In 1906, Ludie Clay Andrews earned a nursing degree from Spelman College in Atlanta and became known as the first African American registered nurse in Georgia. She founded a program to train African American nurses at Atlanta’s Grady Hospital in 1917 and has inspired Georgia residents of all races to enter the fulfilling field of nursing ever since. Today, nurses can be found throughout the state in a variety of settings including hospitals, physicians’ offices, nursing care facilities, schools, and patient homes.
Best Nursing Schools in Georgia
As of July 2018, there are 56 schools offering nursing degree programs in Georgia. NursingDegrees.com has created two separate rankings of the best nursing schools in Georgia. One ranking is for undergraduate programs while the other is for graduate programs. Prospective nursing students can use our rankings to learn more about the tuition, acceptance rate, and other important factors of each nursing school in Georgia. With this information, they’ll be able to select the nursing degree program that is right for their particular needs and preferences.
To create our rankings, we used data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System or IPEDS. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for more information on our ranking methodology. Our rankings for the top undergraduate and graduate nursing schools in Georgia are:
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $3,762 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 34% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 79% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 86% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $2,136 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 38% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 55% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 93% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $2,136 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 31% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 62% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 91% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $2,136 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 40% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 57% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 93% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $3,965 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 19% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 62% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 94% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $2,136 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 42% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 58% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 95% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $2,136 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 43% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 61% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 91% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $2,136 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 43% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 62% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 92% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $2,501 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 11% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 42% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 94% |
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Undergraduate tuition | $3,965 |
Undergraduate graduation rate | 29% |
Undergraduate retention rate | 62% |
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid | 94% |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $41,800 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $5,184 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $5,144 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $5,220 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $4,086 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $4,050 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $3,420 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | N/A |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $6,636 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered | 0 |
Graduate Tuition | $7,020 |
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education | 0 |
Nursing Accreditation in Georgia
If qualifying for financial aid, transferring credits, and earning a nursing degree from a school that meets or exceeds the standards and criteria for educational quality is important to them, prospective nursing students should select an accredited institution. A few examples of nursing school accreditation agencies in Georgia are:
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
- Georgia Board of Nursing
Georgia Nursing Licensure
To become an LPN in Georgia, an individual must complete an LPN certificate or degree program, apply for a license with the Georgia Board of Nursing, and pass the NCLEX-PN exam. RNs in the state are required to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or an Associate’s Degree in Nursing, apply for a license with the Georgia Board of Nursing, and pass the NCLEX-RN exam.
RNs can become NPs by earning a graduate degree in nursing, receiving authorization from the Georgia Board of Nursing, and passing their national professional licensing exam. For up-to-date information on Georgia nursing licensure, visit http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/licensing/plb/45.
Georgia Nursing Organizations
There are a several Georgia nursing organizations that both nursing students and working nurses may find beneficial. Here is a brief overview of three of the most popular ones:
- Georgia Nurses Association (GNA):
GNA began in 1907 and is now considered the largest professional association for registered nurses in Georgia. Its purpose is to shape the future of professional nursing in order to create a healthier state.
- Central Georgia Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (CGAPRN):
CGAPRN was designed to address legislative, political, and practice issues of advanced practice registered nurses who live and/or work in Central Georgia.
- South Georgia Association of Nurse Practitioners:
The mission of the South Georgia Association of Nurse Practitioners is to promote the visibility of the Nurse Practitioner role in the community and offer professional growth so that quality healthcare can be available in the state.
Georgia-Specific Continuing Education
Georgia LPNs who would like to retain their license must complete 20 hours of continuing education every two years. RNs in the state are required to complete 30 hours of continuing education hours every two year licensing period. Although the Georgia Board of Nursing does not require NPs to complete continuing education to keep their licenses active, NPs must fulfill the continuing education requirements of their national certification agency.
Hospitals in Georgia
The hospital environment allows nursing students and entry-level nurses to gain valuable nursing experience. Fortunately, there are several large hospitals in Georgia that offer exceptional career opportunities for nurses. Three of the largest hospitals in the state include:
- Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta): Since its opening in 1892, Grady Memorial Hospital has continually reinvented themselves to meet the evolving medical needs of the Atlanta region. It’s known as one of the best trauma centers in the nation.
- Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville (Gainesville): Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville has been rated as Georgia’s #1 Hospital by CareChex and is among twenty large community hospitals named to the nation’s 100 Top Hospital list by Truven Healthcare.
- WellStar Kennestone Hospital (Marietta): WellStar Kennestone Hospital is home to a Level 2 trauma center, which provides full-service emergency care. This hospital is equipped with 633 hospital beds and has invested in new technologies such as CyberKnife®, TomoTherapy® and the da Vinci® robotic surgical system.
Methodology
Using the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), we gathered data for 6,758 United States institutions. We then filtered that list of schools by state and analyzed the data for each state with two different methodologies, in order to create two different lists: our undergraduate list, based on 11 ranking criteria, and our graduate list, based on 9 ranking criteria.
Final data for the 2016-17 school year was used for these rankings. Schools that did not provide data for all of the required ranking criteria were disqualified from that ranking.
The 11 criteria for the undergraduate school ranking were as follows:
- Number of associate- and bachelor’s-level degree programs offered to nursing-related majors
- Number of associate- and bachelor’s-level nursing-related degree programs offered via distance education
- Variety of associate- and bachelor’s-level nursing-related degree programs offered
- Tuition
- Retention rate
- Graduation rate
- Average amount of federal grant aid awarded to full-time first-time undergraduates
- Percent of full-time first-time undergraduates awarded any financial aid
- Credit offerings (Military, Dual, Life Experience, AP)
- Services (Career Counseling, Placement Services)
- Availability of tuition plans (Guaranteed, Prepaid, Payment, Other)
The graduate school ranking scored schools based on 9 criteria, different from the undergraduate list. These 9 criteria were as follows:
- Number of master’s- and doctoral-level degree programs offered to nursing-related majors
- Number of master’s- and doctoral-level nursing-related degree programs offered via distance education
- Variety of master’s- and doctoral-level nursing-related degree programs offered
- Tuition
- Retention rate
- Graduation rate
- Credit offerings (Military, Dual, Life Experience, AP)
- Services (Career Counseling, Placement Services)
- Availability of tuition plans (Guaranteed, Prepaid, Payment, Other)
All schools were scored on a 10-point scale for each of the points listed above. Individual data point scores were then multiplied by their respective weights, and the scores were added together, for a maximum possible score of 10 points.
NOTE: Schools’ tuition amounts are based on 2016-17 undergraduate and graduate data reported to the National Center for Education Statistics. The actual cost of tuition may vary.
Sources
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2016-17, National Center for Education Statistics, Accessed January 2018, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/
- American Hospital Directory, Accessed July 2018, https://www.ahd.com/
- Georgia Board of Nursing, Accessed July 2018, http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/licensing/plb/45
- Georgia Nurses Association, Accessed July 2018, https://www.georgianurses.org/default.aspx
- Georgia Women of Achievement, Accessed July 2018, https://www.georgiawomen.org/ludie-clay-andrews
- Grady Health System, Accessed July 2018, https://www.gradyhealth.org/
- NetCE, Accessed July 2018, https://www.netce.com/ce-requirements/nurse-practitioner/GA/
- Northeast Georgia Health System, Accessed July 2018, https://www.nghs.com/locations/gainesville/
- Nurse Journal, Accessed July 2018, https://nursejournal.org/licensing/georgia-nursing-requirements/
- WellStar, Accessed July 2018, https://www.wellstar.org/locations/pages/wellstar-kennestone-hospital.aspx