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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

57 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Pennsylvania with 11,477 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. 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.

The Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 57 schools in Pennsylvania to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

#1

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

Our 2023 rankings named Drexel University the most popular school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Of the 533 students majoring in nursing at Drexel, 11% are male and 89% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Drexel take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $30,671. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $596, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Drexel University

#2

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Thomas Jefferson University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 506 students majoring in nursing at Thomas Jefferson University, 14% are male and 86% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Thomas Jefferson University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $28,302. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $537, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University Report

#3

Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gwynedd Mercy University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Gwynedd - Mercy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Gwynedd Valley.

Of the 304 students majoring in nursing at Gwynedd - Mercy, 13% are male and 88% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Gwynedd - Mercy take out $36,789 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $375.

Read More…

#4

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Duquesne University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Duquesne take out $27,560 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $648.

Read full report on Nursing at Duquesne University

#5

Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Holy Family University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Holy Family is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Holy Family accumulate an average of around $31,497 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $197.

Full Nursing at Holy Family University Report

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Pitt is a very large public school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Women make up 82% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Pitt accumulate an average of around $26,233 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $368.

Full Nursing at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Report

#7

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

With a ranking of #7, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Villanova.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

Nursing majors at Villanova take out an average of $30,032 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $433.

Read full report on Nursing at Villanova University

#8

Widener University

Chester, PA

Widener University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Chester, Widener is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 214 students majoring in nursing at Widener, 9% are male and 91% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Widener carry an average student debt load of $30,779. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $531.

Read More…

With a ranking of #9, West Chester University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 202 students majoring in nursing at WCUPA, 11% are male and 89% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

#10

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

Nursing majors at UPenn take out an average of $24,423 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at University of Pennsylvania Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 17,708
Maryland 4,104
New Jersey 5,648
District of Columbia 990
Delaware 1,267

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.

  • 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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