Best Nursing Schools in Louisiana in 2024 (On-Campus & Online)

If you would like to earn a nursing degree, you’re in luck! Good nursing schools in Louisiana are available in many areas of the state. Regardless of where you live there is a college or an online program near you to help you get your degree. If you’re interested in a nursing specialty it’s possible you’ll have to attend specific classes on a college campus.

Is Nursing Right for You?

Nursing is a wonderful and noble profession that requires a special type of person—one with empathy, sympathy, and the desire to continue learning after graduation in order to stay on top of the current procedures and medications. As a nurse, you can train for several specific areas of nursing. For example, emergency room nursing, wound care specialist, labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care, cardiac care and more.

Nursing Schools in Louisiana

There are many options available for prospective nurses, such as practical nursing schools in Louisiana and many others. The state of Louisiana has close to 45 schools that offer one or more nursing programs. The nursing schools listed below offer LPN/LVN certifications, registered nursing degrees (ASN, BSN), nurse practitioner degrees, and/or specialty nursing programs.  Most nursing schools in Louisiana are set in the classroom but there are some online classes and programs depending on what type of nursing program you are interested in. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and are taking classes for your masters’ degree many, if not all, of the classes may be available online. In some incidents, students may need to do a residency type program to learn and practice the clinical skills necessary to care for patients properly. Whether you’re looking for a nursing school in New Orleans, a nursing school in Baton Rouge, or in another city in Louisiana, you’ll be sure to find an option below.

Here are the top-ranked nursing schools in Louisiana

1. Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center—New Orleans

The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center—New Orleans is located in the city of New Orleans and is a large school that offers nine nursing programs. For undergraduate programs, it offers a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Career Alternative RN Education: CARE, and an RN to BSN degree. For graduate programs, it offers a Master of Science in Nursing, a Doctor of Nursing Practice, and a Doctor of Nursing Science. They have various concentrations such as Clinical Nurse Leader, Nurse Educator, and Nurse Anesthesia. It has one of the best nurse anesthesia schools in Louisiana.

• Tuition per credit semester (programs vary): $1744
• Type of School: Public
• NCLEX First-Time Pass Rate: 97%
• Program Length: 4 years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs

2. Northwestern State University of Louisiana

The Northwestern State University of Louisiana is located in Natchitoches and is a large public college that offers students two nursing programs. Their degree offers range from LPN to DNP.

• Tuition per credit year (programs vary): $1161
• Type of School: Pubic
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 92%
• Program Length: One to eight years depending on the degree
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

3. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is one of the largest university systems in Louisiana with nice separate campuses.

• Tuition per credit year (programs vary): N/A
• Type of School: Public
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 91%
• Program Length: Two to eight years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and Council for Higher Education Association (CHEA)

4. Our Lady of the Lake College

The Our Lady of the Lake College is a Catholic college founded in 1923. The college is small and not for profit. There are three nursing programs – associate, bachelor’s, and master’s in nursing.

• Tuition per credit year: $13,000
• Type of School: Public and Small
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 94%
• Program Length: Two years to five years depending on the program you select.
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

5. Southeastern Louisiana University

The Southeastern Louisiana University is located in Hammond, Louisiana—a quaint little area. This public university is of medium size and was founded in 1925. They offer undergraduate as well as graduate nursing programs. While they do not offer an associate degree program, they do offer an LPN to BSN program. The RN to BSN On Demand Program is 100% online. Their NCLEX First-time Pass Rate for 2019 was 97.32%. Their graduates consistently score above the national average.

Southeastern has been named a Military Friendly School for eight consecutive years and was one of seven universities in the country to be awarded a federal grant to support military and veteran undergraduate nursing students, called LION VIP CARE – Louisiana Increasing Opportunities for Nurse Veterans in Primary Care.

LION VIP CARE is a time limited program available to qualified students through June 2022. Benefits include a $2,000 per semester stipend, personalized support from a dedicated student success coach and a veteran nursing advisor, clinical training opportunities in primary care to supplement acute care clinicals, and professional development in primary care nursing and on the health needs of veterans.

• Tuition: $9,500 inclusive (covers tuition, books, and all fees)
• Type of School: Public and Medium size
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 97.32%
• Program Length: Four years for a bachelor’s degree, five years for a masters and an unknown amount of time for a doctoral degree (up to eight years).
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

6. Loyola University New Orleans

The Loyola University New Orleans is a Catholic university located in New Orleans. It is a small university and was founded in 1904. The university is one of the top 5 in the state of Louisiana. They offer four nursing programs – certificates, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

• Tuition per credit year: $40,000
• Type of School: Catholic, small, and not for profit
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 93%
• Program Length: 1 year for RN to BSN On Demand Program, generally 4 years for a bachelor’s degree (includes 3 semesters of prerequisite courses and 5 semesters of nursing courses).
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

7. Northwestern State University of Louisiana

The Northwestern State University of Louisiana is located in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The university’s nursing programs get five stars for curriculum and 4 stars for teaching. It is a small public university and they offer four nursing programs – associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

• Tuition per credit year: $19,000
• Type of School: Small and public
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 93%
• Program Length: Four years for a bachelor’s degree, five years for a master’s and an unknown amount of time for a doctoral degree (up to eight years).
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

8. McNeese State University

The McNeese State University is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The university is small and public and was founded in 1939. They offer two nursing programs.

