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.
College Factual looked at 76 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,737 degrees in nursing during the 2021-2022 academic year.
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.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina list to help you make the college 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.
With the affordable and transfer-friendly online RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University, you can build upon your prior educational journey and enhance your professional experience in a program designed to fit around your schedule.
At Southern New Hampshire University, we understand the demands placed on today's nursing professionals. When it comes to your education, consider saving money and time by electing the RN to MSN pathway. Eligible students will complete graduate courses within their undergraduate program. This pathway allows you to gain a BSN along the way and ultimately shorten your time within the MSN Nursing Education or Population Healthcare tracks.
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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It's hard to beat Duke University if you wish to pursue a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were about 537 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing major at Duke University make $32,334 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in nursing. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were about 343 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $16,516 more than the average nursing graduate.
Wake Forest University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #128 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.
There were roughly 31 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Wake Forest University receive $103,551 more than the average nursing grad.
Every student pursuing a degree in nursing has to check out East Carolina University. ECU is a very large public university located in the city of Greenville. A Best Colleges rank of #414 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 568 nursing students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing major at East Carolina University get $18,371 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #457 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.
There were about 995 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Wilmington earn a boost of around $8,975 over the typical income of nursing graduates.
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Concord.
There were roughly 168 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $62,141 in the first couple years of working.
Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.
There were roughly 236 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Charlotte receive an earnings boost of approximately $13,560 above the average income of nursing majors.
Located in the town of Boiling Springs, Gardner - Webb is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 25th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were roughly 183 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Gardner - Webb in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Gardner - Webb University make $14,218 more than the average nursing graduate.
Located in the large city of Charlotte, Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a public college with a small student population.
There were approximately 167 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Carolinas College of Health Sciences in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $60,164 in their early career salary.
UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Greensboro. A Best Colleges rank of #623 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.
There were roughly 251 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Greensboro receive an earnings boost of approximately $16,464 over the typical income of nursing majors.
Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.
There were about 129 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. After graduating, nursing degree recipients generally make an average of $59,623 at the beginning of their careers.
Break into one of the most high-demand occupations in the nation with your online MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track from Southern New Hampshire University.
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the state of North Carolina that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).
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.
