2026 Best Nursing Practice Schools in Virginia
Nursing Practice programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for nursing practice students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Nursing Practice in Virginia
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the nursing practice degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Nursing Practice
Our analysis ranked George Mason University the best school in the country for a degree in nursing practice. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, George Mason University is a very large public university. Roughly 68% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 21 nursing practice students who graduated with this degree at George Mason University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their nursing practice degree from George Mason University earn around $99,718 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $22,750.
Get the full nursing practice details for George Mason University
A rank of #2 makes James Madison University one of the top schools for nursing practice. This very large public university is located in the city of Harrisonburg. About 80% of students finish within six years. About 11 nursing practice degrees were awarded at James Madison University in the most recent year. Nursing Practice graduates of James Madison University earn a median of $87,152 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $21,347 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in nursing practice from James Madison University
Students looking for a strong nursing practice program will find one at Virginia Commonwealth University, which ranked #3. Virginia Commonwealth University is a very large public school located in the city of Richmond. About 63% of students finish within six years. Virginia Commonwealth University awarded about 86 nursing practice degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their nursing practice degree from Virginia Commonwealth University earn around $128,772 in the first couple years of their career. Virginia Commonwealth University graduates carry a median of $26,250 in student loans.
See the full nursing practice program report for Virginia Commonwealth University
Students looking for a strong nursing practice program will find one at Marymount University, which ranked #4. Set in the city of Arlington, Marymount University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Marymount University graduates 54% of students within six years. About 10 nursing practice degrees were awarded at Marymount University in the most recent year. Nursing Practice graduates of Marymount University earn a median of $92,849 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $29,166 to complete this degree.
Get the full nursing practice details for Marymount University
Students looking for a strong nursing practice program will find one at Liberty University, which ranked #5. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg. Liberty University graduates 67% of students within six years. Liberty University awarded about 69 nursing practice degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their nursing practice degree from Liberty University earn around $83,872 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,457.
See the full nursing practice program report for Liberty University
More Nursing Practice Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 12 schools evaluated.
- 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.
