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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

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

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

There are so many healthcare programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 30 schools in Tennessee to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs 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.

Our 2023 rankings named East Tennessee State University the most popular school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. ETSU is a large public school located in the city of Johnson City.

About 85% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 15% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at ETSU accumulate an average of around $26,540 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $176, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#2

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Memphis is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from UofM take out $27,057 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 $115.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Memphis

#3

South College

Knoxville, TN

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at South College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the city of Knoxville, South College is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at South College take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $42,762.

Full Nursing at South College Report

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

Nursing majors at UT Knoxville take out an average of $20,875 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#5

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Belmont University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Belmont take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,282. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $673, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Belmont University Report

Lincoln Memorial University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. LMU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Harrogate.

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

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from LMU carry an average student debt load of $30,082. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $107, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Lincoln Memorial University Report

#7

Union University

Jackson, TN

With a ranking of #7, Union University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Union take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $31,776. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $477, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Union University Report

#8

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

Austin Peay State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 156 students majoring in nursing at Austin Peay State University, 10% are male and 90% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Austin Peay State University accumulate an average of around $30,081 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Austin Peay State University

With a ranking of #9, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the remote town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 140 students majoring in nursing at Tennessee Tech University, 18% are male and 82% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Tennessee Tech University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $19,572.

Full Nursing at Tennessee Technological University Report

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public college with a large student population.

Of the 120 students majoring in nursing at UT Chattanooga, 18% are male and 83% are female.

Nursing majors at UT Chattanooga take out an average of $24,775 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
Kentucky 6,395
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
Virginia 6,775
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
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

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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