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2024 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

956 Colleges in the United States
165,538 Bachelor's Degrees
$64,238 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 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 956 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of nursing. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 165,538 bachelor's degrees in nursing during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of nursing for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for nursing students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Nursing in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing

1
917 Annual Graduates
$64,946 Median Starting Salary
$22,000 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Lubbock, TTUHSC is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

After graduation, nursing bachelor's recipients generally make about $64,946 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
189 Annual Graduates
$68,279 Median Starting Salary
$24,945 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Pennsylvania receive $4,041 more than the standard nursing graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Pennsylvania

3
505 Annual Graduates
$101,572 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in nursing needs to take a look at Samuel Merritt University. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Oakland.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing degree program at Samuel Merritt University get $37,334 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Samuel Merritt University

4
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
455 Annual Graduates
$93,346 Median Starting Salary
$25,500 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in nursing has to look into New York University. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.

Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from New York University make $29,108 more than the standard nursing student.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from New York University

5
426 Annual Graduates
$69,110 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Houston, UTHealth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston get an earnings boost of around $4,872 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

6
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
377 Annual Graduates
$64,577 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $64,577 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Emory University

7
367 Annual Graduates
$68,279 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

UTMB Galveston is a small public university located in the fringe town of Galveston.

Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch receive $4,041 more than the average nursing grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from The University of Texas Medical Branch

8
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
197 Annual Graduates
$93,366 Median Starting Salary
$31,645 Median Student Debt

Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.

Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from Loma Linda University make $29,128 more than the average nursing grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Loma Linda University

9
389 Annual Graduates
$66,676 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

UMB is a moderately-sized public university located in the large city of Baltimore.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from University of Maryland - Baltimore earn a boost of about $2,438 over the typical income of nursing majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Maryland - Baltimore

10
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
147 Annual Graduates
$65,409 Median Starting Salary
$29,000 Median Student Debt

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $65,409.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Duke University

11
334 Annual Graduates
$57,929 Median Starting Salary
$24,439 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio is a public university with a small student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $57,929 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

12
126 Annual Graduates
$65,868 Median Starting Salary
$15,130 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $65,868 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Virginia - Main Campus

13
273 Annual Graduates
$68,769 Median Starting Salary
$26,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from George Washington University receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,531 above the typical income of nursing graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from George Washington University

14
89 Annual Graduates
$60,278 Median Starting Salary
$26,580 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, nursing bachelor's recipients typically earn around $60,278 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Case Western Reserve University

15
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
220 Annual Graduates
$72,161 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing program at Seattle University get $7,923 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Seattle University

16
308 Annual Graduates
$64,954 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $64,954.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Creighton University

17
48 Annual Graduates
$88,168 Median Starting Salary
$20,800 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing degree program at University of California - Los Angeles make $23,930 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of California - Los Angeles

18
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
28 Annual Graduates
$77,671 Median Starting Salary
$17,417 Median Student Debt

Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Georgetown University receive an earnings boost of around $13,433 over the typical income of nursing majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Georgetown University

19
141 Annual Graduates
$64,548 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $64,548 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

20
506 Annual Graduates
$71,147 Median Starting Salary
$30,000 Median Student Debt

Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Nursing bachelor's degree recipients from Thomas Jefferson University get an earnings boost of around $6,909 above the average income of nursing majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University

21
384 Annual Graduates
$80,852 Median Starting Salary
$32,059 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Portland, OHSU is a public university with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing major at Oregon Health & Science University make $16,614 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Oregon Health & Science University

22
261 Annual Graduates
$59,973 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Pitt is a very large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh.

Soon after graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients typically make around $59,973 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

23
Capella University crest
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN
3,199 Annual Graduates
$74,251 Median Starting Salary
$27,826 Median Student Debt

Capella University is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing major at Capella University earn $10,013 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Capella University

24
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
533 Annual Graduates
$72,616 Median Starting Salary
$30,750 Median Student Debt

Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing program at Drexel University make $8,378 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Drexel University

25
496 Annual Graduates
$66,111 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.

