The Best Nursing Schools in the US | 2024

Recognized as one of the best research schools in the world, Duke University offers some of the top nursing programs. The School of Nursing at Duke only offers only one-degree choice for undergraduate nurses: an accelerated BSN.

To enroll in this program, applicants first need to complete a non-nursing bachelor's degree. However, the program takes 16 months to complete, requires only 58 credits, and students gain 800 hours of clinical experience before graduating. Outcomes for the program are highly positive too.

Duke is perhaps best known for its graduate programs, including multiple MSN and doctoral programs. Nurses interested in becoming nurse anesthetists would be interested in knowing that Duke boasts one of the top programs for nurse anesthesia in the nation

As one of the oldest private institutions in the nation, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. has an established, well-respected nursing program.

The BSN uses direct entry, meaning current high school students find out if they've been accepted into the BSN program before enrolling at Georgetown. By graduation, BSN students will have earned over 850 hours of clinical experience at locations across Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area. The direct-entry nursing program with hands-on clinical experience in the first year of study. Georgetown also offers an honors program for BSN students.

Graduate students also have plenty of nursing options at Georgetown. The university has an excellent nurse-midwifery/women's health nurse practitioner MSN that takes just over two years to complete. Those wanting to earn a DNP can skip a master's degree with the BSN-DNP program, available in both a part-time and full-time format.

Graduate nursing programs sometimes come with heavy amounts of research, and John Hopkins University is perhaps the best research university in the world. The highly-esteemed school doesn't offer any undergraduate nursing programs, though it does have an MSN for non-nursing majors.

Anyone who earned a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field can enroll in the MSN, and graduates excel on the NCLEX. It is a basic MSN degree, so students interested in becoming an APRN will need to continue their education. 

After completing the MSN and getting some professional experience in clinical settings, many nurses continue to earn a DNP at John Hopkins. The university has 13 different DNP options, each of which leads to a specific career outcome. 

Based in New York City, New York University is truly a global university with over 21,000 international students and students coming from 120 different countries and campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai and 12 other international locations. Students come from around the world to earn a top-ranked education.

NYU's College of Nursing offers nursing students plenty of undergraduate options with a traditional BSN degree, second-degree transfer BSN, RN-BSN, and accelerated 15-month BSN. The traditional BSN program is a 128-credit curriculum that incorporates 44 credits of liberal arts courses, 20 credits of science and prerequisite courses, and 64 credits of nursing core and clinical courses.

Of course, a top-ranked institution also has plenty of great graduate programs. Nurses can choose from two master's programs, a DNP, or Ph.D. Students can also specialize in their graduate education. 

Founded in 1740, the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League University, is among the oldest universities in the nation. The school boasts an impressive 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio, excellent for nursing students looking for a personalized education. Ranked as one of the best nursing programs in the world, Penn Nursing focuses on research throughout all programs. 

Penn's BSN has students learn in a state-of-the-art simulation lab, and students enter a mentorship program to improve their experiential learning. Penn even operates several study abroad programs for undergraduate students. Undergraduate students also can secure a minor in a variety of fields including, but not limited to, nutrition, global health, and nursing & health services management minor. 

Penn also offers MSN and DNP options, with popular specializations including nurse-midwifery, nurse anesthesia, and two pediatric care routes. There are also administrative graduate degrees for those looking to enter leadership positions and post-grad certificate programs for MSN-prepared nurses.  

Located in the college town of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan is one of the best places to earn an undergraduate education. The BSN degree builds off over 100 years of nursing education experience, and over 13,000 UM nursing alumni work around the world.

The school sets up two options for entry: direct entry for first-year students and a sophomore transfer program. Either way nursing students complete more than 1,000 hands-on clinical hours. 

UM's MSN is among the best available, with concentrations available in eight different areas. All eight specialties lead to a specific APRN position, and MSN graduates boast a near-perfect pass rate on every exam each year. UM offers multiple programs and allows students to complete programs on a two or three-year track. 

The MSN combines learning in UMs Clinical Learning Center with different clinical sites across the region. If students want to continue their education, they can study the same subjects at the doctoral level. 

Known for producing high-caliber graduates who become leaders in their fields, the University of California Los Angeles is among the best institutions of higher education in the West.

Nursing courses in the university's BSN degree program lay the foundation to either enjoy a productive nursing career or to continue on and earn a master's degree.

UCLA's MSN options are arguably the best programs in the nursing school. Each MSN degree leads to an APRN specialty while emphasizing leadership, a great combination for nurses looking to advance their careers. After choosing a population specialty, MSN students then choose a sub-specialty in the field.

UCLA also has a DNP that takes as little as two years to complete and comes in a hybrid format. UCLA boasts world-renowned faculty, and 15 are Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. Faculty members have received major grants from the National Institutes of Health, and been inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.

Located in Seattle, the University of Washington has several unique benefits for nursing students.

First, all students get to complete clinicals at dozens of sites across the region, including top-ranked hospitals like Seattle Children's Hospital. Second, nursing students can select innovative programs like the accelerated BSN with early DNP admission, best for non-nursing graduates who want to quickly earn their doctoral degree.

While the school does have a traditional BSN, it doesn't have an MSN option; however, UW does have 10 DNP tracks that lead to APRN roles, such as pediatric clinical nurse specialist, nurse-midwifery, and adult gerontology acute care.

Most of the DNP programs take three years to complete, and students graduate with more than enough clinical experience to sit for their certification exams. 

Home to one of the world's best healthcare systems, Emory University of Atlanta, Georgia, is a great choice for nursing students at any level. Ranked as the #2 undergraduate nursing school in the US 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings by U.S. News and World Report, Emory University provides a top education to nursing students. 

The renowned private school has three options for undergraduate nurses: a direct-entry BSN for current high school students, a sophomore entry for current Emory or Oxford College students, and a transfer program for those with at least 60 credits. 

Emory also has plenty of graduate-level options for current nurses and non-nursing students. The MSN-pre licensure degree leads to RN certification, though the program is still awaiting regional accreditation approval.

The other MSN programs are accredited and lead to nine different APRN roles. All MSN tracks come in full-time and part-time formats, so nurses can continue working while earning their graduate degrees. 

Located in Baltimore, the University of Maryland is a leader in innovation and research.

The university teaches over 41,000 students each year, and its location near Washington, D.C., and other major cities makes it ideal for nursing students and future nurses. There are over 2,100 students in the nursing program coming from 21 states. 

UM's BSN emphasizes nursing leadership and uses state-of-the-art facilities to teach students. The program takes as little as two years to complete, though students first need to complete two years of introductory courses.

Nurses interested in becoming APRNs would enroll in one of UM's DNP programs. Each DNP comes with a specialty, with popular options including nurse anesthesia, neonatal nurse practitioner, and psychiatric mental health nursing.

The university also has plenty of other graduate-level nursing degrees great for nurses interested in leadership, research, or administrative roles.