2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 313,362 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, nursing is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $67,065 and had an average of $26,282 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 159,958 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 994 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great nursing programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the nursing program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree nursing students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing
Out of the 994 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Governors University landed the #1 spot on the list. Western Governors University is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11,863 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
WGU also claimed a top spot on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. It costs about $9,805 for bachelor’s degree nursing students per year to attend Western Governors University.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 789 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UOPX - Arizona also did well on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona is $12,944 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Phoenix - Arizona
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Phoenix - California. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 203 students in 2019-2020.
UOPX - California also claimed a top spot on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,664 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend University of Phoenix - California.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Capella University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s. Capella University is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,035 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Capella University excels when it comes to nursing quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Capella University is $17,619 for bachelor’s degree nursing students.
Out of the 994 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, American Sentinel University landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Aurora, Colorado, and it awarded 608 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, American Sentinel University is in the top on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend BYU is $13,322 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Brigham Young University - Idaho came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Rexburg, Idaho, and it awarded 276 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,167 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students per year to attend BYU - I.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at Brigham Young University - Idaho
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. SUNY Downstate is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SUNY Downstate also took the #13 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
With a ranking of #9, United States University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s list. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.
Wilmington University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s list. Located in New Castle, Delaware, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 461 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Wilmington University is $14,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
West Coast University - Dallas came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, this small private for-profit school handed out 182 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, West Coast University - Dallas is in the top on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend West Coast University - Dallas is $27,473 for bachelor’s degree nursing students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Minot State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Minot State University is a small school located in Minot, North Dakota that handed out 54 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Minot State University is $11,898 for bachelor’s degree nursing students.
The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #13. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 170 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The Graduate Center is also in the top of our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Clarkson College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 118 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Clarkson College excels when it comes to nursing quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Clarkson College is $20,123 for bachelor’s degree nursing students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Purdue University Northwest came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Hammond, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 655 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue Northwest is also in the top of our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $11,250 for bachelor’s degree nursing students.
Kettering College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #16. Kettering College is located in Kettering, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 108 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, Kettering College is in the top on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,853 for bachelor’s degree nursing students per year to attend Kettering College.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Thomas Edison State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s list. TESU is a public institution located in Trenton, New Jersey. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 193 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Mississippi University for Women ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s list. MUW is located in Columbus, Mississippi and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 371 bachelors’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for MUW is $12,054 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 1,051 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at TTUHSC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
South Dakota State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 313 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,252 for bachelor’s degree nursing students per year to attend South Dakota State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Denver College of Nursing came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Denver, Colorado, this small private for-profit school awarded 382 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Denver College of Nursing also did well on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.
The low student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
West Coast University - Orange County ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Anaheim, California, and it awarded 759 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
West Coast University - Orange County not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $39,100 for bachelor’s degree nursing students per year to attend West Coast University - Orange County.
The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County
North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Fargo, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 202 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University is also in the top of our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus is $16,584 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Bemidji State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in Bemidji, Minnesota, and it awarded 150 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Bemidji State University is $15,868 for Bachelor’s Degree Nursing students.
Walden University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s ranking. Walden University is a private for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 892 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Chamberlain University - Illinois | Addison, IL |
| 52 | Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health | Omaha, NE |
| 53 | Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NC |
| 54 | Bryan College of Health Sciences | Lincoln, NE |
| 55 | Mercy College of Health Sciences | Des Moines, IA |
| 56 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Green Bay, WI |
| 57 | Wenatchee Valley College | Wenatchee, WA |
| 58 | West Coast University-Miami | Doral, FL |
| 58 | The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences | Cincinnati, OH |
| 60 | Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| 61 | Chamberlain University - Texas | Houston, TX |
| 62 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | Concord, NC |
| 63 | Nicholls State University | Thibodaux, LA |
| 64 | Bellin College | Green Bay, WI |
| 65 | Chamberlain University - Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 141 | Mansfield University of Pennsylvania | Mansfield, PA |
| 142 | Miami Dade College | Miami, FL |
| 143 | Tarleton State University | Stephenville, TX |
| 144 | Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences | Canton, OH |
| 145 | University of South Alabama | Mobile, AL |
| 146 | American University of Health Sciences | Signal Hill, CA |
| 146 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
| 148 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park, CA |
| 149 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 149 | South Florida State College | Avon Park, FL |
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Notes and References
References
- 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
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