2023 - Best Nursing Schools in Alabama

Its BSN program was formed in 1979, graduating its first group of students in 1981.  Per their website, admission into their nursing program is extremely competitive; it does require a minimum GPA of 2.5 but in reality, the minimum GPA is most likely much higher.  In addition, applicants must undergo an interview process in order to be accepted into the program.

A highly competitive and high-ranking school, Auburn University has been putting in great efforts to develop a practical and challenging nursing curriculum that has been attracting more and more nursing students each year. The University provides ACNE and CCNE accredited degrees ranging from bachelor’s to doctorate to train nurse leaders who go on to put their best foot forward when it comes to providing quality nursing care in the community, hospital, and other settings.

One of the best facilities at Auburn University is the state-of-art healthcare simulation center known as the EAGLES (Engaging Active Group Learning Environments in Simulation) center, where students learn from hospital-like scenarios in a hospital-like environment. The center includes units designed like real hospitals, clinics, and community health care facilities, including manikins, IV sets, medical equipment, lightings, and an environment no less than a real health care delivery center. Here, students are guided by realistic simulators where they provide care in real-life scenarios. 

The school also has a well-equipped Nursing Resource Centre where nurses can learn fundamental nursing skills like phlebotomy, CPR, distinguishing breath sounds, wound dressing, and many more. 

Furthermore, students also learn practical skills like history taking, physical examination, and patient communications with the help of Standardized Patients, who help teach these skills to the students through role-playing. 

These activities allow students to participate in practical learning in a safe, controlled environment, strengthening their practical knowledge and critical thinking abilities. Thus, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the nurses graduating from Auburn University go on to perform exceptionally in their respective fields of work.

Another strong option for nurses seeking quality education in online format is the University of Alabama. Located in Tuscaloosa, this is the first public college of Alabama.

They boast that they were the first public college of Alabama, founded in 1831.  They are also proud to say that their NCLEX-RN pass rate has been between 96% and 100% since it began in 1976.  They offer an RN to BSN program and an RN to BSN/MSN program.

They offer ACEN and CCNE accredited RN to BSN as well as RN to BSN/MSN programs. You can get enrolled at any wide variety of degrees provided for both bachelor’s and master’s levels. On top of that, the school offers both campus and online formats and a hybrid learning system.

The BSN program at the University of Alabama excels through excellent clinical facilities from hospitals, home care agencies, health departments, public schools etc. All of which work to provide the nursing students with an environment where they can exercise their critical thinking capabilities, nursing practice, and education. 

In addition to this, there are a variety of elective nursing courses available at different times throughout the curriculum that includes opportunities for independent study.

Students can opt to enroll in Fall, Spring, or Summer to learn to integrate theoretical nursing into practice and develop into competent nurse leaders.

Coastal Alabama CC (Southern State) provides ADN, LPN, and a Mobility (LPN and paramedic to ADN) degrees similar to its brethren in James H Faulkner State. 

Ranking as one of the top nursing colleges in the state, Coastal Alabama CC aims to provide quality, patient-centered nursing education to produce nurses who can effectively integrate evidence-based practices to provide compassionate, patient-centered care when they graduate. 

The school prides itself in its highly sophisticated simulation labs designed to provide guided yet autonomous learning in a safe and controlled environment. The labs allow nursing students to develop their skills in various areas like critical thinking, clinical judgment, teamwork, communication, prioritization, etc.

The highly competitive nursing program at Coastal Alabama CC encourages students to constantly better themselves and redefine new limits for themselves. The school also provides financial aid in different forms to encourage students and ensure that finance doesn’t interfere with getting a quality education.

Another high-ranking nursing school, University of North Alabama, has been a leading institution in providing quality and accessible education to nurses since 1973. The University offers traditional BSN, accelerated BSN, and MSN degrees via both on-campus and online classes. 

The courses at University of North Alabama include biology, humanities, and other subjects in the initial semesters, which changes into more complex nursing core subjects with subsequent semesters. 

University of North Alabama encourages diversity, teamwork, cooperation, and a friendly learning environment which the alumni describe as learning and living with family.

The alumni from this school have gone on to do bigger and better things worldwide, in all kinds of healthcare delivery areas.

To be a part of the University of North Alabama family, students can apply in the Fall or Spring semester and begin their journey to become quality healthcare providers who put compassion and care in every healthcare role they take.

The UAB School of Nursing is located in Birmingham, Alabama, is one of the best options for aspiring nurses who cannot afford to attend college full time. The school allows the students to opt for a decelerated program which enables them to complete the course in as long as five semesters instead of the usual two. In addition, most of the coursework can be assessed online, with the professors being accessible online. 

UAB's comprehensive list of programs makes sure no nurse is left behind on their ambitions. They offer the traditional four-year BSN program, RN to BSN and RN to MSN program; on top of that, their new UAB Nursing Community College Partnership (UABCCNP) Join Enrollment Pathway allows students to earn an Associate Degree and the BSN degree at the same time. Similarly, the MSN program at UAB ranks as one of the top schools in the  nation as per US News & World Report. It offers three pathways to the master's degree: one for nurse practitioners, one for health systems leaders, and an accelerated master's in nursing pathway for entry into professional nursing practice for individuals with a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field. The school also offers Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD). 

All of these prepare highly skilled nurses that can take on the role of nurse leaders and care providers in any field; the process is further facilitated by the state's only Academic Health Science Center, which provides a concrete foundation for nurses to create a strong career while preparing them to become esteemed leaders. 

You can choose to apply in the Fall, Spring, or Summer semester.

