2027 Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in the Southeast Region
[Clinical Nurse Specialist](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/clinical-nurse-specialist/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for clinical nurse specialist students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools in the Southeast Region
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the clinical nurse specialist degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Clinical Nurse Specialist Schools
For return on investment in clinical nurse specialist, no school beat East Carolina University this year. East Carolina University is a very large public school located in the city of Greenville. Students from in state pay about $7,361 in tuition and fees, compared with $23,638 for out-of-state students. Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates carry a median of $25,264 in student loans. Early-career clinical nurse specialist graduates make about $96,898. That is a strong return on a $25,264 median debt. The acceptance rate is 89%.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Virginia Main Campus one of the best values for clinical nurse specialist. Set in the suburb of Charlottesville, University Of Virginia Main Campus is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $23,118, while out-of-state students pay about $61,591. Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates carry a median of $15,130 in student loans. Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates of University Of Virginia Main Campus earn a median of $69,126 early in their careers. Set against $15,130 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 17%.
Students looking for strong value in clinical nurse specialist will find it at Jacksonville University, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Jacksonville, Jacksonville University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $48,150. Students borrow a median of $28,000 to complete the clinical nurse specialist program here. Soon after graduation, clinical nurse specialist degree recipients from Jacksonville University generally make around $97,066. That is a strong return on a $28,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 57%.
A rank of #4 makes Florida Southern College one of the best values for clinical nurse specialist. Florida Southern College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lakeland. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $44,040. Clinical Nurse Specialist graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career clinical nurse specialist graduates make about $48,665. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 64% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
