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2025 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

28 Colleges in North Carolina
3,279 Bachelor's Degrees
$72,136 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #2 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 28 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,279 bachelor's degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 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 in North Carolina 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

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

Our complete 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

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Nursing in North Carolina

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top North Carolina Schools for a Bachelor's in Nursing

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.

Those nursing students who get their bachelor's degree from Duke University make $5,152 more than the average nursing graduate.

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

2

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in nursing needs to take a look at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $71,594 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
351 Annual Graduates
$72,051 Median Starting Salary
$31,992 Median Student Debt

East Carolina University is a great option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $72,051.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from East Carolina University

4
789 Annual Graduates
$74,463 Median Starting Salary
$18,624 Median Student Debt

University of North Carolina at Wilmington is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. UNCW is a large public university located in the midsize city of Wilmington.

Bachelor's recipients from the nursing degree program at University of North Carolina at Wilmington get $2,327 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

5
135 Annual Graduates
$73,445 Median Starting Salary
$15,476 Median Student Debt

UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Charlotte.

Soon after graduation, nursing bachelor's recipients typically make around $73,445 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

6
184 Annual Graduates
$68,115 Median Starting Salary
$15,331 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $68,115 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

7
Gardner - Webb crest
Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC
74 Annual Graduates
$71,337 Median Starting Salary
$33,142 Median Student Debt

Located in the rural area of Boiling Springs, Gardner - Webb is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $71,337.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Gardner - Webb University

8
100 Annual Graduates
$69,420 Median Starting Salary
$13,939 Median Student Debt

Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the distant town of Boone.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $69,420.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Appalachian State University

9
158 Annual Graduates
$72,639 Median Starting Salary
$12,707 Median Student Debt

WSSU is a small public university located in the large city of Winston-Salem.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program report average early career wages of $72,639.

More information about a bachelor’s in nursing from Winston - Salem State University

10

Queens is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Charlotte.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the nursing program report average early career wages of $73,479.

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

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
Florida 225 9,015
Georgia 224 3,954
Tennessee 220 3,180
Virginia 213 3,096
South Carolina 195 1,605
Kentucky 187 2,530
Alabama 184 2,607
Louisiana 171 1,963
Mississippi 169 1,307
Arkansas 167 1,371
West Virginia 147 774

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

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 3,264
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 15

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Health 841
Health & Medical Administrative Services 724
Health Sciences & Services 205
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 200
Communication Sciences 198
Allied Health Professions 131
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 99
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 72
Other Health Professions 69
Health/Medical Prep Programs 23

Notes and References

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