Best Nursing Schools in Virginia for 2023

Nursing Degrees & Schools / Best Schools Virginia

The slogan says, “Virginia is for lovers,” but the state has something for everybody. From its rich history to its easy access to the nation’s capital, and from the white sand of Virginia Beach to the majestic beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, there are plenty of reasons why Virginia is a great place to live. 

U.S. News & World Report ranks Virginia #7 in its list of best states and Forbes ranked in #1 for quality of life, and though the state’s cost of living is higher than the national average, it provides its residents with remarkable services, infrastructure and opportunity. 

When it comes to healthcare, Virginia is home to some of the country’s top hospitals, offering carrer prospects for students entering any of the state’s many nursing schools.

 Virginia’s top nursing programs:

1. Virginia Commonwealth University
2. University of Virginia
3. James Madison University
4. Radford University
5. George Mason University
6. Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
7. Shenandoah University
8. Old Dominion University
9. University of Mary Washington
10. Marymount University

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1. Virginia Commonwealth University – Score 68

  

NCLEX Pass Rate – 97.40%

Annual In-State Tuition: $15,642

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $37,588

Both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs at Virginia Commonwealth University have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for their academic excellence. The school has a 68% graduation rate, and offers a unique Co-Enrollment program with local community colleges that includes eligibility for a scholarship that covers the entire cost of all four co-enrollment courses. 

The MSN program and the DNP program offer clinical and nursing leader options, and students have the opportunity to collaborate with the Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety to develop patient-centered, population-focused and cost-effective initiatives designed to improve health care.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• MSN
• DNP
• PhD (Online)

2. University of Virginia – Score 66

NCLEX Pass Rate – 93.10%

Annual In-State Tuition: $17,048

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $53,680

Offering nursing programs that are consistently ranked among the best in the nation, the School of Nursing at University of Virginia offers comprehensive educational opportunities for nurses at all levels. 

Beyond the traditional four-year BSN, which has achieved a 94% graduation rate, UVA offers a two-year, part-time RN-to-BSN program, seven MSN tracks, two doctoral programs, and opportunities to pursue global health studies in New Zealand, Australia, and Honduras. The school offered $3.4 million in scholarships and financial aid in the academic year 2020-2021.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• MSN
• RN-MSN (Hybrid online)
• DNP (Online)
• PhD (Online)

3. James Madison University – Score 64

NCLEX Pass Rate – 93.90%

Annual In-State Tuition: $13,092    

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $30,152

James Madison University’s School of Nursing has been recognized numerous times by U.S. News & World Report, including being ranked as the #110 top MSN program, the #118 top DNP program, and for offering the #99 top online graduate nursing programs. 

The school prides itself on its students’ civic, community, and global engagement, partnering with other disciplines within the university on issues of finding practical health policy solutions and offering study abroad opportunities to prepare nurses for engaging with diverse populations. Some MSN concentrations are offered in person and others are entirely online, and all are offered both full-time and part-time, and the DNP program is available to both BSN-degreed and MSN-degreed nurses. The school has achieved an 83% graduation rate.

CCNE-accredited program offered:

• BSN
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• MSN
• DNP

4. Radford University – Score 62

NCLEX Pass Rate – 97.90%

Annual In-State Tuition: $8,156

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $20,246

Radford University’s top-rated nursing programs are offered at both its main campus in Radford, Virginia and at its Roanoke location, and its RN-to-BSN program and many graduate programs are offered online as well. 

The school offers both pre-nursing advising and a dedicated advisor for upper division nursing students, and Radford’s Clinical Simulation Center aspires to be a premier, innovative and student-centered simulation program. The online RN-to-BSN program can be completed in as few as ten months and has six start dates each year, while the graduate nursing program offers multiple specialty tracks, including both MSN and DNP Family Nurse Practitioner degrees, an MSN and a DNP in leadership, and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner DNP.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• MSN
• DNP 

5. George Mason University – Score 56

 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 81.90%

Annual In-State Tuition: $9,796

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $33,960

George Mason University’s nationally ranked school of nursing offers traditional nursing programs as well as accelerated and online programs to accommodate all types of student backgrounds and needs. Nursing students are introduced to innovative practice models including the use of telemedicine and informatics, and have the opportunity to practice hands-on medicine while serving the diverse health needs of the local community, as well as through global outreach. 

The school offers programs that are specially designed to help veterans to complete their BSN degree, including a co-enrollment program that provides both mentoring and the ability to complete all Mason BSN nursing courses online while concurrently enrolled in AAS nursing courses at partner community colleges.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• Co-enrollment BSN (Veteran and non-veteran)
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• MSN
• DNP
• PhD

6. Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing – Score 55 

 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 93.60%

Annual Tuition: $12,600

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing has a long and remarkable history dating back to 1881 when three Sisters of Bon Secours came to the U.S. from France to care for the sick. In 1919 they opened the first U.S. hospital in Baltimore and in 1921 established a school of nursing. Today the school carries on the tradition, focusing on caring for those in vulnerable populations and caring for patients within the context of their communities. The school has a 97% retention rate and 78% graduation rate, as well as 96% job placement for graduates.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• RN-BSN (Online)

7. Shenandoah University – Score 52

NCLEX Pass Rate – 96.70%

Annual Tuition: $33,790

The Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing offers direct admittance to its BSN degree program, allowing students to begin taking nursing classes earlier in their education than is true of other traditional BSN curricula. The school assigns a nursing faculty advisor immediately upon the student’s entry to the university to provide support and ensure success, and that approach has led to a 63% graduation rate. 

