Nursing is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual looked at 60 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 12,725 degrees in nursing annually.
Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Nursing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
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.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
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 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.
University of Pennsylvania is a good choice for students interested in a degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.
There were about 551 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of approximately $32,228 above the typical income of nursing majors.
It is difficult to beat Drexel University if you want to pursue a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.
There were approximately 938 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Drexel University receive $14,236 more than the typical nursing grad.
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.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.
There were approximately 417 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus make $16,810 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
It's hard to beat Thomas Jefferson University if you want to pursue a degree in nursing. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #89 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Thomas Jefferson University is a great university overall.
There were about 877 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Thomas Jefferson University in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Thomas Jefferson University make $14,956 more than the standard nursing grad.
Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.
There were about 299 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Villanova University receive an earnings boost of about $11,199 above the average income of nursing majors.
Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #196 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duquesne is a great university overall.
There were approximately 400 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Duquesne in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the nursing program state that they receive average early career income of $75,602.
La Salle is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #446 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means La Salle is a great university overall.
There were roughly 283 nursing students who graduated with this degree at La Salle in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from La Salle University earn $21,372 more than the average nursing graduate.
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSNProgram 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.
Widener is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Chester. A Best Colleges rank of #344 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Widener is a great university overall.
There were approximately 258 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Widener in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Widener University make $5,756 more than the average nursing graduate.
Located in the rural area of Lancaster, PA College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
There were approximately 368 nursing students who graduated with this degree at PA College in the most recent data year. After graduating, nursing degree recipients generally make an average of $77,036 in the first five years of their career.
University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Scranton. A Best Colleges rank of #202 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Scranton is a great university overall.
There were about 110 nursing students who graduated with this degree at University of Scranton in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of Scranton receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,860 above the typical earnings of nursing majors.
DeSales is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Center Valley. This university ranks 34th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
There were about 183 nursing students who graduated with this degree at DeSales in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from DeSales University get an earnings boost of around $3,541 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.
Located in the small city of Bethlehem, Moravian is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 31st out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
There were about 159 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Moravian in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from Moravian College get an earnings boost of around $3,233 above the average income of nursing majors.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Nursing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
