Best Nursing Schools Near Wilmington, DE (2026)

Wilmington, Delaware has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs. Wilmington has a population of about 71,124. Median household income is $55,269 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 33.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $238,540 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Nursing Schools to Wilmington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer nursing programs near Wilmington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wilmington city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Wilmington. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Wilmington University

New Castle, DE 4.8 miles from Wilmington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,844
Avg net price $15,644/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Dawn Career Institute LLC

Newark, DE 9.2 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
52.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $30,429
Avg net price $14,839/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Delaware

Newark, DE 12.5 miles from Wilmington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
83.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,950
Avg net price $17,799/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 179

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Delaware Technical Community College-Terry

Dover, DE 37.1 miles from Wilmington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,448
Avg net price $11,578/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Delaware State University

Dover, DE 37.9 miles from Wilmington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,307
Avg net price $13,910/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Margaret H Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Medical Center

Lewes, DE 69.7 miles from Wilmington
  • 2 year
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,380
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Delaware schools on the Delaware nursing page.


Nursing Wages Near Wilmington

Wilmington is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Delaware statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Registered Nurse $101,180 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $98,616
Licensed Practical Nurse $70,710 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $68,918
Nurse Anesthetist $238,540 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $232,495
Nurse Midwife $77,620 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $75,653
Nurse Practitioner $135,700 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $132,261
Nursing Assistant $46,220 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $45,049

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Wilmington at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 71,124 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $55,269 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 33.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 102.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Nursing-related employment in New Castle County 25,818 workers, 110 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Wilmington-Area Cities With Nursing Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited nursing schools are near Wilmington, DE?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near Wilmington. The closest is Salem Community College in Carneys Point, NJ (4.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Delaware (12.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Wilmington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Wilmington are: Nurse Anesthetist ($238,540), Nurse Practitioner ($135,700), Registered Nurse ($101,180). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Delaware statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Chester instead of Wilmington?

Chester, PA is 11.3 miles from Wilmington and has its own set of local nursing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Wilmington an affordable place to study nursing?

Wilmington’s median household income of $55,269 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wilmington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Delaware public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Nursing Programs

Other Programs Available in Wilmington

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Wilmington:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.