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2021 Best Nursing Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region

168 Colleges
34,233 Bachelor's Degrees
$30,020 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Nursing Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Nursing Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region

For this year's Best Nursing Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region ranking, we looked at 168 colleges that offer a bachelor's in nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent nursing programs, but they also offer a lot of support to non-traditional students.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Nursing Schools for Non-Traditional Students list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.


 

2021 Best Nursing Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for non-traditional students.

Top 25 Nursing Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1

Florida National University - Main Campus tops the 2021 list of our schools in the Southeast Region that are best for non-traditional nursing students. Located in the suburb of Hialeah, Florida National University - Main Campus is a private for-profit college with a small student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Florida National University - Main Campus also did well on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at Florida National University - Main Campus is lower than is typical, just 2.4% of students default in three years. Approximately 1,674 students take at least one class online at Florida National University - Main Campus. There are roughly 1,174 part time students in attendance at Florida National University - Main Campus.

Full Nursing at Florida National University - Main Campus Report

2
JU crest
Jacksonville University
Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville University earned the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings. JU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Jacksonville. JU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.0%. Approximately 1,447 students take at least one class online at JU. About 966 of the students at JU are attending part time.

Read More…

3
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, VA

Our rankings recognize Marymount University as the #3 school in this year's rankings. Marymount is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Arlington. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Marymount is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list.

The student loan default rate at Marymount is lower than is typical, just 1.1% of students default in three years. There are approximately 1,541 students at Marymount that take at least one class online. 1,009 of Marymount students are attending part time.

Read full report on Nursing at Marymount University

4
NUS Florida crest
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Nova Southeastern University comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. NUS Florida is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fort Lauderdale. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, NUS Florida has also earned the #9 rank in our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region ranking.

About 0.6% of NUS Florida students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 5,804 of NUS Florida students are exclusively distance learners. About 6,091 of the students at NUS Florida are attending part time.

Read More…

5
Union crest
Union University
Jackson, TN

The #5 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Union University. Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. Union also made our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list, coming in at #5.

About 1.1% of Union students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 690 students take at least one class online at Union. About 770 of the students at Union are attending part time.

Read More…

6

University of South Florida - Main Campus earned the #6 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public college with a fairly large student population. USF Tampa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. Approximately 22,899 students take at least one class online at USF Tampa. There are roughly 13,938 part time students in attendance at USF Tampa.

Read More…

7

The #7 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Eastern Mennonite University. Eastern Mennonite is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Harrisonburg. Eastern Mennonite also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list. It's in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. 306 students at Eastern Mennonite are exclusively online. 435 of Eastern Mennonite students are attending part time.

Read More…

8

George Mason University earned the #8 spot in our 2021 rankings. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax. GMU excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list.

The student loan default rate at GMU is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. Approximately 21,490 students take at least one class online at GMU. 12,712 of GMU students are attending part time.

Read full report on Nursing at George Mason University

9

The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Birmingham. UAB also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. Approximately 8,202 students take at least one class online at UAB. There are roughly 7,363 part time students in attendance at UAB.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Alabama at Birmingham

10

Our rankings recognize Mississippi University for Women as the #10 school in this year's rankings. Located in the remote town of Columbus, MUW is a public college with a small student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.3%. There are approximately 998 students at MUW that take at least one class online. 675 students are part time.

Read More…

11
Augusta University crest
Augusta University
Augusta, GA

Augusta University comes in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Augusta, Augusta University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

About 1.7% of Augusta University students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 4,197 students take at least one class online at Augusta University. 1,848 students are part time.

Read More…

12

University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the #12 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. UNCW is a large public school located in the midsize city of Wilmington. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNCW also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.6%. Approximately 8,583 students take at least one class online at UNCW. 4,896 of UNCW students are attending part time.

Full Nursing at University of North Carolina at Wilmington Report

13
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Emory University earned the #13 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. Emory also made our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list, coming in at #2.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.4%. Approximately 6,651 students take at least one class online at Emory. There are roughly 1,395 part time students in attendance at Emory.