Wallace State Community College is located in Hanceville, Alabama, and they offer both an LPN and an RN program. The Wallace State Department of Nursing's goal is to produce nursing graduates "who are dedicated and exceptional healthcare providers committed to transforming the lives of patients, families, and the community."  Wallace State Community College also has an articulation agreement with University of Alabama, which allows its graduates to pursue their bachelor's or master's degree of nursing.

Coastal Alabama Community College is located in Bay Minette, Alabama and is known to have one of the lowest tuition rates in Alabama. It is a is a public community college with nine campuses across southern Alabama. The current nursing school was established in 2017 through the consolidation of Alabama Southern Community College, Faulkner State Community College, and Jefferson Davis Community College.  They offer a number of nursing programs - an LPN program, a nursing mobility program (LPN to RN), and an RN program. Nursing graduates from Faulkner State Community College are prepared to be critical thinkers, practicing safely and effectively in a variety of healthcare settings.

Aiming to provide quality, affordable educational opportunities through a variety of instructional strategies, the nursing school offers two highly sophisticated simulation labs and has integrated Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) and National League of Nursing (NLN) into their philosophy in order to provide quality nursing education that is in-step with the ever-changing global healthcare scenario.

By offering various nursing academic paths to earn an RN degree, Coastal Alabama Community College offers nursing students a way to earn a highly sought after nursing degree from one of the top educational institutions in the state.

Undergraduate Programs - Associate Degree Nursing (RN) is a full-time day course that runs for a total of five semesters. However, students who successfully complete the first three semesters or 45 credit hours are awarded with a Practical Nursing (PN) certificate and can take the licensure examination to become an LPN. After successful completion of the five-semester program, students will be awarded an ADN, and will be eligible to take the licensure exam to become an RN.

The Practical Nursing (LPN) Certificate Program is also a full-time day course, this program runs for three semesters, and students will be eligible to take the licensure exam to become an LPN. Alternatively, graduates of this program can also apply for the Mobility (LPN to RN) program so as to complete the associate degree in nursing after they pass their NCLEX-RN.

Their Mobility LPN and Paramedics to ADN program is a day program designed for current Alabama licensed LPNs and Paramedics who want to complete their ADN.

Samford University’s nursing program was the first nursing program in Alabama to be accredited by the National League of Nursing. Since then, it has been striving to instruct its students in a Christian environment that prepares caring, competent, and compassionate graduates who are committed to providing service, scholarship, lifelong learning, and professional practice in the field of healthcare and nursing.

One of the best features of Samford University is its impressive simulation lab. Standing at about 22,000 sq. ft. the simulation lab allows students to engage in a variety of clinical situations and enable them to become competent critical thinkers and problem solvers.

This university has also teamed up with some of the best and most reputable clinical agencies in the country to ensure that their students get the best knowledge when it comes to clinical practice and that they develop enough practice and confidence to pursue a clinical practice.

The university offers a plethora of degrees when it comes to nursing so that you find your calling and work to achieve it. Most of the postgraduate programs are offered online as well.

Undergraduate Programs: Samford University offers four different pathways to becoming a BSN.

They have a traditional BSN degree and a transfer BSN degree. They also offer a second-degree BSN degree for those who have already completed an undergraduate program but wish to become a RN. 

In addition to this, they have a Veteran’s BSN program which is designed specifically to meet a veteran’s or militant's skill set.

Graduate Programs:  The university offers a ADN/ASN to MSN degree specializing in Nurse Practitioner. There is also a BSN to MSN program for Family Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner with Emergency Specialty, and Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Doctorate Programs: If you wish to advance your career further as a nurse then they offer a BSN to DNP program with specialization in Nurse Anesthesia. Their MSN to DNP program provides students with a number of options including Nursing Administration, Advanced Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Lawson State Community College is located in Birmingham, Alabama; there is also a campus in Bessemer, Alabama for an evening RN program.  The school boasts that their nursing program is competitive and prestigious - and difficult to gain entrance.  Although their is a minimum GPA requirement, it is recommended to maintain a high GPA and perform at a high level in all science courses.  It is even recommended that their students take additional biology classes to ready themselves for their nursing program - classes that are not required for the nursing program.

Coastal Alabama CC (Jefferson Davis) is passionate when it comes to developing quality nursing professionals who provide compassionate, patient-centered care and can lead the way when it comes to developing nursing practice. The educational programs here are supportive of the students, inclusive, and affordable.

The high-fidelity simulation labs help students develop high competencies when it comes to nursing skills before they go out to the field. The students also practice in hospitals with highly-trained faculties and further perfect their skills and knowledge before attaining their degree as nursing professionals.

The alumni praise the small class sizes and close knit community at Coastal Alabama CC that helped them develop the much needed confidence and gave them a safe space to learn. Small class sizes mean that the instructors know most if not all the students, and everyone is treated equally, and everyone is welcomed and cared for.

Undergraduate Programs: The college offers an Associate Degree Nursing program that prepares students to practice as competent RNs after successfully completing their NCLEX-RN exam.

There is also a Practical Nursing (LPN) program that can either be studied on its own or students can take their Practical Nursing Certificate upon the completion of their third semester. The students with this certificate are eligible to take the practical nursing licensure exam for LPNs.

What’s more is that Coastal Alabama offers a mobility LPN to ADN degree for those with a LPN or other paramedic license who want to take a chance and become RNs.

Southern Union State Community College has multiple campuses in Alabama- Wadley, Opelika, and Valley.  The RN school is housed on the Opelika campus.  Their RN program is unique in that it offers mobility programs for not just LPNs seeking to become RNs, but also paramedics seeking to become RNs.