Best Nursing Schools Near Winston-Salem, NC (2026)

Winston-Salem, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs. Winston-Salem has a population of about 250,887. Median household income is $57,673 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Winston-Salem, NC metro area, the top-earning nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $216,140 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Nursing Schools to Winston-Salem

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer nursing programs near Winston-Salem, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem. 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

Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem, NC 2.2 miles from Winston-Salem
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,344
Avg net price $13,479/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC 2.3 miles from Winston-Salem
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
79.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,158
Avg net price $28,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Forsyth Technical Community College

Winston-Salem, NC 2.5 miles from Winston-Salem
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,139
Avg net price $7,200/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Nursing Wages Near Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is part of the Winston-Salem, NC metro area (BLS area code 49180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Registered Nurse $86,120 Winston-Salem, NC $93,609
Licensed Practical Nurse $62,970 Winston-Salem, NC $68,446
Nurse Anesthetist $216,140 Winston-Salem, NC $234,935
Nurse Midwife $126,040 NC statewide $137,000
Nurse Practitioner $130,840 Winston-Salem, NC $142,217
Nursing Assistant $38,660 Winston-Salem, NC $42,022

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.


Winston-Salem at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 250,887 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $57,673 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 37.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.0 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Nursing-related employment in Forsyth County 27,903 workers, 93 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Winston-Salem-Area Cities With Nursing Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited nursing schools are near Winston-Salem, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near Winston-Salem. The closest is Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, NC (2.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is South University-High Point (17.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Winston-Salem?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Winston-Salem are: Nurse Anesthetist ($216,140), Nurse Practitioner ($130,840), Nurse Midwife ($126,040). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Clemmons instead of Winston-Salem?

Clemmons, NC is 8.5 miles from Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem an affordable place to study nursing?

Winston-Salem’s median household income of $57,673 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Winston-Salem while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Winston-Salem

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

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.