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2025 Best Registered Nursing Schools in Virginia

51 Colleges in Virginia
6,193 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 51 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Registered Nursing Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,193 degrees in registered nursing annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School

Best Registered Nursing Schools in Virginia The registered nursing program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Registered Nursing rankings. We derive our Best Overall Registered Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Registered Nursing Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Registered Nursing
Bachelor's Degrees in Registered Nursing
Master's Degrees in Registered Nursing
Doctor's Degrees in Registered Nursing

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Registered Nursing Schools in Virginia list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Registered Nursing in Virginia

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the registered nursing degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Virginia Schools in Registered Nursing

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In VA
261 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

University of Virginia - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in registered nursing. University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were about 261 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from University of Virginia - Main Campus

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In VA
218 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Virginia Commonwealth University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in registered nursing. VCU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #189 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 218 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN Program Name

With the affordable and transfer-friendly online RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University, you can build upon your prior educational journey and enhance your professional experience in a program designed to fit around your schedule.

More information about a degree in BS in Nursing - RN to BSN from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
ECPI University crest
ECPI University
Virginia Beach, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA
899 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

ECPI University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #215 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ECPI University is a great university overall.

There were about 899 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at ECPI University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from ECPI University

4
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In VA
282 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

James Madison University is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 282 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from James Madison University

5
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In VA
104 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Marymount is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Arlington. A Best Colleges rank of #449 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Marymount is a great university overall.

There were about 104 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Marymount in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Marymount University

6
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In VA
144 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #337 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Shenandoah is a great university overall.

There were approximately 144 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Shenandoah in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Shenandoah University

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
40th Most Popular In VA
53 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Southside Virginia Community College is a small public college located in the rural area of Alberta. A Best Colleges rank of #294 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Southside Virginia Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 53 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Southside Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Southside Virginia Community College

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSN Program Name

At Southern New Hampshire University, we understand the demands placed on today's nursing professionals. When it comes to your education, consider saving money and time by electing the RN to MSN pathway. Eligible students will complete graduate courses within their undergraduate program. This pathway allows you to gain a BSN along the way and ultimately shorten your time within the MSN Nursing Education or Population Healthcare tracks.

More information about a degree in BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSN from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In VA
274 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were about 274 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from George Mason University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In VA
298 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Old Dominion is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Norfolk. A Best Colleges rank of #495 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Old Dominion is a great university overall.

There were roughly 298 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Old Dominion in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Old Dominion University

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In VA
116 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #577 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is a great college overall.

There were approximately 116 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Registered Nursing Schools in Virginia award.

Rank College Location
11 Radford University Radford, VA
12 Virginia Highlands Community College Abingdon, VA
13 Rappahannock Community College Glenns, VA
14 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
15 Mountain Empire Community College Big Stone Gap, VA
16 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA
17 Patrick Henry Community College Martinsville, VA

Best Registered Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Registered Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 715 18,780
North Carolina 710 6,188
Georgia 690 5,702
Tennessee 624 4,957
South Carolina 530 2,828
Kentucky 518 4,931
Mississippi 501 2,590
Alabama 500 6,786
Louisiana 489 3,152
Arkansas 466 2,673
West Virginia 410 1,666

View All Rankings >

One of 23 majors within the Nursing area of study, Registered Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Registered Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 250
Nursing Practice 240
Nursing Administration 218
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 93
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 64
Nurse Anesthetist 46
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 31
Nursing Science 22
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 18
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 15

View All Registered Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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