Best Nursing Colleges in Virginia2026 Rankings
Virginia is home to 35 accredited institutions offering Nursing programs — from large public research universities to small private liberal arts colleges. This ranking evaluates each school on admission selectivity, four-year graduation rate, net price, and graduate earnings to surface the programs that deliver the strongest outcomes.
Among the schools listed here, Riverside College of Health Careers is the most selective, admitting 17% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $22,925, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $29,908. Median early-career earnings for Nursing graduates in this state average $50,855 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 57%.
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| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Virginia-Main CampusPublic | Excellent· 46 | 17% | 95% | $14,658 | $75,220 | 15:1 | 61 | 17,315 |
| 2 | Chamberlain University-VirginiaPrivate | Great· 40 | 100% | 100% | $20,462 | $83,188 | 8:1 | 1 | 567 |
| 3 | James Madison UniversityPublic | Great· 39 | 76% | 81% | $17,150 | $76,490 | 17:1 | 47 | 20,497 |
| 4 | Centra CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 100% | 100% | $31,771 | $80,832 | 6:1 | 1 | 212 |
| 5 | Randolph-Macon CollegePrivate | Strong· 36 | 83% | 75% | $28,921 | $40,654 | 10:1 | 40 | 1,489 |
| 6 | Shenandoah UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 78% | 71% | $25,951 | $81,678 | 11:1 | 36 | 2,127 |
| 7 | University of LynchburgPrivate | Strong· 35 | 82% | 62% | $19,432 | $45,005 | 11:1 | 34 | 1,599 |
| 8 | University of Virginia's College at WisePublic | Strong· 35 | 94% | 50% | $7,159 | $72,911 | 13:1 | 30 | 1,214 |
| 9 | Averett UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 48% | 44% | $19,655 | $63,961 | 13:1 | 48 | 1,162 |
| 10 | George Mason UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 89% | 69% | $16,296 | $78,365 | 16:1 | 68 | 27,083 |
| 11 | Longwood UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 85% | 62% | $18,489 | $69,962 | 14:1 | 28 | 2,957 |
| 12 | University of Mary WashingtonPublic | Good· 33 | 86% | 67% | $19,886 | $76,013 | 13:1 | 27 | 3,504 |
| 13 | Radford UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 91% | 50% | $14,533 | $69,662 | 12:1 | 48 | 5,609 |
| 14 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 93% | 65% | $16,455 | $71,847 | 17:1 | 56 | 20,797 |
| 15 | Old Dominion UniversityPublic | Good· 32 | 91% | 44% | $13,142 | $76,527 | 15:1 | 52 | 17,521 |
| 16 | Bluefield UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 63% | 27% | $20,952 | $70,698 | 15:1 | 33 | 683 |
| 17 | Marymount UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 81% | 58% | $24,661 | $80,090 | 13:1 | 29 | 1,795 |
| 18 | Regent UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 41% | 54% | $16,647 | $42,499 | 20:1 | 38 | 4,282 |
| 19 | Eastern Mennonite UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 100% | 47% | $21,592 | $73,478 | 10:1 | 40 | 800 |
| 20 | Emory & Henry UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 96% | 54% | $19,781 | $31,937 | 12:1 | 42 | 1,107 |
| 21 | Ferrum CollegePrivate | Good· 30 | 100% | 29% | $20,145 | $33,980 | 11:1 | 40 | 745 |
| 22 | Norfolk State UniversityPublic | Good· 30 | 87% | 33% | $13,868 | $36,917 | 18:1 | 32 | 5,495 |
| 23 | Virginia State UniversityPublic | Good· 30 | 89% | 41% | $17,511 | $31,713 | 13:1 | 33 | 4,787 |
| 24 | ECPI UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 83% | 45% | $20,806 | $77,550 | 12:1 | 17 | 11,270 |
| 25 | Hampton UniversityPrivate | Average· 28 | 48% | 56% | $32,980 | $69,303 | 15:1 | 55 | 3,254 |
| 26 | Liberty UniversityPrivate | Average· 26 | 99% | 63% | $26,312 | $71,918 | 18:1 | 72 | 50,059 |
| 27 | Mary Baldwin UniversityPrivate | Fair· 25 | — | 56% | $16,899 | $38,267 | 14:1 | 38 | 1,188 |
| 28 | Riverside College of Health CareersPrivate | Weak· 20 | 17% | 63% | $29,743 | $53,737 | 12:1 | 1 | 325 |
| 29 | American National UniversityPrivate | Poor· 16 | — | 26% | $20,392 | $27,592 | 11:1 | 7 | 643 |
| 30 | Strayer University-VirginiaPrivate | Poor· 15 | — | 13% | $13,920 | $81,061 | 39:1 | 10 | 2,010 |