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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee

46 Colleges
$68,124 Avg Salary
$23,683 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 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 46 schools in Tennessee 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named East Tennessee State University the most popular school in Tennessee for nursing students. ETSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Johnson City.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from ETSU carry an average student debt load of $25,000. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $176, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Out of the 46 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Lincoln Memorial University landed the # 2 spot on the list. LMU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Harrogate.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from LMU carry an average student debt load of $24,097. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $97.

Full Nursing at Lincoln Memorial University Report

#3

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Vanderbilt University

#4

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Memphis.

Nursing majors at UofM take out an average of $26,625 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 $115.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Memphis

The excellent programs at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Knoxville take out is $19,518.

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

#6

South College

Knoxville, TN

South College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, South College is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from South College take out $44,006 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at South College

#7

Union University

Jackson, TN

Union University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the small city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Union take out an average of $29,200 in student loans while working on their egree. 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

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

Southern Adventist University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Southern Adventist carry an average student debt load of $25,547. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $375, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Southern Adventist University Report

#9

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Belmont University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Belmont take out is $25,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $673, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Belmont University Report

#10

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

Austin Peay State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Austin Peay State University carry an average student debt load of $27,618.

Read full report on Nursing at Austin Peay State University

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
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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