Top Nursing Schools in the US | List of Best Nursing Universities in the United States of America

If you are planning to become a Nurse then the Nursing School you choose and the Degree Program you opt for also matters a lot. As there are plenty of options out there for Top Nursing Schools in US it is difficult for you to choose the best one from them.

In this article, we have provided Nursing School Rankings of the Popular Ones to make your decision simple. All the Nursing Colleges present here will give you an opportunity to develop expertise and move into advanced practice.

Best Nursing Schools in the US

Here is a quick overview of some of the Nursing School Rankings in US considering several factors like Tuition, Nursing School Specialties, Accreditation, Examination Pass Rate, and a lot more.

Rank School Name Tuition (In-state) Board Exam Pass Rate Acceptance Rate Student Body
1 University of Missouri–Columbia
Columbia, MO
$9,433 Top 10% 81.5% 34,700
2 University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
$8,079 Top 10% 78% 30,100
3 Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO
$7,058 Top 5% 97.2% 34,000
4 University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
$7,835 Top 10% 82.6% 32,400
5 Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, TN
$7,679 Top 20% 97.4% 11,500
6 Truman State University
Kirksville, MO
$7,374 Top 10% 73% 6,253
7 Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO
$5,416 Top 5% 96.2% 5,420
8 Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA
$7,276 Top 10% 81.9% 9,020
9 University of Louisiana–Monroe
Monroe, LA
$6,963 Top 10% 91% 8,545
10 Brigham Young University–Provo
Provo, UT
$5,000 Top 10% 54.9% 34,400
11 Nicholls State University
Thibadaux, LA
$7,234 Top 10% 92% 6,600
12 University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN
$7,554 Top 10% 76% 11,660
13 University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA
$5,374 Top 5% 60% 16,687
14 Emporia State University
Emporia, KS
$5,614 Top 5% 72% 5,870
15 University of Nevada–Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
$6,570 Top 20% 88% 27,400
16 University of Southern Indiana
Evansville, IN
$6,600 Top 5% 72% 10,500
17 University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
$10,200 Top 20% 92.3% 27,100
18 Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Alva, OK
$5,050 Top 5% 72% 2,300
19 Metropolitan State University
St. Paul, MN
$6,650 Top 20% 96.7% 8,170
20 California State University–Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
$6,700 Top 10% 69.7% 28,500
21 Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA
$7,150 Top 20% 70.8% 11,343
22 North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND
$7,240 Top 20% 83.5% 14,430
23 University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO
$7,300 Top 5% 79% 13,740
24 California State University–Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
$6,400 Top 10% 67% 21,800
25 New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM
$6,200 Top 30% 80% 17,650
26 Ohio State University–Columbus
Columbus, OH
$10,040 Top 20% 64% 56,400
27 Langston University
Langston, OK
$4,300 Top 5% 63% 1,740
28 Southeastern Louisiana University
Hammond, LA
$5,300 Top 10% 89% 15,602
29 University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO
$6,800 Top 30% 89% 12,520
30 South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD
$7,832 Top 30% 92% 12,580
31 University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC
$5,300 Top 20% 72% 6,300
32 Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY
$7,540 Top 20% 60% 15,970
33 Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN
$7,100 Top 20% 82% 13,770
34 East Carolina University
Greenville, NC
$5,880 Top 20% 62% 26,950
35 California State University–San Marcos
San Marcos, CA
$7,060 Top 10% 62% 10,360
36 University of Vermont
Burlington, VT
$15,750 Top 20% 77% 13,100
37 University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY
$10,110 Top 20% 67% 28,000
38 Indiana University–Kokomo
Kokomo, IN
$6,680 Top 20% 70.4% 3,720
39 St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud, MN
$7,480 Top 30% 89.7% 16,460
40 University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH
$16,500 Top 20% 77.9% 15,300
41 University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI
$7,360 Top 20% 68.5% 13,400
42 Illinois State University
Normal, IL
$12,573 Top 20% 74% 17,200
43 University of Central Oklahoma
Edmond, OK
$5,092 Top 30% 78.9% 17,200
44 Fitchburg State College
Fitchburg, MA
$8,985 Top 10% 72.1% 6,888
45 Georgia College & State University
Milledgeville, GA
$8,790 Top 20% 66.3% 6,400
46 University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
$7,900 Top 20% 64.7% 22,200
47 University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL
$8,150 Top 30% 87.2% 14,600
48 West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
$6,450 Top 50% 85.1% 29,700
49 Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, LA
$6,300 Top 30% 84.9% 9,450
50 Louisiana State University–Alexandria
Alexandria, LA
$4,600 Top 20% 61.1% 2,400
51 California State University–Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA
$6,792 Top 10% 67% 8,720
52 Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH
$7,712 Top 30% 86.7% 13,800
53 Worcester State University
Worcester, MA
$8,157 Top 5% 68.1% 6,200
54 California State University–Stanislaus
Turlock, CA
$6,664 Top 30% 72.2% 8,900
55 Ball State University
Muncie, IN
$9,300 Top 20% 61.2% 21,000
56 University of South Carolina–Columbia
Columbia, SC
$10,800 Top 20% 60.6% 31,300
57 Morehead State University
Morehead, KY
$7,500 Top 50% 84.5% 11,100
58 Southern Utah University
Cedar City, UT
$5,924 Top 5% 57.2% 8,300
59 Weber State University
Ogden, UT
$4,800 Top 50% 100% 26,500
60 Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, PA
$8,582 Top 20% 67.6% 9,950
61 University of Maryland–College Park
College Park, MD
$9,200 Top 20% 46.8% 37,200
62 University of Washington
Seattle, WA
$12,383 Top 20% 59% 42,500
63 University of Evansville
Evansville, IN
$10,000 Top 10% 80% 34,000
64 Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY
$8,722 Top 50% 92.3% 21,100
65 Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN
$34,600 Top 5% 84.8% 1,450
66 University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
$6,263 Top 50% 44.1% 49,900
67 Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL
$2,760 Top 50% 100% 17,800
68 Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA
$9,100 Top 20% 61% 15,400
69 Radford University
Radford, VA
$9,026 Top 30% 76.4% 9,500
70 Metropolitan State College of Denver
Denver, CO
$6,400 Top 30% 71.3% 23,300
71 University of Colorado–Denver
Denver, CO
$7,500 Top 50% 75.9% 22,400
72 University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL
$6,380 Top 20% 52% 16,201
73 University of Louisville
Louisville, KY
$9,750 Top 30% 76.3% 21,300
74 Auburn University
Auburn University, AL
$9,880 Top 50% 77.4% 16,500
75 California State University–Chico
Chico, CA
$8,900 Top 50% 79.2% 16,470
76 Clemson University
Clemson, SC
$13,400 Top 20% 57.9% 20,770
77 Washburn University
Topeka, KS
$5,780 Top 50% 95.5% 7,200
78 Lamar University
Beaumont, TX
$9,050 Top 50% 88.3% 14,300
79 West Texas A&M University
Canyon, TX
$6,990 Top 30% 69.4% 7,900
80 Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, IN
$34,760 Top 5% 79.6% 4,080
81 University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL
$6,300 Top 20% 62.5% 59,760
82 Rutgers Camden Regional Campus
Camden, NJ
$13,430 Top 20% 80% 6,350
83 Murray State University
Murray, KY
$6,840 Top 50% 82.2% 10,800
84 Wichita State University
Wichita, KS
$6,927 Top 50% 95.2% 14,890
85 Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
$14,400 Top 30% 67.2% 36,700
86 Indiana University Southeast
New Albany, IN
$6,700 Top 30% 77.9% 6,900
87 University of Nevada–Reno
Reno, NV
$6,150 Top 50% 83% 18,230
88 University of Texas–El Paso
El Paso, TX
$7,020 Top 50% 99.8% 22,800
89 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
$7,300 Top 50% 64.6% 29,000
90 University of Massachuetts–Amherst
Amherst, M
$13,258 Top 30% 62.6% 28,200
91 Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, TN
$7,160 Top 50% 85.7% 10,600
92 Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
$8,400 Top 5% 46.7% 15,630
93 Missouri Western State University
St. Joseph, MO
$6,500 Top 50% 100% 6,060
94 Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS
$5,850 Top 50% 79.3% 7,480
95 Louisiana College
Pineville, LA
$14,520 Top 20% 73.9% 1,260
96 Indiana University South Bend
South Bend, IN
$6,800 Top 30% 57.3% 8,500
97 Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Galloway, NJ
$12,000 Top 5% 57.3% 8,400
98 Winston-Salem State University
Salem, MA
$8,050 Top 20% 69.3% 9,400
99 Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA
$36,530 Top 5% 73.6% 3,470
100 Texas State University–San Marcos
San Marcos, TX
$9,200 Top 50% 76.6% 34,200

