10 Best Nursing Schools in Virginia – 2024 Rankings
Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Virginia is one of those rare states where experts are actually predicting a surplus of nurses by the year 2030. That doesn’t mean the demand for qualified nurses will go away; in fact, it’s likely that graduates of the best-accredited nursing schools in Virginia may actually have a competitive edge when it comes to employment options. Certain specialty areas like psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners are in short supply now, and that shortage is expected to grow. Many of these professionals practice in the northern part of the state around Charlottesville, Radford, and Winchester, leaving vast portions of the state inadequately resourced. Even with a nursing surplus in the northern metropolitan areas of the state, rural communities in other parts of the state will still experience a nursing shortage.
WHAT ARE THE BEST ACCREDITED NURSING SCHOOLS IN VIRGINIA?
(After closely assessing all nursing schools approved by the Virginia State Board of Nursing, based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the best accredited nursing schools in Virginia offering BSN programs.)
1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Students learn how to give bedside care and apply basic nursing concepts in the 9,200-square-foot Mary Morton Parsons Simulation Learning Center, where they have access to virtual hospital environments and high-fidelity manikins, that can be programmed to respond to common health care situations in a variety of realistic ways. Clinical rotations take place in urban and rural health care facilities throughout Charlottesville and the surrounding communities. UVA nursing students provide free screenings and wellness education at numerous community events such as the Southwood health fair and the Washington Park African-American Cultural Festival. The school also sponsors international partnerships that facilitate learning opportunities in places like Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Guatemala.
Financial Aid: UVA sponsors nearly 20 scholarships specifically for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. The university also maintains a database of nursing-specific external scholarships. Students may qualify for federal and state financial aid as well by completing and submitting a FAFSA form.
2. James Madison University, Harrisonburg
The 7,000-square-foot clinical lab in the new Health and Behavioral Studies building contains simulated acute care and primary care setups where students can master core nursing procedures in a lifelike learning environment. Once they’re comfortable starting IVs and doing bedside assessments, students go on to perform rotations with the Valley Health Page Memorial Rural Health Centers and the nursing school’s other clinical partners. The school also offers international programs during the summer through which students can study the delivery of nursing care in Costa Rica, Spain and Tanzania.
Financial Aid: The deadline for applying for any of the School of Nursing’s 12 endowed scholarships is April 1. Nursing students may also qualify for external scholarships. Various types of state and federal financial aid may be available for JMU students upon the completion and submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA.)
3. George Mason University, Fairfax
You’ll lay the foundations for critical reasoning and basic nursing competencies in the Simulation Laboratory and other clinical labs, which use computerized manikins and virtual hospital setups to help you perfect your bedside skills. The school is located close to the nation’s capital in Fairfax, so once these skills become second nature, you’ll go on to site rotations in a variety of clinical settings, including hospitals, primary care settings, schools and community agencies, throughout the North Capital region. As a student here, you’ll also have the opportunity to work at the unique nurse-managed Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics, which are administered and staffed by the nursing school.
Financial Aid: The School of Nursing sponsors seven scholarships specifically for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. Nursing students may also qualify for one of the many institutional scholarships offered by the university. Additionally, state and federal grants and loans may be available to students if their FAFSA forms indicate eligibility.
4. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
Nursing students learn the basics of clinical insertions as well as technical skills such as IV insertion and medication administration at the Clinical Learning Center; the center includes acute care, primary care and critical care simulation suites. Clinical rotations take place at the VCU Medical Center and other hospitals, ambulatory care clinics and community health agencies throughout the greater Richmond metropolitan region.
Financial Aid: Students may qualify for a number of need-based and merit-based scholarships offered by the School of Nursing itself as well as for endowed scholarships offered by the university. The Financial Aid Office is also a good resource for students seeking additional state and federal funding sources; you will have to submit a FAFSA form to qualify for these.
5. Shenandoah University, Winchester
If you’ve always known that nursing is the career choice you want to pursue, then this school is an excellent choice. You’ll be taught the basics of providing and managing care for individuals and communities. The curriculum is rigorous, but the nursing school goes out of its way to provide you with the support you’ll need to succeed. Technology that facilitates experiential learning is incorporated into every aspect of the nursing lesson plans. Care simulation labs enable you to learn clinical fundamentals in a safe environment; from there, you’ll pursue clinical rotations at Winchester Medical Center, Fairfax Hospital and other health care sites in the greater Capital region. The Eleanor Wade Custer School also promotes international learning opportunities in destinations like Ireland, Thailand, Haiti, Switzerland, Guatemala and Tanzania.
