2027 Most Affordable Online MSN in Nursing Administration Programs

In just a span of 20 years, student loan debt has risen from half a trillion dollars to $1.77 trillion. This is an increase of $1.29 trillion. Student loan debt has reached epic proportions and continues to rise, increasing by $170 billion since Q1 of 2019 (FRED).

This has sparked a host of proposals by lawmakers to reduce and relieve student debt. The bottom line is that in order to increase their income and advance their careers, professionals typically must earn advanced degrees in their fields, incurring even more debt after undergraduate school. This creates a need for more affordable master’s degrees.

Professionals are seeking out degrees in growing fields where the salaries are attractive. Online MSN in nursing administration programs fit the bill. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS 2026), medical and health services managers earn a median salary of $123,860 per year ($59.55 per hour).

Jobs in this market are also growing. The BLS (2026) projected that positions in this field will swell 24 percent nationally between 2025 and 2035, with the addition of 155,100 jobs.

Healthcare administrators typically have at least a bachelor’s degree, but master’s degrees are becoming increasingly common for these positions. To that end, in this article, we cover online MSN in nursing administration programs including clinical nurse leader programs ranked by affordability in 2026 to 2027.

These rankings are based on tuition data MHAOnline.com collected in 2026 from 545 online MHA programs and closely related graduate degrees. Tuition information is as current as possible, being taken from the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 school years as published by each school.

Please note that the following are ranked based on their total program tuition cost.

As the need for nurse administrators increases job opportunities will rise accordingly, yet these positions require an advanced nursing degree. As higher education costs rise, taking on more student loan debt to earn a graduate degree may not be feasible. These MSN in nursing administration programs ranked by affordability can open up some options that might not otherwise have been considered.

These online programs in nursing administration can be convenient, affordable, and completed in about two years. These programs can provide a career pathway to fill nursing administration and leadership positions without the looming burden of more tuition debt.

For more information on low-cost graduate degrees, check out our guide to the most affordable online MHA programs.

Sara Navratil

Writer

Sara Navratil is a freelance writer and a Certified Canfield Success Principles Trainer. She's the owner of Sara Liza Life, a company dedicated to helping people rewrite their lives. She enjoys researching and writing about healthcare-related topics, including information on online MHA programs. When not working she likes to read, bake, and spend time with her family.