Best Ranked Nursing Degree Programs

Ranking determines where a school or program is placed in relation to other schools or programs.

It is based on a variety of different criteria which varies according to the type of school.
Traditional schools are ranked on the basis of factors including their acceptance rate, staff education levels and pay, retention rate, the size of the classes and student faculty ratio, as well as their student sourcing pool.
Online colleges, while using some of those criteria, are also assessed on the basis of scholarly and peer web citations and the length of time they have been accredited.

Why is this important to you when you decide which nursing degree program to pursue? Well, because when you have narrowed down what is most important to you (school’s reputation, graduation rates, smaller classes and so on) then you will be able to focus more closely on the schools that match your particular selection criteria.

Typically, each of the top ranked schools has a unique aspect that sets it apart from its counterparts.

According to a recent U.S News and World Report, the following are some of the top ranked distance education colleges offering nursing degree programs:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
They rank first amongst public colleges in the net cost of attendance once they have provided financial assistance to students based on need.

University of Pittsburgh
This school has an amazing heritage having been founded in 1787. It has not, however, remained mired in the past and owes its strong ranking to the fact that it has now gained a reputation as one of the leading online education providers.

John Hopkins University
This school has a worldwide reputation for being one of the best academic and research institutions globally.

University of Washington, Seattle
This school has been ranked by the U.S News and World Report as the best nursing school for the past 27 years - there obviously must be a good reason for that! This is mainly due to the breadth and variety of nursing courses available.

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
The drawback to some online nursing programs is the lack of clinical practice. This is where the University of Pennsylvania comes into its own and earns its top ranking. It was the first program to create an online simulation laboratory complete with mannequins to allow students to see how a real patient would respond to certain procedures.

What all these schools have in common is a commitment to excellence in terms of the programs they offer, the manner in which are offered and assistance, being financial and otherwise, to their students.
These are things that matter a great deal to most prospective students, which is why they are consistently seen to get it right year on year.

The numerous colleges which offer nursing education is vast, and thus one may need more information. Moving towards an education in nursing can bring you towards your own nursing specialty.