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Nurse Extern Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a nurse extern. Nurse externs usually study nursing, psychology, or biology. 53% of nurse externs hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 17,901 real nurse extern resumes to see exactly what nurse extern education sections show.

The most common colleges for nurse externs are the Pima Medical Institute and the Pima Medical Institute.

There are also many online nurse extern courses to help get the education required to be a nurse extern.

There are certain nurse extern certifications that you should consider. These nurse extern certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Patient Care Technician.

What education do you need to become a nurse extern?

What degree do you need to be a nurse extern?

The most common degree for nurse externs is bachelor's degree, with 53% of nurse externs earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 25% and associate degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 53%
  • Associate, 25%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Master's, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 11%

What should I major in to become a nurse extern?

You should major in nursing to become a nurse extern. 67% of nurse externs major in nursing. Other common majors for a nurse extern include psychology and biology.

Most common colleges for nurse externs

Nurse externs often get their degrees at Pima Medical Institute, Marshall University, and East Tennessee State University. Here are the most common colleges for nurse externs in the US based on their resumes.
Nurse Extern Common CollegePercentages
Pima Medical Institute9.11%
Marshall University6.86%
East Tennessee State University6.64%
University of Phoenix5.96%
San Diego State University4.95%

Best majors for nurse externs

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing67.4%
2Psychology3.6%
3Biology3.5%
4Business3.0%
5Nursing Assistants2.9%

Best colleges for nurse externs

The best colleges for nurse externs are Emory University, New York University, and Vanderbilt University.

A nurse extern with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for nurse externs. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become nurse externs.

1. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. Maria College of Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,140

Enrollment

876

5. Clarkson College

Omaha, NE • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,392

Enrollment

646

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,914

Enrollment

4,155

7. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,872

Enrollment

3,553

9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,940

Enrollment

4,169

10. Vermont Technical College

Randolph, VT • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,108

Enrollment

1,350

20 best online courses for nurse externs

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Top 10 most affordable universities for nurse externs

The most affordable schools for nurse externs are SUNY Farmingdale, dickinson state university, and maine college of health professions.

If the best universities for nurse externs are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for nurse externs.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Cost of Attendance

16,091

2. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,768

Cost of Attendance

15,506

3. Maine College of Health Professions

Lewiston, ME • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,245

Cost of Attendance

18,826

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Cost of Attendance

13,998

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,872

Cost of Attendance

13,476

7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,914

Cost of Attendance

13,564

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,940

Cost of Attendance

13,508

9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Barranquitas

Barranquitas, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,902

Cost of Attendance

13,479

10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla

Aguadilla, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,902

Cost of Attendance

13,284

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nurse externs

The hardest universities for nurse externs to get into are Emory University, New York University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for nurse externs are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for nurse externs based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions Rate

19%

SAT Average

1,449

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions Rate

10%

SAT Average

1,514

4. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

29%

SAT Average

1,422

5. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions Rate

41%

SAT Average

1,321

6. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

56%

SAT Average

1,250

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

40%

SAT Average

1,376

9. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions Rate

47%

SAT Average

1,337

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

28%

SAT Average

1,429

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nurse externs

The easiest schools for nurse externs to get into are Barry University, adventhealth university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a nurse extern without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for nurse externs.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,006

2. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions Rate

87%

SAT Average

1,016

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

70%

SAT Average

849

4. Pennsylvania State University - Shenango

Sharon, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

75%

SAT Average

989

5. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)

Lemont Furnace, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

80%

SAT Average

1,067

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,072

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

98%

SAT Average

999

8. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

52%

SAT Average

958

9. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

92%

SAT Average

1,031

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions Rate

68%

SAT Average

964

Average nurse extern salary by education level

According to our data, nurse externs with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $41,996 annually. Nurse externs with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $40,192.
Nurse Extern education levelNurse Extern salary
Master's Degree$41,996
Bachelor's Degree$39,400
Doctorate Degree$40,192
Some College/ Associate Degree$36,276

Nurse Extern Education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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