by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Nursing Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
With 322,592 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,916 and had an average of $25,426 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major” ranking looked at 2,077 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular nursing programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Nursing Major” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Nursing Major”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Governors University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major. WGU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It awarded 13,940 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 2,077 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Chamberlain University - Illinois landed the #2 spot on the list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a large private for-profit school situated in Addison, Illinois. It awarded 12,645 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand Canyon University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major list. Grand Canyon University is located in Phoenix, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,909 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, 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 Walden University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major. Walden University is a large private for-profit school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 5,207 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, 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 The University of Texas at Arlington. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school handed out 4,803 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Capella University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large private for-profit school awarded 4,027 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,209 ’s degrees in 2020-2021. Read full report on Nursing at Ohio University - Athens Campus Aspen University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major list. Denver, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 1,910 students in 2020-2021. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Excelsior College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Albany, New York, and it awarded 1,680 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%. Rasmussen University - Florida ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major list. Rasmussen University - Florida is located in Ocala, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,443 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.7
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Ivy Tech Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #11. Ivy Tech Community College is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,366 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #12, University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 1,327 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021. Read full report on Nursing at University of Phoenix - Arizona West Coast University - Orange County did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #13. West Coast University - Orange County is located in Anaheim, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,307 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students. 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%. Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County University of South Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #14. USA is located in Mobile, Alabama and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,385 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #15. This fairly large school is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it awarded 1,193 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021. Read full report on Nursing at Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale121314
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University of Alabama at Birmingham came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. UAB is a large public school situated in Birmingham, Alabama. It awarded 1,151 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at University of Alabama at Birmingham
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. TTUHSC is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,131 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Full Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Nursing Report National University College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. This large school is located in Bayamon, , and it awarded 1,111 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021. Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. Maryville U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,452 ’s degrees in 2020-2021. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Purdue University Global came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. Purdue University Global is a public institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,207 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.17
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Southern New Hampshire University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major list. SNHU is a large school located in Manchester, New Hampshire that handed out 1,090 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 1,222 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking. Wilmington, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 1,001 students in 2020-2021. 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%. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major list. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this small private for-profit school handed out 887 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021. University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #25. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 907 students in 2020-2021. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.22
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Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:2627
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While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:Rank College Location 51 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA 52 New York University New York, NY 53 Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL 54 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 55 Purdue University Northwest Hammond, IN 56 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX 57 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 58 Jersey College Teterboro, NJ 59 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL 60 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH 61 Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio San Antonio, TX 62 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 63 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 64 The University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, TX 64 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 291 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 292 | University of Colorado at Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs, CO |
| 293 | Salt Lake Community College | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 294 | Nightingale College | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 295 | University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, CO |
| 296 | Fairfield University | Fairfield, CT |
| 297 | Mercer University | Macon, GA |
| 298 | California Baptist University | Riverside, CA |
| 299 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 299 | Lewis University | Romeoville, IL |
| 301 | Suffolk County Community College | Selden, NY |
| 301 | Mercy College of Ohio | Toledo, OH |
| 303 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 304 | Oklahoma City Community College | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 304 | Wilkes University | Wilkes-Barre, PA |
| 306 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 306 | Hillsborough Community College | Tampa, FL |
| 306 | Concordia University, Texas | Lakeway, TX |
| 309 | Baptist Health System School of Health Professions | San Antonio, TX |
| 310 | GateWay Community College | Phoenix, AZ |
| 310 | California University of Pennsylvania | California, PA |
| 310 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