Soon after graduating, nursing bachelor's recipients usually earn about $66,111 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Loyola University Chicago

Rest of the Top 50 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
27
28
29
30
31
32

33

34
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
35
36
37
38
39
40
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
41

42

43
44
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
45
WGU crest
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT
46
47
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
48
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
49
Molloy crest
Molloy College
Rockville Centre, NY
50

 

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 956 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
52 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
53 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
54 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
55 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
56 Villanova University Villanova, PA
57 University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ
58 Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles, CA
59 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
60 Roseman University of Health Sciences Henderson, NV
61 Samford University Birmingham, AL
62 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
63 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
64 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
65 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
66 Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, SC
67 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
68 National University San Diego, CA
69 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
70 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
71 Baylor University Waco, TX
72 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
73 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
74 Simmons University Boston, MA
75 Oak Point University Oak Brook, IL
76 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
77 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
78 LIU Post Brookville, NY
79 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
80 Widener University Chester, PA
81 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
82 Adelphi University Garden City, NY
83 Winona State University Winona, MN
84 The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center Memphis, TN
85 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
86 Chamberlain University - Illinois Addison, IL
87 Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH
88 Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College Saint Louis, MO
89 West Coast University - Los Angeles North Hollywood, CA
90 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
91 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
92 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
93 Northeastern University Boston, MA
94 Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA
95 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
96 Denver College of Nursing Denver, CO
97 University of Mississippi University, MS
98 Washington State University Pullman, WA
99 La Salle University Philadelphia, PA
100 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
101 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
102 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
103 Allen College Waterloo, IA
104 Hunter College New York, NY
105 University of Delaware Newark, DE
106 Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health Omaha, NE
107 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
108 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
109 Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans New Orleans, LA
110 Mercer University Macon, GA
111 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
112 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN
113 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
114 Clemson University Clemson, SC
115 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
116 Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN
117 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
118 Walden University Minneapolis, MN
118 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
119 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
120 Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Boston, MA
121 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
122 DeSales University Center Valley, PA
123 Union University Jackson, TN
124 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
125 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
126 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
127 Florida International University Miami, FL
128 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
129 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
130 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO
131 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
132 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
133 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
134 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
135 Galen College of Nursing - Louisville Louisville, KY
136 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
137 MGH Institute of Health Professions Boston, MA
138 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
139 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
140 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
141 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
142 Bradley University Peoria, IL
143 Binghamton University Vestal, NY

Honorable Mentions

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 Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
144 Pace University - New York New York, NY
145 Gwynedd Mercy University Gwynedd Valley, PA
146 Nightingale College Salt Lake City, UT
147 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
148 Moravian College Bethlehem, PA
149 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI
150 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
151 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
152 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
153 University of Scranton Scranton, PA
154 Shenandoah University Winchester, VA
155 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
156 Touro University Nevada Henderson, NV
157 Bellin College Green Bay, WI
158 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
159 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
160 Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ
161 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX
162 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
162 American Sentinel University Waterbury, CT
163 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
164 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
165 Madonna University Livonia, MI
166 West Coast University - Ontario Ontario, CA
167 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
168 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
169 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
170 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
171 Augusta University Augusta, GA
172 Upstate Medical University Syracuse, NY
173 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
174 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK
175 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR
176 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
177 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
178 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
179 Felician University Lodi, NJ
180 Illinois State University Normal, IL
181 Clarkson College Omaha, NE
182 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
183 Lehman College Bronx, NY
184 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
185 Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN
186 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT
187 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
188 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
189 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
190 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
191 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO

Nursing by Region

View the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

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

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 157,596
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 2,640
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,495
Nursing Science 1,464
Nursing Practice 1,122
Nursing Administration 859
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 163
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 160
Clinical Nurse Specialist 21
Clinical Nurse Leader 18

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Health 19,511
Health & Medical Administrative Services 19,391
Health Sciences & Services 18,866
Communication Sciences 11,434
Allied Health Professions 9,264
Other Health Professions 4,516
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 4,402
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 4,027
Health/Medical Prep Programs 3,519
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 3,340

Notes and References

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