amarillo College | Amarillo, TX |
| 54 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR |
| 55 | California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson, CA |
| 56 | Washburn University | Topeka, KS |
| 56 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 58 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NC |
| 59 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 60 | Davenport University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 61 | ECPI University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 62 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University | Weatherford, OK |
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for online Nursing students that almost earned our Most Popular Online Nursing Schools award.
Most Popular Online Nursing by Region
View the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Nursing Rankings
Nursing Related Majors
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
- 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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