If you pursue a degree in nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 495 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 76,869 degrees in nursing to qualified students.
Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The schools below may not offer all types of nursing degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat Duke University if you want to pursue a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were approximately 537 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Duke University receive $22,324 more than the standard nursing student.
It is difficult to beat Emory University if you wish to pursue a degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.
There were about 695 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing major at Emory University get $3,543 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
With the affordable and transfer-friendly online RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University, you can build upon your prior educational journey and enhance your professional experience in a program designed to fit around your schedule.
University of South Carolina - Columbia is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. UofSC is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #99 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 418 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from University of South Carolina - Columbia earn a boost of around $5,265 over the typical income of nursing majors.
Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Fort Lauderdale. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a great university overall.
There were approximately 1157 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $74,926.
U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Coral Gables. A Best Colleges rank of #175 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.
There were about 497 nursing students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from University of Miami earn a boost of around $16,038 above the average income of nursing graduates.
Located in the large city of Louisville, Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
There were roughly 1042 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $70,026 in the first couple years of working.
Located in the suburb of Birmingham, Samford is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 5th out of 42 schools for overall quality in the state of Alabama.
There were about 274 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Samford in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing program at Samford University earn $37,933 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSNProgram Name
At Southern New Hampshire University, we understand the demands placed on today's nursing professionals. When it comes to your education, consider saving money and time by electing the RN to MSN pathway. Eligible students will complete graduate courses within their undergraduate program. This pathway allows you to gain a BSN along the way and ultimately shorten your time within the MSN Nursing Education or Population Healthcare tracks.
Located in the distant town of Thomasville, Southwest Georgia Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Southwest Georgia Technical College is a great college overall.
There were about 86 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Southwest Georgia Technical College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $69,971.
Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.
There were roughly 335 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $73,813.
Located in the large city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #130 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Valencia College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 365 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Valencia College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $70,422 in their early career salary.
Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.
There were about 286 nursing students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of Virginia - Main Campus get an earnings boost of approximately $6,072 above the average earnings of nursing graduates.
Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 387 nursing students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Virginia Commonwealth University make $17,861 more than the typical nursing student.
UTHSC is a small public university located in the large city of Memphis.
There were approximately 194 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UTHSC in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center receive $15,304 more than the standard nursing graduate.
UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were approximately 343 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $83,890 in the first couple years of working.
BC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Fort Lauderdale. This college ranks 15th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were roughly 439 nursing students who graduated with this degree at BC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients usually make around $74,108 in their early careers.
MS in Nursing - Family Nurse PractitionerProgram Name
Break into one of the most high-demand occupations in the nation with your online MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the medium-sized city of Charleston, MUSC is a public university with a small student population.
There were roughly 339 nursing students who graduated with this degree at MUSC in the most recent data year. After graduating, nursing degree recipients generally make around $85,451 at the beginning of their careers.
Rasmussen University - Florida is a small private for-profit university located in the city of Ocala. A Best Colleges rank of #168 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rasmussen University - Florida is a great university overall.
There were approximately 1656 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Rasmussen University - Florida in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, nursing degree recipients usually make an average of $69,825 in their early careers.
ECU is a very large public university located in the city of Greenville. This university ranks 7th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were roughly 568 nursing students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make around $85,758 in the first couple years of working.
ECPI University is a large private for-profit university located in the large city of Virginia Beach. This university ranks 10th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were about 905 nursing students who graduated with this degree at ECPI University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $73,406.
NFC is a small public college located in the rural area of Madison. This college ranks 27th out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were roughly 98 nursing students who graduated with this degree at NFC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, nursing degree recipients typically earn about $67,263 in their early careers.
FIU is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Miami. This university ranks 13th out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were roughly 451 nursing students who graduated with this degree at FIU in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Florida International University earn a boost of approximately $5,387 over the typical income of nursing graduates.
Located in the midsize city of Birmingham, UAB is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Alabama.
There were approximately 1118 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UAB in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from University of Alabama at Birmingham make $9,551 more than the standard nursing student.
NUS Florida is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale. This university ranks 14th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were approximately 724 nursing students who graduated with this degree at NUS Florida in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $84,561.
Located in the large city of Miami, MDC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 18th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were about 744 nursing students who graduated with this degree at MDC in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients typically make about $73,016 in their early careers.
USF Tampa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tampa. This university ranks 8th out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were about 817 nursing students who graduated with this degree at USF Tampa in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at University of South Florida - Main Campus make $4,060 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region badge.
Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 20% of the 495 different Southeast nursing schools we analyzed.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
