According to the Virginia Nurses Association, there is currently a high demand for nurses in Virginia. Compassionate and detail-oriented individuals with strong physical endurance and emotional stability are needed to work as nurses in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, outpatient care facilities, nursing homes, schools, community health centers, and patient homes. By becoming nurses, Virginians can enjoy a lucrative and rewarding career while making easy access to quality healthcare a reality in the state.

Best Nursing Schools in Virginia

Virginia Badge ImageThere are 62 schools offering nursing degree programs in Virginia. To help prospective nurses in this state find the right school for them, we’ve created two separate rankings of the best nursing schools in Virginia. One ranking is intended for undergraduate students; the other is for graduate students.

Our rankings can help prospective nurses easily identify valuable information about each school such as tuition and acceptance rate so they can select the nursing degree program that aligns best with their budget and preferences.

The data for our rankings comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). For further information about our ranking methodology, please visit the bottom of this page.

Virginia
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$5,752
Undergraduate graduation rate
37%
Undergraduate retention rate
70%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
97%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$12,177
Undergraduate graduation rate
67%
Undergraduate retention rate
85%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
81%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$14,509
Undergraduate graduation rate
94%
Undergraduate retention rate
97%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
59%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$9,060
Undergraduate graduation rate
70%
Undergraduate retention rate
87%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
76%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$6,935
Undergraduate graduation rate
84%
Undergraduate retention rate
90%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
63%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$7,029
Undergraduate graduation rate
52%
Undergraduate retention rate
79%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
93%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$7,922
Undergraduate graduation rate
59%
Undergraduate retention rate
71%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
86%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$15,984
Undergraduate graduation rate
49%
Undergraduate retention rate
48%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
88%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$4,620
Undergraduate graduation rate
32%
Undergraduate retention rate
58%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
88%
Number of undergraduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Undergraduate tuition
$4,620
Undergraduate graduation rate
32%
Undergraduate retention rate
65%
Percent of undergrad students awarded financial aid
78%
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$11,736
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$10,512
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$9,727
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$16,018
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$11,881
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$12,217
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$8,915
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$7,904
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$9,922
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered
0
Graduate Tuition
$18,180
Number of graduate-level nursing programs offered through distance education
0
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2018-19, National Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

Nursing Accreditation in Virginia

Nursing accreditation in Virginia is important because it helps determine if a nursing degree program meets or exceeds the minimum standards of quality. By attending an accredited nursing school, students can easily transfer credits and ensure they are receiving the education they need to succeed in the field of nursing. Several examples of nursing school accreditation agencies in Virginia include:

  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Virginia Nursing Licensure

To become an LPN in Virginia, a student must complete an LPN certificate or degree program, apply for licensure with the Virginia Board of Nursing, and pass the NCLEX-PN exam. A student who hopes to become an RN in Virginia is required to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN). Once they’ve earned their degree, the next step is to apply for a license with the Virginia Board of Nursing, and then to pass the NCLEX-RN exam. NPs in Virginia must be RNs and complete a graduate degree in nursing. In addition, they are required to pass the national nurse practitioner exam. For up-to-date nursing licensure information in Virginia, please visit Virginia.gov.

 

Virginia Nursing Organizations

There are several nursing organizations in Virginia that can be beneficial to nurses in the state. Let’s dive deeper into some of these organizations.

  • Virginia Nurses Association (VNA):

    VNA represents the interests of more than 100,000 registered nurses in all areas of specialization across the Commonwealth of Virginia. This organization acts as the “voice of nursing” in Virginia and ensures nursing priorities are incorporated into legal and regulatory decisions.

  • Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners (VCNP):

    VCNP is designed for nurse practitioners who are licensed in Virginia. Its goal is to increase the awareness of and the impact of the role of nurse practitioners on health care.

  • Virginia Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (VaCNS):

    VaCNS strives to promote the role of the clinical nurse specialist as an advanced practice registered nurse in Virginia.

Virginia-Specific Continuing Education

Continuing education is a requirement for all nurses in Virginia. To keep their licenses active, LPNs and RNs will need 30 continuing education hours or 15 continuing education hours and 640 active practice hours every two years. NPs who received their license before 5/8/02 must maintain the certification or complete 40 contact hours related to their speciality area every two year licensing period.

Hospitals in Virginia

  • Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church): Inova Fairfax Hospital is one of the largest employers in Fairfax County, Virginia. It is home to a neonatal intensive care unit, pediatrics intensive care unit, oncology unit, adolescent medicine unit, and centers for pediatric surgery and cardiac surgery.
  • VCU Medical Center (Richmond): VCU Medical Center is the only academic medical center in the region. The American Nurses Credentialing Center has recognized it as a Magnet-designated hospital, which is the most prestigious honor for nursing.
  • Chippenham Hospital (Richmond): Since it opened its doors in 1972, Chippenham Hospital has continued to provide the highest quality of care to patients in Central Virginia. It is a Certified Chest Pain Center and earned a Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission.
Sources & Methodology

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:

  1. Number of associate- and bachelor’s-level degree programs offered to nursing-related majors
  2. Number of associate- and bachelor’s-level nursing-related degree programs offered via distance education
  3. Variety of associate- and bachelor’s-level nursing-related degree programs offered
  4. Tuition
  5. Retention rate
  6. Graduation rate
  7. Average amount of federal grant aid awarded to full-time first-time undergraduates
  8. Percent of full-time first-time undergraduates awarded any financial aid
  9. Credit offerings (Military, Dual, Life Experience, AP)
  10. Services (Career Counseling, Placement Services)
  11. 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:

  1. Number of master’s- and doctoral-level degree programs offered to nursing-related majors
  2. Number of master’s- and doctoral-level nursing-related degree programs offered via distance education
  3. Variety of master’s- and doctoral-level nursing-related degree programs offered
  4. Tuition
  5. Retention rate
  6. Graduation rate
  7. Credit offerings (Military, Dual, Life Experience, AP)
  8. Services (Career Counseling, Placement Services)
  9. 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/
  • Virginia Department of Health Professions, Accessed July 2018, https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/nursing_forms.htm
  • Nursing Licensure, Accessed July 2018, https://www.nursinglicensure.org/state/nursing-license-virginia.html
  • Inova, Accessed July 2018, https://www.inova.org/patient-and-visitor-information/facilities/inova-fairfax-hospital/index.jsp
  • VCU Health, Accessed July 2018, https://www.vcuhealth.org/
  • Chippenham Hospital, Accessed July 2018, https://chippenhammed.com/
  • Virginia Nurses Association, Accessed July 2018, http://www.virginianurses.com/