by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia” 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.
Across Virginia, there were 7,100 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $69,595 and $23,663 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia” ranking analyzed 62 colleges that offered a degree in nursing. To top this list, a school must have a successful nursing program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend ECPI University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. ECPI University is a fairly large private for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 780 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 725 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 377 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
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 Old Dominion University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. Old Dominion is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 336 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia. JMU is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 290 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 292 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Nursing at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #7, George Mason University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. This large school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 266 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Radford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #8. Radford University is a medium-sized public school situated in Radford, Virginia. It awarded 255 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Stratford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Fairfax, Virginia, and it awarded 189 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking. This small school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 184 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
With a ranking of #11, Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is a small private for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 179 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Full Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach Nursing Report
Shenandoah University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #12. Shenandoah is located in Winchester, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 183 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Chamberlain University - Virginia ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. Chamberlain - Virginia is a small private for-profit school situated in Arlington, Virginia. It awarded 154 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Marymount University ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. Marymount University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Arlington, Virginia. It awarded 138 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Germanna Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking. Located in Locust Grove, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 134 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Centra College of Nursing did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 119 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Sentara College of Health Sciences landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking. Sentara College of Health Sciences is a small school located in Chesapeake, Virginia that handed out 119 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at Sentara College of Health Sciences
Reynolds Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #18. Reynolds Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 115 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
John Tyler Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. John Tyler Community College is located in Chester, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 121 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Lord Fairfax Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. This medium-sized school is located in Middletown, Virginia, and it awarded 106 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #21, Eastern Mennonite University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. This small school is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and it awarded 101 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northern Virginia Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #22. Northern Virginia Community College is a large school located in Annandale, Virginia that handed out 97 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Riverside College of Health Careers did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking, coming in at #23. Newport News, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 85 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at Riverside College of Health Careers
Virginia Highlands Community College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia ranking. Abingdon, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 80 students in 2020-2021.
Piedmont Virginia Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in Virginia list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this small public school awarded 75 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Nursing at Piedmont Virginia Community College
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