Full Nursing at Emory University Report

14

Barry University comes in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in the large suburb of Miami, Barry University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

The student loan default rate at Barry University is lower than is typical, just 2.0% of students default in three years. There are approximately 1,337 students at Barry University that take at least one class online. 2,387 of Barry University students are attending part time.

Read More…

15
Gardner - Webb crest
Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC

Gardner - Webb University earned the #15 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the distant town of Boiling Springs, Gardner - Webb is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The student loan default rate at Gardner - Webb is lower than is typical, just 1.8% of students default in three years. 806 of Gardner - Webb students are exclusively distance learners. About 1,304 of the students at Gardner - Webb are attending part time.

Full Nursing at Gardner - Webb University Report

16

Our rankings recognize University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the #16 school in this year's rankings. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population. UNC Chapel Hill also took the #8 spot in our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region rankings.

About 0.9% of UNC Chapel Hill students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 6,990 students take at least one class online at UNC Chapel Hill. 5,151 students are part time.

Read full report on Nursing at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

17

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #17 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. University of Virginia is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville. In addition to being on our best for non-traditional students list, University of Virginia has also earned the #7 rank in our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region ranking.

About 0.5% of University of Virginia students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 4,175 students take at least one class online at University of Virginia. 2,758 students are part time.

Read More…

18

Our rankings recognize Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale as the #18 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

About 2.7% of Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 9,661 of Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale students are exclusively distance learners. About 8,171 of the students at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale are attending part time.

Read full report on Nursing at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

19

The #19 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Florida International University. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami. FIU excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list.

About 2.0% of FIU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 21,632 students at FIU that take at least one class online. About 22,664 of the students at FIU are attending part time.

Full Nursing at Florida International University Report

20
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL

The #20 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Miami. U Miami is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Coral Gables. U Miami not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #3 on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list.

About 0.6% of U Miami students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 7,899 students take at least one class online at U Miami. 1,358 students are part time.

Full Nursing at University of Miami Report

21

The #21 spot in this year's ranking belongs to East Carolina University. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Greenville. ECU also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region list. It's in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

About 1.7% of ECU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 12,522 students take at least one class online at ECU. 7,199 of ECU students are attending part time.

Read More…

22

The #22 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Florida Atlantic University. Located in the small city of Boca Raton, FAU is a public college with a very large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. There are approximately 14,436 students at FAU that take at least one class online. 11,860 students are part time.

Full Nursing at Florida Atlantic University Report

23
BC crest
Broward College
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Broward College comes in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale, BC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. Approximately 11,019 students take at least one class online at BC. There are roughly 21,583 part time students in attendance at BC.

Read More…

24

Winston - Salem State University comes in at #24 in this year's ranking. WSSU is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

About 5.2% of WSSU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 3,066 students at WSSU that take at least one class online. 904 of WSSU students are attending part time.

Read More…

25

Our rankings recognize Virginia Commonwealth University as the #25 school in this year's rankings. VCU is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Richmond. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, VCU also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Nursing in the Southeast Region ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. There are approximately 19,039 students at VCU that take at least one class online. 5,055 of VCU students are attending part time.

Full Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

Rest of the Top Schools for Best Nursing Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region


 

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Southeast Region non-traditional students studying Nursing that almost earned our Best Nursing Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
26 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
27 Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN
28 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
29 Polk State College Winter Haven, FL
30 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
31 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
32 Brenau University Gainesville, GA
33 William Carey University Hattiesburg, MS

Best for Non-Traditional Students Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best for non-traditional students nursing schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 9,015
Georgia 3,954
Tennessee 3,180
North Carolina 3,488
Virginia 3,096
South Carolina 1,605
Kentucky 2,530
Alabama 2,607
Louisiana 1,963
Mississippi 1,307
Arkansas 1,371
West Virginia 774

Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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