by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege 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
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:
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
View the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.
| 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 |
