by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region” ranking.
Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,916 and had an average of $25,426 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 77,470 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,632 and $24,151 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 579 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in nursing.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region nursing students.
Out of the 579 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Florida landed the #1 spot on the list. Rasmussen University - Florida is located in Ocala, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,443 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Alabama. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region. USA is located in Mobile, Alabama and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,385 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,193 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Nursing at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region. This large school is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and it awarded 1,151 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a fairly large school located in Wilmington, North Carolina that handed out 1,001 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Galen College of Nursing - Louisville ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Louisville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 887 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville
With a ranking of #7, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. University of Central Florida is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 907 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Miami Dade College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 843 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #9, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school handed out 803 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Northern Kentucky University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. NKU is a public institution located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 870 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Frontier Nursing University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #11. Frontier Nursing University is located in Hyden, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 913 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
ECPI University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this fairly large private for-profit school awarded 780 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, South University’s online programs did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Savannah, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 806 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at South University’s online programs
East Tennessee State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. East Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school situated in Johnson City, Tennessee. It awarded 737 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Miami Regional University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Miami Regional University is a small school located in Miami Springs, Florida that handed out 713 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
St Petersburg College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Clearwater, Florida, this large public school awarded 688 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Florida State College at Jacksonville came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Florida State College at Jacksonville is a large school located in Jacksonville, Florida that handed out 647 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Liberty University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 725 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Nova Southeastern University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Nova Southeastern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It awarded 626 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
With a ranking of #20, The University of Alabama did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 590 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Emory University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #21. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 571 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay is a private for-profit institution located in Saint Petersburg, Florida. The school has a small population, and it awarded 549 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Tampa Bay
The University of West Florida came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UWF is a fairly large school located in Pensacola, Florida that handed out 543 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at The University of West Florida
Mississippi University for Women ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region list. Columbus, Mississippi is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 525 students in 2020-2021.
Duke University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 573 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 52 | Daytona State College | Daytona Beach, FL |
| 53 | Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VA |
| 54 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
| 55 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| 55 | Seminole State College of Florida | Sanford, FL |
| 57 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 58 | Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans | New Orleans, LA |
| 59 | Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, KY |
| 60 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 61 | State College of Florida - Manatee - Sarasota | Bradenton, FL |
| 62 | South College | Knoxville, TN |
| 62 | Chamberlain University - Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
| 64 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY |
| 65 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Medical University of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 67 | Columbus State University | Columbus, GA |
| 68 | Santa Fe College | Gainesville, FL |
| 69 | Winston - Salem State University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 70 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 71 | Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, GA |
| 71 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 73 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 74 | University of South Carolina - Upstate | Spartanburg, SC |
| 75 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 76 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 76 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 76 | West Coast University-Miami | Doral, FL |
| 79 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
| 80 | Delgado Community College | New Orleans, LA |
| 81 | Pensacola State College | Pensacola, FL |
| 81 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV |
| 83 | Troy University | Troy, AL |
| 84 | Indian River State College | Fort Pierce, FL |
| 85 | Pasco-Hernando State College | New Port Richey, FL |
| 86 | Albany State University | Albany, GA |
| 87 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 87 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
