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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida

96 Colleges
$66,973 Avg Salary
$25,610 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 Florida. In total, 21,209 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Florida.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 96 schools in Florida to see which ones were the most popular 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 .

Our analysis found Rasmussen University - Florida to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Florida. Located in the city of Ocala, Rasmussen University - Florida is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Florida take out is $35,539. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $161.

Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Florida Report

#2

Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida list. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale accumulate an average of around $38,116 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $151.

Full Nursing at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Central Florida is a great place for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UCF take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Central Florida

#4

Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Miami Dade College is a great place for nursing students. Located in the large city of Miami, MDC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MDC take out is $14,750.

Read More…

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of South Florida - Main Campus is a great place for nursing students. USF Tampa is a very large public school located in the city of Tampa.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USF Tampa take out is $24,636. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $181.

Full Nursing at University of South Florida - Main Campus Report

#6

Miami Regional University

Miami Springs, FL

Miami Regional University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida ranking. Miami Regional University is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Miami Springs.

Nursing majors at Miami Regional University take out an average of $32,633 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Miami Regional University Report

#7

St Petersburg College

Clearwater, FL

With a ranking of #7, St Petersburg College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. SPC is a very large public school located in the city of Clearwater.

On average, nursing graduates from SPC take out $22,934 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at St Petersburg College

Florida State College at Jacksonville landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. FSCJ is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Jacksonville.

On average, nursing graduates from FSCJ take out $17,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#9

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL

With a ranking of #9, Nova Southeastern University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Fort Lauderdale, NUS Florida is a private not-for-profit school 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. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $334.

Full Nursing at Nova Southeastern University Report

#10

Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay

Saint Petersburg, FL

Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the city of Saint Petersburg, Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay take out an average of $41,365 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 $117.

Read full report on Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay

The University of West Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. UWF is a fairly large public school located in the city of Pensacola.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UWF take out is $21,000.

Full Nursing at The University of West Florida Report

#12

University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL

University of Miami ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida list. Located in the small city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Nursing majors at U Miami take out an average of $25,000 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 $483.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Miami

Florida International University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at FIU accumulate an average of around $20,792 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Florida International University

#14

Jacksonville University

Jacksonville, FL

With a ranking of #14, Jacksonville University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Jacksonville, JU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at JU take out is $31,292.

Full Nursing at Jacksonville University Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Schools in Florida award.

Rank College Location
15 Florida SouthWestern State College Fort Myers, FL
16 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
17 Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL
18 Florida National University - Main Campus Hialeah, FL
19 Valencia College Orlando, FL

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 7,425
Tennessee 6,004
Kentucky 6,395
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
Virginia 6,775
Alabama 7,364
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
Arkansas 2,882

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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