2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Kentucky
19
Ranked Colleges
2,530
Degrees Awarded
$58,371
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Kentucky, there were 6,395 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $65,824 and $26,802 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,530 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,941 and $26,734 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent nursing programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the nursing program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools
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 Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for kentucky bachelor’s degree vets studying nursing.
Top 19 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Kentucky
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kentucky landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Kentucky is a public institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 293 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our kentucky bachelor’s degree vets studying nursing list, UK has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking.Of the 29,986 students enrolled at University of Kentucky, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Louisville. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, this large public school handed out 265 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
UofL also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #2.Among the 22,211 students enrolled at UofL, 17 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $25,972. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UofL does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bellarmine University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s. Louisville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 156 students in 2020-2021.
Bellarmine U also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #5.According to our most recent data, Bellarmine U supports 3,293 students, and 103 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 56 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $9,409. To help with additional expenses, 5 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Bellarmine U Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Kentucky University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s. Richmond, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 153 students in 2020-2021.
Eastern also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #8.Among the 14,465 students enrolled at Eastern, 869 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 469 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,031. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Kentucky University landed the #5 spot on the list. WKU is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Kentucky that handed out 185 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
WKU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list.Among the 17,517 students enrolled at WKU, 847 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 345 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,743. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full WKU Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #6, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. NKU is a fairly large school located in Highland Heights, Kentucky that handed out 251 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our kentucky bachelor’s degree vets studying nursing list, NKU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking.Of the 16,211 students enrolled at NKU, 469 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 236 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,158. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at NKU]](/colleges/northern-kentucky-university/student-life/veterans/)
Morehead State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Morehead State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Morehead, Kentucky. It awarded 69 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Morehead State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list.Of the 9,304 students enrolled at Morehead State University, 191 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 60 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,170. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Morehead State University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Morehead State University Veteran Student Life Report
Murray State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. Murray State is a public institution located in Murray, Kentucky. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 120 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Murray State also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #10.According to our most recent data, Murray State supports 9,449 students, and 401 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 133 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,362. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Murray State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Murray State University Veteran Student Life Report
Spalding University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s ranking. Spalding is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Louisville, Kentucky. It awarded 137 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Spalding not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list.According to our most recent data, Spalding University supports 1,596 students, and 48 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 26 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,374. During this same period, 6 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Spalding Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #10, University of the Cumberlands did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. This fairly large school is located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our kentucky bachelor’s degree vets studying nursing list, Cumberlands has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking.Among the 19,110 students enrolled at University of the Cumberlands, 196 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 120 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,681. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Cumberlands]](/colleges/university-of-the-cumberlands/student-life/veterans/)
Thomas More University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Thomas More also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #15.Of the 2,037 students enrolled at Thomas More, 47 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 25 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,180. During this same period, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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With a ranking of #12, Kentucky State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. KY State is a small public school situated in Frankfort, Kentucky. It awarded 10 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
KY State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 40 of the 2,290 students enrolled at KY State were GI Bill® students, of which 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,836. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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University of Pikeville came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Pikeville, Kentucky, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
UPIKE also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #17.According to our most recent data, UPIKE supports 2,240 students, and 30 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 14 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,297. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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With a ranking of #14, Campbellsville University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Campbellsville, Kentucky, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Campbellsville University also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #14.According to our most recent data, Campbellsville University supports 12,771 students, and 132 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 60 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,565. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Campbellsville University]](/colleges/campbellsville-university/student-life/veterans/)
Lindsey Wilson College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. Lindsey Wilson College is a small school located in Columbia, Kentucky that handed out 28 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Lindsey Wilson College also took the #18 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 42 of the 2,764 students enrolled at Lindsey Wilson College were GI Bill® students, of which 25 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,304. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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With a ranking of #16, Union College Kentucky did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. Barbourville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
Union College also made our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list, coming in at #16.Of the 1,179 students enrolled at Union College, 27 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 15 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,206. In addition to receiving other benefits, 8 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Union College does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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Kentucky Christian University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. Grayson, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s nursing degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
Kentucky Christian University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list.Among the 689 students enrolled at Kentucky Christian University, 16 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 7 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,141. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Full Kentucky Christian University Veteran Student Life Report
Berea College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s ranking. Berea is a small school located in Berea, Kentucky that handed out 8 bachelors’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Berea not only placed well in this ranking. It is also # on our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” list.Our most recent data shows that 12 of the 1,432 students enrolled at Berea were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,159. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Berea College Veteran Student Life Report
Beckfield College - Florence ranked #19 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Kentucky for Nursing for a Bachelor’s list. Beckfield College - Florence is a private for-profit institution located in Florence, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Beckfield College - Florence, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Kentucky” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 21 of the 748 students enrolled at Beckfield College - Florence were GI Bill® students, of which 15 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,986. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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