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2024 Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky

42 Colleges in Kentucky
6,822 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$65,824 Avg Early-Career Salary
Nursing is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 42 schools in Kentucky to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 6,822 degrees in nursing to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky The nursing program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Nursing rankings. For our Best Overall Nursing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Nursing Rankings by 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 Kentucky ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Nursing in Kentucky

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Kentucky Schools in Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,020 Nursing Degrees Awarded
10.5% Growth in Graduates

Frontier Nursing University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Versailles.

There were approximately 1020 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Frontier Nursing University in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Frontier Nursing University get an earnings boost of approximately $36,286 over the typical earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a degree in nursing from Frontier Nursing University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,042 Nursing Degrees Awarded
14.9% Growth in Graduates

Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in nursing. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit college located in the city of Louisville.

There were approximately 1042 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $62,842.

More information about a degree in nursing from Galen College of Nursing - Louisville

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
366 Nursing Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in nursing has to take a look at University of Kentucky. Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UK is a great university overall.

There were approximately 366 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing major at University of Kentucky get $20,413 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Kentucky

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
353 Nursing Degrees Awarded
5.4% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in nursing has to take a look at University of Louisville. UofL is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Louisville. A Best Colleges rank of #338 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofL is a great university overall.

There were about 353 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UofL in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $65,695.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Louisville

5
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,113 Nursing Degrees Awarded
21.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #716 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NKU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1113 nursing students who graduated with this degree at NKU in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Northern Kentucky University make $8,801 more than the standard nursing grad.

More information about a degree in nursing from Northern Kentucky University

6
Bellarmine U crest
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$75,214 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Louisville, Bellarmine U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #682 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Bellarmine U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 153 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Bellarmine U in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Bellarmine University earn $9,390 more than the typical nursing student.

More information about a degree in nursing from Bellarmine University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
333 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$68,864 Median Starting Salary

WKU is a large public university located in the small city of Bowling Green. A Best Colleges rank of #903 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WKU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 333 nursing students who graduated with this degree at WKU in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Western Kentucky University earn $3,039 more than the standard nursing grad.

More information about a degree in nursing from Western Kentucky University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
338 Nursing Degrees Awarded
7.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Richmond, Eastern is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1010 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Eastern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 338 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Eastern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at Eastern Kentucky University make $2,806 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from Eastern Kentucky University

9
Berea crest
Berea College
Berea, KY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42.9% Growth in Graduates
$60,236 Median Starting Salary

Berea is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Berea. A Best Colleges rank of #987 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Berea is a great college overall.

There were about 14 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Berea in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, nursing degree recipients generally earn an average of $60,236 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from Berea College

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Nursing Degrees Awarded
51.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the remote town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #434 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cumberlands is a great university overall.

There were approximately 192 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Cumberlands in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients generally earn around $58,893 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of the Cumberlands

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia2877,016
Florida28221,034
North Carolina2797,329
Virginia2746,630
Tennessee2695,906
South Carolina2483,276
Louisiana2423,416
Mississippi2342,801
Arkansas2342,878
Alabama2337,210
West Virginia2071,768

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Registered Nursing5,198
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing328
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery312
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing303
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing239
Nursing Practice226
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing102
Nursing Administration51
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing51
Nursing Science8

View All Nursing Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants3,834
Health & Medical Administrative Services2,049
Allied Health Professions1,352
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services1,118
Health Sciences & Services459
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions449
Medicine440
Public Health423
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science416
Mental & Social Health Services378

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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