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2024 Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee

42 Colleges in Tennessee
6,214 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$68,124 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 42 schools in Tennessee to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,214 degrees in nursing during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee 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. 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.

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

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 Tennessee Schools in Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
490 Nursing Degrees Awarded
13.5% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Vanderbilt University if you want to pursue a degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were roughly 490 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing major at Vanderbilt University get $45,304 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$174,350 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc if you wish to pursue a degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Madison, MTSA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were roughly 79 nursing students who graduated with this degree at MTSA in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc receive $106,226 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 Nursing Degrees Awarded
33.0% Growth in Graduates

The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Memphis, UTHSC is a public university with a small student population.

There were approximately 194 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UTHSC in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center earn $14,619 more than the average nursing student.

More information about a degree in nursing from The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
225 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$65,727 Median Starting Salary

Southern Adventist University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Located in the large suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #273 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Southern Adventist is a great university overall.

There were approximately 225 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Southern Adventist in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the nursing program make around $65,727 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in nursing from Southern Adventist University

5
Union crest
Union University
Jackson, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
233 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$74,261 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #579 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Union is a great university overall.

There were about 233 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Union in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at Union University make $6,138 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from Union University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
314 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$75,018 Median Starting Salary

UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the city of Knoxville. A Best Colleges rank of #173 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were roughly 314 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville receive an earnings boost of about $6,894 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a degree in nursing from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
638 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$75,357 Median Starting Salary

ETSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Johnson City. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were about 638 nursing students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from East Tennessee State University earn a boost of around $7,233 above the average income of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from East Tennessee State University

8
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
212 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$78,546 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #206 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Belmont is a great university overall.

There were approximately 212 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Belmont in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Belmont University receive an earnings boost of around $10,422 above the typical income of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Belmont University

9
King crest
King University
Bristol, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
179 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$65,337 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Bristol, King is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 22nd out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 179 nursing students who graduated with this degree at King in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the nursing program make around $65,337 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in nursing from King University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
332 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$64,466 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Harrogate, LMU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 14th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 332 nursing students who graduated with this degree at LMU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $64,466 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in nursing from Lincoln Memorial University

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia2877,016
Florida28221,034
North Carolina2797,329
Virginia2746,630
South Carolina2483,276
Kentucky2446,143
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 Nursing5,020
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing384
Nursing Practice237
Nurse Anesthetist118
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing93
School Nursing77
Critical Care Nursing69
Nursing Administration37
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing34
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing33

View All Nursing Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Allied Health Professions2,831
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services1,707
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants1,563
Health & Medical Administrative Services1,012
Dental Support Services861
Health/Medical Prep Programs819
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences728
Medicine678
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions646
Communication Sciences466

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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