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2024 Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky

42 Colleges in Kentucky
6,395 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$65,824 Avg Early-Career Salary
Nursing is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 42 schools in Kentucky to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 6,395 degrees in nursing to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Nursing School

Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky The nursing program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Nursing rankings. For our Best Overall Nursing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Nursing Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Nursing
Bachelor's Degrees in Nursing
Master's Degrees in Nursing
Doctor's Degrees in Nursing

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Nursing in Kentucky

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Kentucky Schools in Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
913 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$102,110 Median Starting Salary

Frontier Nursing University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. Frontier Nursing University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Versailles.

There were approximately 913 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Frontier Nursing University in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Frontier Nursing University earn a boost of around $36,286 over the typical earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a degree in nursing from Frontier Nursing University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
887 Nursing Degrees Awarded
0.9% Growth in Graduates

Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in nursing. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit college located in the large city of Louisville.

There were about 887 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville 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 $62,842.

More information about a degree in nursing from Galen College of Nursing - Louisville

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
339 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$86,237 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in nursing needs to check out University of Kentucky. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UK is a great university overall.

There were about 339 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing major at University of Kentucky get $20,413 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Kentucky

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
334 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$65,695 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in nursing has to take a look at University of Louisville. UofL is a fairly large public university located in the city of Louisville. A Best Colleges rank of #338 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 334 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UofL 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 $65,695.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of Louisville

5
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
870 Nursing Degrees Awarded
50.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Highland Heights, NKU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #716 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NKU is a great university overall.

There were about 870 nursing students who graduated with this degree at NKU in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Northern Kentucky University receive $8,801 more than the average nursing graduate.

More information about a degree in nursing from Northern Kentucky University

6
Bellarmine U crest
Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$75,214 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Louisville, Bellarmine U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #682 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bellarmine U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 185 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Bellarmine U in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Bellarmine University receive $9,390 more than the typical nursing grad.

More information about a degree in nursing from Bellarmine University

7
WKU crest
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
347 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$68,864 Median Starting Salary

WKU is a large public university located in the city of Bowling Green. A Best Colleges rank of #903 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WKU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 347 nursing students who graduated with this degree at WKU in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Western Kentucky University make $3,039 more than the average nursing grad.

More information about a degree in nursing from Western Kentucky University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
312 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$68,630 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Richmond, Eastern is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1010 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Eastern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 312 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Eastern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing program at Eastern Kentucky University earn $2,806 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in nursing from Eastern Kentucky University

9
Berea crest
Berea College
Berea, KY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$60,236 Median Starting Salary

Berea is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Berea. A Best Colleges rank of #987 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Berea is a great college overall.

There were approximately 8 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Berea in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, nursing degree recipients typically make about $60,236 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in nursing from Berea College

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Nursing Degrees Awarded
$58,893 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Williamsburg, Cumberlands is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #434 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cumberlands is a great university overall.

There were roughly 93 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Cumberlands in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, nursing degree recipients typically earn about $58,893 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in nursing from University of the Cumberlands


 

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 7,016
Florida 282 21,034
North Carolina 279 7,329
Virginia 274 6,630
Tennessee 269 5,906
South Carolina 248 3,276
Louisiana 242 3,416
Mississippi 234 2,801
Arkansas 234 2,878
Alabama 233 7,210
West Virginia 207 1,768

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 4,944
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 302
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 291
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 256
Nursing Practice 214
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 174
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 71
Nursing Administration 58
Nursing Science 8
Critical Care Nursing 1

View All Nursing Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 4,114
Health & Medical Administrative Services 2,012
Allied Health Professions 1,283
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 1,120
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 479
Dental Support Services 452
Health Sciences & Services 434
Medicine 430
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 406
Public Health 380

View All Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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