by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Nursing Practice is the 105th most popular major in the country with 8,862 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 362 nursing practice graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major” ranking looked at 26 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing practice. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their nursing practice program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The nursing practice school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree nursing practice students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Misericordia University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Misericordia University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dallas, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Palm Beach Atlantic University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major. West Palm Beach, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s nursing practice degrees to 23 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida Southern College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Florida Southern College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lakeland, Florida. It awarded 7 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 94 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South University’s online programs. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. South University’s online programs is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in Savannah, Georgia. It awarded 4 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full South University’s online programs Nursing Practice Report
University of Mary did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking, coming in at #6. Bismarck, North Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s nursing practice degrees to 13 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Messiah University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking, coming in at #7. Messiah University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 11 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #8, University of Connecticut did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Located in Storrs, Connecticut, this large public school awarded 65 diplomas to qualified masters’s nursing practice students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Western New Mexico University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking. Western New Mexico University is a public institution located in Silver City, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Emory University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 31 degrees to qualified masters’s nursing practice students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Fitchburg State University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s nursing practice students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing Practice at Fitchburg State University
University of San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking, coming in at #12. San Diego, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s nursing practice degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Central Connecticut State University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. This medium-sized school is located in New Britain, Connecticut, and it awarded 5 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing Practice at Central Connecticut State University
With a ranking of #14, Boise State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Boise State is a large school located in Boise, Idaho that handed out 11 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
George Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s nursing practice students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Towson University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Towson University is a fairly large public school situated in Towson, Maryland. It awarded 5 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s nursing practice students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Rutgers University - New Brunswick Nursing Practice Report
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. UMass Dartmouth is a medium-sized public school situated in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It awarded 11 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing Practice at University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
University of Scranton did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Oakland University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 26 degrees to qualified masters’s nursing practice students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Franklin Pierce University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Franklin Pierce University is located in Rindge, New Hampshire and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5 masters’s nursing practice degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Creighton University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s nursing practice degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Akron Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Akron, Ohio that handed out 4 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing Practice at University of Akron Main Campus
Ball State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s nursing practice degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Bluefield College ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Nursing Practice Major list. This small school is located in Bluefield, Virginia, and it awarded 1 masters’s nursing practice degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
