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2024 Best Nursing Schools in Massachusetts

41 Colleges in Massachusetts
7,220 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$78,666 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #3 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 41 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Schools in Massachusetts ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,220 degrees in nursing during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in Massachusetts Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for nursing schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Nursing Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Nursing
Bachelor's Degrees in Nursing
Master's Degrees in Nursing
Doctor's Degrees in Nursing

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Schools in Massachusetts ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Nursing in Massachusetts

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the nursing degree levels they offer.

10 Top Massachusetts Schools in Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
613 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$84,275 Median Starting Salary

Simmons University is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Simmons is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #90 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Simmons is a great university overall.

There were roughly 613 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Simmons in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Simmons University make $5,608 more than the typical nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from Simmons University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
217 Nursing Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Northeastern University if you want to pursue a degree in nursing. Northeastern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #59 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were about 217 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Northeastern University receive $26,355 more than the standard nursing grad.

More information about a degree in nursing from Northeastern University

3
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
226 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$81,286 Median Starting Salary

Boston College is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in nursing. Boston College is a large private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Chestnut Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #60 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Boston College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 226 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Boston College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing program at Boston College earn $2,620 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in nursing from Boston College

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
322 Nursing Degrees Awarded
5.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in nursing needs to take a look at MGH Institute of Health Professions. Located in the large city of Boston, MGH Institute of Health Professions is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were approximately 322 nursing students who graduated with this degree at MGH Institute of Health Professions in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $80,453.

More information about a degree in nursing from MGH Institute of Health Professions

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
473 Nursing Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Boston, MCPHS University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

There were about 473 nursing students who graduated with this degree at MCPHS University in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences receive an earnings boost of around $5,029 above the typical income of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
161 Nursing Degrees Awarded
27.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Worcester, Quinsigamond Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 42nd out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 161 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Quinsigamond Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $63,168.

More information about a degree in nursing from Quinsigamond Community College

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
239 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$83,052 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #81 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMass Amherst is a great university overall.

There were roughly 239 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst receive $4,386 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Massachusetts Amherst

8
Regis College crest
Regis College
Weston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
890 Nursing Degrees Awarded
8.9% Growth in Graduates

Regis College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Weston.

There were approximately 890 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Regis College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $79,131.

More information about a degree in nursing from Regis College

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$106,519 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Worcester, UMass Medical School is a public university with a small student population.

There were roughly 86 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UMass Medical School in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester receive an earnings boost of approximately $27,852 above the typical income of nursing graduates.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
617 Nursing Degrees Awarded
25.4% Growth in Graduates

UMass Boston is a large public university located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #433 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMass Boston is a great university overall.

There were roughly 617 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UMass Boston in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing program at University of Massachusetts - Boston get $17,198 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Massachusetts - Boston

Best Nursing Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Connecticut2413,035
New Hampshire2102,059
Maine2021,238
Rhode Island2001,084
Vermont194390

View All Rankings >

Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Registered Nursing5,239
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing651
Nursing Science527
Nursing Practice369
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing150
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing73
Nursing Administration60
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing42
Clinical Nurse Specialist28
Nurse Anesthetist24

View All Nursing Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Health1,803
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions1,435
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences1,340
Allied Health Professions1,223
Health & Medical Administrative Services1,081
Mental & Social Health Services1,002
Health Sciences & Services816
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services759
Communication Sciences700
Medicine693

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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