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2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky

9 Ranked Colleges
444 Degrees Awarded
$18,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Doctorate in Kentucky” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 313,362 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.

Across Kentucky, there were 5,967 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,033 and $24,430 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 444 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,800 and $117,458 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent nursing programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the nursing program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky.

Top 10 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in Kentucky

#1

University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Louisville landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Louisville is a public institution located in Louisville, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UofL also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at UofL are $27,575, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Nursing at UofL

#2

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kentucky. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky list. University of Kentucky is a large public school situated in Lexington, Kentucky. It awarded 69 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

UK also took the #2 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UK are $33,216.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Kentucky

#3

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Kentucky University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky list. NKU is a fairly large public school situated in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It awarded 66 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

NKU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Kentucky University are $17,358, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Nursing at Northern Kentucky University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Frontier Nursing University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky list. Frontier Nursing University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hyden, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 196 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Frontier Nursing University also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Frontier Nursing University are $20,292, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Nursing at Frontier Nursing University

#5

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, Kentucky
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Kentucky University landed the #5 spot on the list. Western Kentucky University is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Kentucky that handed out 19 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

WKU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Kentucky University are $18,340, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Western Kentucky University Nursing Report

#6

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

With a ranking of #6, Murray State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky list. Murray State is a medium-sized public school situated in Murray, Kentucky. It awarded 27 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Murray State, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Murray State University are $14,400, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Nursing at Murray State University

#7

Bellarmine University

Louisville, Kentucky
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Bellarmine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky list. Bellarmine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Louisville, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bellarmine U also took the #6 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Bellarmine University are $16,645, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Nursing at Bellarmine University

#8

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, Kentucky
#9 in overall quality

Kentucky State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky ranking. Kentucky State University is a small public school situated in Frankfort, Kentucky. It awarded 2 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

KY State also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at Kentucky State University are $12,650, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Nursing at Kentucky State University

#9

Spalding University

Louisville, Kentucky
#8 in overall quality

Spalding University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky list. Spalding University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Louisville, Kentucky. It awarded 1 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Spalding also took the #8 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Spalding University are $12,286, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Nursing at Spalding

#9

Eastern Kentucky University

Richmond, Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in Kentucky list. Eastern is a fairly large school located in Richmond, Kentucky that handed out 14 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Eastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern are $14,500, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Nursing at Eastern Kentucky University

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.

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