In addition to offering multiple paths to a BSN degree, the school has robust nursing graduate programs that are available both online and in-person and a nurse-midwifery program.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• RN-BSN (Online)
• RN-MSN
• MSN (Online or In-Person)
• BSN-DNP

8. Old Dominion University – Score 44

 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 88.0%

Annual In-State Tuition: $11,220

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $31,170

Old Dominion University’s School of Nursing is one of five professional schools within the College of Health Sciences. It has received a 97.5% overall satisfaction rate from graduates across all of its programs. This statistic reflects the school’s strong educational programs, its nationally-ranked use of distance learning technologies for its RN-to-BSN and graduate nursing programs, and its partnership with the Eastern Virginia Medical School/Sentara Center for Simulation and Immersive Learning which allows nursing students at all levels to interact directly with standardized patients. 

All graduate degree programs are offered online with the exception of the Nurse Anesthesia program. The BSN program is nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report and has a 50% graduation rate.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• BSN Concurrent enrollment
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• MSN (Online)
• DNP

9. University of Mary Washington – Score 42

NCLEX Pass Rate – N/A

Annual In-State Tuition: $8,938

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $25,858

The University of Mary Washington offers two paths to a BSN degree. The BSN Completion program is an RN-to-BSN degree that allows licensed RNs who hold an Associate’s Degree in Nursing to attend either full-time or part-time, choosing face-to-face coursework or an online option. 

The school also offers a unique hybrid dual degree plan in affiliation with Germanna Community College. The program is a 1+2+1 schedule in which the student attends both University of Mary Washington and Germanna during the first three years of their education, and only University of Mary Washington in their final year. Only 15-18 students are selected for this program each year, and students are required to live on the University of Mary Washington campus for at least two of the four years. The school has a 67% graduation rate. 

CCNE-accredited programs offered: 

• BSN
• RN-BSN (Online)
• DNP

10. Marymount University – Score 41

NCLEX Pass Rate – 88.70%

Annual Tuition: $35,950

The Malek School of Nursing Professions at Marymount University offers undergraduate and graduate nursing degree programs, including a Master’s degree that is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Reports. 

Nursing students benefit from clinical rotations in the medical facilities serving the nation’s capital, and this proximity is particularly helpful for DNP students who are exploring health care policy and leadership. MSN students can choose either an in-person or online Family Nurse Practitioner specialty track or an online Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track. 

CCNE-accredited programs offered: 

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN (Online)
• RN-to-BSN (Hybrid)
• MSN (Online)
• DNP (Online)

Table

How to choose the right nursing program

There is no single best nursing program in Virginia: the right nursing program for you is unlikely to be the best choice for somebody else. When making this highly personal decision, there are so many questions you can ask yourself. Do you want to be in a city or in a quieter, suburban setting? Do you want a school that offers online courses? Do you want to study abroad? Narrow your selection by identifying your priorities, including tuition, reputation, NCLEX pass rates, and other elements.

Location 

Virginia stretches from the Atlantic seaboard to the Appalachian Mountains and from the suburbs of Washington, D.C. to the historic towns of Williamsburg and Jamestown. The diverse geography and feel of the state means that nursing school candidates have plenty of choices for the type of environment they choose to study in. 

Tuition

There’s an enormous range in the tuition charged by different nursing schools, with the most affordable fees charged by state universities to in-state students. Whether you’re a Virginia resident looking at a school in your own backyard or you’re from somewhere across the country considering a private school, tuition is a big consideration. 

If you’re worried about costs, be sure to apply for financial aid through FAFSA, and investigate the availability of scholarships.

NCLEX pass rate

The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is the last step between graduation from a nursing program and licensure, and the pass rate achieved by a school’s graduates is often viewed as a statistical benchmark for the quality of its program. When considering a nursing school, check to see whether they publicize their NCLEX-RN passing rates and see how they compare to the national average. 

Programs offered 

It may go without saying, but different nursing schools offer different nursing degrees. No matter how many good things you’ve heard about a particular school and its curriculum, make sure that it is offering the specific degree that is what you need on your path to your career goal.

Graduation rate  

Graduation rate is a measure of how many freshman students who enter  a college graduate within six years. When it comes to nursing school, students come from a wide range of backgrounds, with many pursuing their degrees online and others entering the school already licensed as registered nurses, and simply needing a few more hours of education to earn their BSN. Because these student outcomes aren’t included in graduation rate metrics, students weighing different schools should keep this in mind when considering this statistic.

Next steps

Choosing Virginia for your educational home is cause for excitement, but it’s just the start. Once you’ve chosen your top schools, you need to submit applications, and that means filling out applications, gathering transcripts and personal recommendations, paying fees, and investigating financial aid. The more organized you are, the easier the process will be.

Once you’ve been accepted and start your program, time will fly. In no time you’ll have earned your degree, passed your exams, and be ready to get to work. Every state has its own licensing and continuing education requirements. If you have any questions about what’s needed to be a nurse in Virginia, Incredible Health’s  community of Virginia nurses will be happy to provide you with the answers you need.

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Methodology

In order to determine the best nursing schools in a state, Incredible Health compared the top schools among five categories: graduation rate, tuition, NCLEX pass rate, accreditation, and the number of nursing programs offered.

Each metric was scored on a 100-point scale with 100 representing the highest total for that category. Then we compiled the individual scores to get an overall score.

We used data from: 

• Virginia Commonwealth University
• University of Virginia
• James Madison University
• Radford University
• George Mason University
• Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
• Shenandoah University
• Old Dominion University
• University of Mary Washington
• Germanna Community College
• Marymount University
• Virginia Board of Nursing
• Federal Student Aid
• U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
• U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings