Most Popular Nursing Schools
There are 2,207 colleges that offer a degree in Nursing. Ranked by yearly graduations, here are the most popular below:
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which Nursing program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you’re no longer limited to schools in your local area.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 2,207 schools in the United States offering Nursing programs. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.
Featured schools near , edit
Most Popular Nursing Schools in the United States
Check out the Nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our rankings named Chamberlain University-Illinois the most popular school in the U.S. for Nursing majors. Chamberlain University-Illinois is a private for-profit school located in Addison, IL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 13,367 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $83,585. Read More…
Capella University landed the #2 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Capella University is a private for-profit school located in Minneapolis, MN. During the most recent year for which we have data, 8,953 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $79,233. Full Nursing at Capella University Report
Western Governors University comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Salt Lake City, UT, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 7,799 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $74,978. Full Nursing at Western Governors University Report
Grand Canyon University comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school located in Phoenix, AZ. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5,116 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $62,543. Full Nursing at Grand Canyon University Report
Walden University comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Minneapolis, MN, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 4,948 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $76,759. Read More…
The University of Texas at Arlington comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Arlington, TX, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3,485 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $64,801. Read More…
Aspen University landed the #7 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Phoenix, AZ, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,999 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $78,528. Read More…
West Coast University-Orange County comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Anaheim, CA, this is a private for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,760 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $95,294. Read More…
Galen College of Nursing-Louisville comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Galen College of Nursing-Louisville is a private for-profit school located in Louisville, KY. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,491 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $67,307. Full Nursing at Galen College of Nursing-Louisville Report
Ivy Tech Community College comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Ivy Tech Community College is a public school located in Indianapolis, IN. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,481 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $46,027. Read full report on Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College
University of South Alabama comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. University of South Alabama is a public school located in Mobile, AL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,440 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $46,120. Full Nursing at University of South Alabama Report
Ohio University-Main Campus landed the #12 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Athens, OH, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,401 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $53,614. Full Nursing at Ohio University-Main Campus Report
NUC University comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in Bayamon, PR, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 1,335 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $18,183. Full Nursing at NUC University Report
Purdue University Global comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Located in West Lafayette, IN, this is a public institution. This school awarded 1,160 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $45,209. Full Nursing at Purdue University Global Report
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale landed the #15 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale is a private nonprofit school located in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This school awarded 1,154 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,151. Read full report on Nursing at Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a public school located in Lubbock, TX. This school awarded 1,142 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $76,944. Full Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Report
Rasmussen University-Florida comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. Rasmussen University-Florida is a private for-profit school located in Ocala, FL. This school awarded 1,063 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $51,485. Read full report on Nursing at Rasmussen University-Florida
University of Alabama at Birmingham comes in at #18 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public school located in Birmingham, AL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,053 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,854. Full Nursing at University of Alabama at Birmingham Report
Northern Kentucky University landed the #19 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Highland Heights, KY, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,035 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $44,702. Read full report on Nursing at Northern Kentucky University
Frontier Nursing University landed the #20 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Frontier Nursing University is a private nonprofit school located in Versailles, KY. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,021 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $106,311. Full Nursing at Frontier Nursing University Report
ECPI University comes in at #21 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. ECPI University is a private for-profit school located in Virginia Beach, VA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,016 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $45,216. Full Nursing at ECPI University Report
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus comes in at #22 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public school located in Cincinnati, OH. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,014 people earned their degree in Nursing from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,819. Full Nursing at University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Report
West Coast University-Los Angeles landed the #23 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. West Coast University-Los Angeles is a private for-profit school located in North Hollywood, CA. This school awarded 972 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $95,294. Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University-Los Angeles
University of North Carolina Wilmington comes in at #24 on our list of the most popular colleges for Nursing majors. University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public school located in Wilmington, NC. This school awarded 960 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $44,355. Read More…
University of Phoenix-Arizona landed the #25 spot in our Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking. Located in Phoenix, AZ, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 935 degrees in Nursing in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $52,226. Read full report on Nursing at University of Phoenix-Arizona
Rest of the Top Most Popular Nursing Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that also graduate students in this major every year.
Nursing by Region
View the Most Popular Nursing Schools ranking for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| New England |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Great Lakes |
| Plains States |
| Southeast |
| Southwest |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Far Western US |
More Nursing Rankings
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this Most Popular Nursing Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 256,965 |
| Family Practice Nursing | 14,847 |
| Nursing Practice | 9,206 |
| Nursing Administration | 7,911 |
| Mental Health Nursing | 4,379 |
| Nursing Science | 4,245 |
| Nursing Research & Other | 4,125 |
| Adult Health Nursing | 2,457 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,960 |
| Public Health Nursing | 1,505 |
| Geriatric Nursing | 641 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 596 |
| Nurse Midwifery | 559 |
| School Nursing | 441 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 434 |
| Women’s Health Nursing | 323 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 321 |
| Surgical Nursing | 190 |
| Maternal & Neonatal Nursing | 160 |
| ER/Trauma Nursing | 57 |
| Environmental Health Nursing | 22 |
| Forensic Nursing | 21 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 7 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 99,987 |
| Allied Health Professions | 90,379 |
| Health/Medical Admin Services | 90,166 |
| Allied Health Services | 80,693 |
| Public Health | 41,086 |
References
*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.