• Tuition per credit year: $19,000
• Type of School: Public and small
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 89 %
• Program Length: Four to Five Years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

9. Southern University and A & M College

Southern University and A & M College is a small university with 5 nursing programs. It is a public school founded in 1880.

• Tuition per credit year: $7,000
• Type of School: Small and Public
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 85%
• Program Length: Four years for a bachelor’s degree, five years for a master’s, and an unknown amount of time for a doctoral degree (up to eight years).
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

10. Grambling State University

Grambling State University is located in Grambling, Louisiana. The university is small and public and was founded in 1901. They offer four nursing programs.

• Tuition per credit year: $8,000
• Type of School: Public and small
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 83%
• Program Length: Four years for a bachelor’s degree, five years for a master’s and an unknown amount of time for a doctoral degree (up to eight years).
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

11. University of Louisiana at Monroe

The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a small public university in Monroe founded in 1931. The offer two nursing programs—a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

• Tuition per credit year: $20,000
• Type of School: Public and small
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 95%
• Program Length: Four years for a bachelor’s and five years for masters.
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

12. Nicholls State University

Nicholls State University is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1948 and is a public university with a quaint campus. They offer two nursing programs—a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

• Tuition per credit year: $18,000
• Type of School: Small and Public
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 86%
• Program Length: Four years for a bachelor’s degree and five years for a master’s degree.
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

13. University of Holy Cross

The University of Holy Cross is located in New Orleans and was founded in 1916. The university is Catholic, public and very small with an excellent nursing program for their 4-year bachelor’s degree.

• Tuition per credit year: $13,000
• Type of School: Very Small and Public
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 96%
• Program Length: Four years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

14. Louisiana College

Louisiana College is a Baptist college in Pineville, Louisiana. The college is very small and not for profit. They offer a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

• Tuition per credit year: $16,000
• Type of School: Religious, small, and public
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 83%
• Program Length: Four years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

15. Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University is an average size public university and was founded in 1894. They offer a two-year associate degree in nursing.

• Tuition per credit year: $27,000
• Type of School: Public and medium size
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 84%
• Program Length: 2 years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

16. Dillard University

Dillard University is located in New Orleans and is a small and not-for-profit university founded in 1869. It has one nursing program – a bachelor’s in nursing.

• Tuition per credit year: $18,000
• Type of School: Small and not for profit
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 83%
• Program Length: Four years
• Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)

17. Louisiana State University Alexandria

Louisiana State University Alexandria is located in Alexandria, Louisiana and was founded in 1960. They offer two nursing programs – an associate and bachelor’s degree.

• Tuition per credit year: $7,000
• Type of School: Public and Small
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 87%
• Program Length: Two to four years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

18. Baton Rouge General School of Nursing

The Baton Rouge General School of Nursing has graduated more than 1,000 nurses since 1984. They offer the only diploma nursing program in the state of Louisiana. The schools provides students with the latest technologies, treatment techniques, and patient-centered care education.

• Tuition per credit year: $12,000
• Type of School: Small, public and nursing
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 86%
• Program Length: Two years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

19. Delgado Community College

Delgado Community College is located in New Orleans and was founded in 1921. The college is of average size and public. It has three nursing programs – an associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree.

• Tuition per credit year: $10,000
• Type of School: Medium and Public
• NCLEX First-time Pass Rate: 84&
• Program Length: Two years to five years
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

Nursing Program Methodology

These universities and colleges are ranked by assigning scores that reflect important attributes, which include the cost of tuition and the first-time pass rate for the NCLEX. Colleges and universities that offer advanced degrees such as nurse practitioner and DNP have already obtained a 100% on the NCLEX. Students must pass the exam before being admitted to an advanced nursing program.

We do our very best to rank all the universities and colleges fairly and truthfully. Universities and colleges can not pay or barter for a higher ranking under any circumstances.

Sponsored colleges or universities will be clearly marked as SPONSORED and will be listed separately.

Disclaimer: Tuition costs change from time to time as do the costs of housing, books, lab supplies, and other necessities. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they have the correct prices.

If your school is ranked and you believe there is an error that needs correcting or if you would like to have your university or college included in our rankings, please contact us.