Financial Aid: Shenandoah University awards scholarships on the basis of academic performance, need and specific criteria; though the university offers no nursing scholarships per se, nursing students are encouraged to apply for available institutional scholarships and external scholarships. Eligibility for federal and state financial aid will be determined by the information submitted in the FAFSA form.
6. Radford University, Radford
The School of Nursing is housed in Waldron Hall on the main university campus. The nursing school also maintains a sister site at the Roanoke Higher Education Center, 50 miles east of the university’s main campus. Both nursing school sites have Clinical Simulation Centers equipped with virtual environments that mirror hospital Intensive Care, med/surg, pediatric and obstetric suites; these suites contain high-tech manikins that can be programmed to respond to stressful health situations in lifelike ways. Once they’ve demonstrated proficiency at bedside basics, nursing students go on to clinical rotations at hospitals throughout the Carillon Clinic System and other leading health care providers throughout the Blue Ridge Mountain area.
Financial Aid: While Radford University doesn’t sponsor any institutional scholarships for nursing students per se, the Financial Aid Office maintains a list of external nursing scholarships for which you may qualify. Students who are interested in receiving state and local grants and loans will need to complete and submit a FAFSA form.
7. Liberty University, Lynchburg
Students participate in experiential learning experiences at the nursing school’s Simulation Center at least two times a week. The Center is a 14,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the DeMoss Learning Center. In addition to the clinical rotations it offers throughout the Lynchburg region, the school also sponsors short-term acute care placements at St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke and Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem. Additionally, the school sponsors international clinical mission trips to countries like Rwanda and Kenya.
Financial Aid: Undergraduate and graduate nursing students are eligible to apply for Liberty University’s Resident Scholarships. You’ll need to file a FAFSA form to qualify for Liberty University financial aid or for financial aid administered through the university from state and federal sources.
8. Old Dominion University, Norfolk
A unique partnership with the Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Sentara Center for Simulation and Immersive Learning permits students to learn common medical procedures in a low-risk environment that’s equipped with manikin-based simulators programmed to respond to critical situations in ways that are similar to how human beings might respond in real life. Students have the opportunity to perfect their skills still further in general, specialty, public, private, military and community health care facilities throughout the Hampton Roads area and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Financial Aid: The university sponsors 13 scholarships specifically for nursing students. Additionally, nursing students are encouraged to take advantage of other institutional or external scholarships whose criteria they meet. State and federal financial aid is available to students whose FAFSA forms indicate need.
9. Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg
The university is in the process of renovating its clinical education space, which is called the Lisa Haverstick Memorial Laboratory. With the addition of new simulation manikins and common hospital equipment like beds, IV pumps and oxygen hookups, the space will be able to help nursing students prepare for high-risk clinical events in real life. Once they’re confident in bedside basics, students go on to pursue experiential learning opportunities at clinical sites that include hospitals, primary care settings, community health agencies and other health care settings throughout the Shenandoah Valley.
Financial Aid: EMU offers a number of academic and endowed scholarships for which nursing students may be eligible. The university also disburses federal and state financial aid in accordance with Title IV stipulations. You will need to submit a FAFSA form in order to be considered for this latter category of assistance.
10. Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Roanoke
In the meantime, nursing students have all the advantages of attending an institution that’s affiliated with Carilion Clinics, one of the largest integrated health care organizations in Virginia and West Virginia. Students will be able to take advantage of the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, where Carilion employees hone up on their own practical skills, and they will be able to perform clinical rotations at Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital, Carilion Giles Memorial Hospital, Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital and other facilities that operate under the Carilion aegis.
Financial Aid: Nursing students at Jefferson College of Health Sciences are eligible to apply for Admissions Merit Awards, Alumni Graduate Studies Scholarships and Educational Foundation Scholarships. In addition, they may qualify for state and federal financial aid if need is indicated by the information, they submit in their FAFSA forms.
Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.
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