2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 90 schools in North Carolina to see which 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.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in North Carolina.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of North Carolina at Wilmington the most popular school in North Carolina for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UNCW take out is $21,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $212, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Duke University is a great place for nursing students. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
Nursing majors at Duke take out an average of $25,184 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at Gaston College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in the suburb of Dallas, Gaston College is a public college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Gaston College take out an average of $10,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means East Carolina University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $261.
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The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Greensboro helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. UNC Greensboro is a large public school located in the large city of Greensboro.
On average, nursing graduates from UNC Greensboro take out $22,250 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $151.
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Winston - Salem State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem, WSSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from WSSU carry an average student debt load of $24,946. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $135, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UNC Charlotte accumulate an average of around $23,828 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $166.
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Western Carolina University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. WCU is a large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.
Nursing majors at WCU take out an average of $23,614 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $215.
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Fayetteville State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Fayetteville State University is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville.
Nursing majors at Fayetteville State University take out an average of $22,125 in student loans while working on their egree.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
On average, nursing graduates from UNC Chapel Hill take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Queens University of Charlotte ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Queens is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Queens take out an average of $32,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Gardner - Webb University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina list. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Boiling Springs.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Gardner - Webb carry an average student debt load of $23,203. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $302, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Appalachian State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Appalachian State take out is $18,902. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $180, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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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 North Carolina award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Carolinas College of Health Sciences | Charlotte, NC |
| 15 | Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh, NC |
| 16 | Forsyth Technical Community College | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 17 | Pitt Community College | Winterville, NC |
| 18 | Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte, NC |
| 18 | Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | Asheville, NC |
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 |
|---|---|
| Florida | 21,209 |
| 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 |
Nursing Related Majors
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
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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