10 Pricey Online Graduate Nursing Programs for Out-of-State Students

The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.

Adults looking to get a master's degree or doctorate in nursing are positioning themselves well for the job market.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the employment of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners will grow 31 percent by 2022, opening up thousands of new positions.

An online graduate nursing program allows working professionals to earn a degree without making regular trips to campus. But it can also be pricey. Experts suggest prospective online nursing students consider what they'll study, the duration of their program and other factors before they financially commit to a program.

[Weigh the cost of an online master's in nursing.]

At the most expensive online graduate nursing programs, out-of-state students paid more than $1,160 per credit in 2014-2015, according to data submitted to U.S. News in an annual survey. However, students should keep in mind the total cost will vary depending on how many credits it takes to complete a program.

Only one of the priciest programs was among the most highly ranked. University of South Carolina, whose online graduate nursing program tied for No. 3 in the U.S. News rankings, had the eighth-highest tuition.

Students who attended the 10 programs below paid significantly more than some of their peers at other schools. Among the 78 public ranked schools that reported the data, for example, out-of-state students were charged an average of about $714 per credit.

Massachusetts' Fitchburg State University offered students the lowest tuition, charging out-of-state students only $167 per credit in 2014-2015.

[Explore the cheapest online graduate nursing programs for out-of-state students.]

Below are the 10 online graduate nursing programs with the highest out-of-state, part-time tuition on a per-credit basis. Schools designated by U.S. News as unranked were excluded from this list. U.S. News did not calculate a numerical rank for these programs because they did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires to be numerically ranked.

Several programs on the list were designated as Rank Not Published in the U.S. News Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs rankings. U.S. News calculates, but does not publish, a numerical rank for RNP schools.

School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.

U.S. News surveyed 133 schools for our 2014 survey of online graduate nursing programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The tuition data above are correct as of Aug. 25, 2015.

Devon Haynie is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering online education. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dhaynie@usnews.com.