Top US Nursing School Rankings

With over several nursing programs available in the United States of America, it's difficult to pick the right college for you. Nursing Colleges in USA have huge popularity among students for their wide range of Master's, doctoral and post-degree program offerings.

  • Duke University
  • Georgetown University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • New York University
  • University of California -Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Maryland
  • University of Washington
  • Emory University

Also, Read:

Factors to Consider while Choosing a Nursing College

When choosing a nursing school you need to consider various factors into account. However, before doing so first decide what are your learning objectives. After figuring out your objectives check for the below-listed factors too.

They are as beneath Nursing School Specialties:
Usually, if you want to pursue some specific degrees you need to check if the particular nursing college offers your course or not. To become a Nurse Practitioner you need to find schools too accordingly.

Accreditation:
Pursuing Nursing Degrees from Accredited Colleges makes sure you study the degree program as per the Industry Standards. In general, there are two types of accreditation like nursing education accrediting organizations and associations that provide nursing accreditation.

Tuition:
Tuition Fee is also a crucial factor that you need to look into before opting for a nursing college. The cost of Nursing Programs varies from One Nursing School to another.

NCLEX Exam Pass Rate:
Check how many students are clearing the prestigious NCLEX Exam as it is the one that decides whether you can become a certified Nurse or not. Schools with High Pass Rates are an indicator that they prepare candidates well.

Clinical Rotations:
Check if the program you are choosing provides you with clinical rotation time, and hands-on experience or not. If not choose a different program than the ones you have opted for.

Class Size:
Before deciding the college find out the student-to-faculty ratio. It is a crucial factor to know how much personal attention you can get in the classroom. When it comes to core nursing courses small size classes can be better.

Location of School:
Choose the location of the school if you have any limitations. Earning a degree in the area where you want to find a job can give you an extra edge.

Size of School:
The Size of the School is not a major factor but shouldn't be neglected. It's up to you whether to choose a small institute where you can get personal attention or go for a larger institution.

FAQs on Best Nursing Programs offering Schools

1. Which is the hardest Nursing School to get into?

Columbia University is the hardest Nursing School to get into.

2. What is the number 1 nursing school in Ohio?

Ohio State University is the number 1 Nursing School in Ohio.

3. What Nursing School has the Highest Acceptance Rate?

Clemson University, Regis University, and the University of Texas have the Highest Acceptance Rates.

Final Words

We wish the information prevailing on our page with regards to Nursing School Rankings has shed some light on you. If you need any help regarding the same do ask us through the comment section so that we can get back to you. Stay tuned to our site to avail latest updates on various College Rankings at your fingertips.