Choosing to study nursing is a big life decision. So it only makes sense that choosing the right nursing school for you is equally important. There are a lot of schools out there and you may have some schools in mind. This article should help you narrow down your choices!
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in November 2022, there was a projected shortage of 78,610 full-time RNs in 2025. This is further supported by the large drop of registered nurses (RNs) in 2020 to 2021, estimated to be a decrease of over 100,000, the largest in the past few decades. The numbers speak for themselves: RNs are needed now more than ever.
However, becoming a nurse is not as simple as just going to school, passing the NCLEX, then working. You have to choose the right school for you. What a school teaches you should reflect what you value as a nurse. Many believe that the school with the best NCLEX scores is the best school for everyone, but there are other factors that tend to be overlooked. In fact, it is estimated that 20% of nursing students drop out and here are a number of reasons for it:
- Student debt
- High academic standards
- Salary expectations
- Difficulties of the job itself
- Balancing home and school life
To avoid these problems happening to you, here are some factors that make a good program:
- Tuition and miscellaneous costs: Before choosing a school, you have to make sure it’s within your budget. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, as of 2022, 64.7% of RNs who borrowed money to finance their nursing degrees were still in debt. It’s important to pick a school with a scholarship or financial aid program that fits your financial needs. Apart from that, if you plan to study away from home, you need to consider your living and transportation costs.
- NCLEX Success: The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) is the licensure exam for nurses to practice in the US. Obviously, you’ll want a school with a high passing rate.
- Career outcomes: This refers to how successful nurses become after they graduate from their institution. Passing the NCLEX is one thing, but finding a job afterwards is a different thing. You need a school that makes your resume attractive to employers and prepares you for the realities of the job. You may also want a school that offers specialized courses or advanced post-graduate courses that matches your career goals. For example, you may want to pursue an MSN or a DNP to become a nurse practitioner in the future, so going to a school that also offers those courses would be ideal.
This article will cover the top schools as of 2025 and what makes them great. We’ll also discuss how you can find which school would be the best fit for you. So, let’s discuss the criteria we’ll use to assess the schools on this list.
How we ranked these schools (Methodology)
NCLEX Passing Rates
Any school with good NCLEX passing rates is attractive to aspiring nursing students. After all, you would want a school with a curriculum that is strong and consistent so it could take you to the finish line. However, you have to also take into consideration that the best schools only take in the students who are the cream of the crop. So apart from having strong curriculums, their students were already brilliant to begin with. Make sure you go over your school’s teaching strategies and curriculum if it’s the best fit for you. Any school can help the best nursing student pass the NCLEX. It takes a truly exceptional one to turn any aspiring nursing student into a registered nurse.
If you’d like to see how NCLEX content will work, you can explore the NCLEX QBank on Lecturio!
Tuition Cost and Financial Aid Availability
As mentioned prior, finances are one of the most common reasons for nursing school attrition. Many nurses are still working to pay off their student debt, but finding an affordable school is easier said than done. Nursing school can be quite expensive, especially for top private schools. So apart from the school’s NCLEX passing rates, you need to consider which ones are within your financial capability. You may want to search if your choice of school has financial aid programs available. Take note that federal financial aid is available, but what’s featured in this article are whether universities offer scholarships or not.
Job Placement Rates and Career Opportunities
Again, it’s one thing to pass the NCLEX, but it’s another to thrive in the nursing industry. You want a school with connections and a good reputation that opens as many opportunities for you as possible. The more options you have, the better you can plan your career around your own personal goals.
Student Satisfaction and Reputation
Lastly, student satisfaction and the reputation of the school are important. Prestigious schools carry a lot of weight when finding a job. But student satisfaction is what will stop you from quitting the program. Make no mistake: nursing is not an easy program. It deals with the business of improving and saving lives, so nothing you learn can be taken lightly. Because of that, the pressure can be immense so schools need to be able to keep their students happy and fulfilled if they want to keep them in their institution. However, this is hard to rank as student satisfaction is subjective and depends on each student. So instead, I’ll be discussing the available support services for nursing students in each institution.
The Top 10 Best Nursing Schools in the US for 2025
Take note that these schools have their own programs and reputations that make them stand out. While this may be a ranking, this doesn’t necessarily mean that one school is better than the other. At the end of the day, the best school is the one that works for you.
#1: University of Pennsylvania – School of Nursing
- Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Program: BSN
- Tuition: $63,204 for the academic year, not including other costs
- Financial Aid: Numerous scholarships based on merit are available
- Passing Rate: 96% as of 2022-2023
According to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, it is the #1 nursing school in the world. It also has the highest percentage of Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing and members of the National Academy of Medicine.
There are many facilities this school offers its students. They have patient simulators for students to apply their learnings in a controlled setting. They are also one of the few nursing schools in the country to have a nursing research lab for their students. Learning in labs gives students the opportunity to work with iPads on every lab bench and observe interactive projection microscopes from lecturers.
Placing value on interprofessional teamwork, they also allow students to work with other students, nurses, and physicians.There are also student initiatives that help students engage with the community. Starting 2nd year, students will have the opportunity to learn from their many partner hospitals and medical centers. According to one of their students on their website: “[Penn Nursing] emphasizes the importance of the history of health care, social impacts, current issues in society, and important reproductive justice information along with the course curriculum.”
#2: Emory University – Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia
- Program: BSN, Pre-licensure MN, Distance-Accelerated BSN
- Tuition: $29,960/semester for BSN, $1,706/hour for distance BSN, $24,198/semester for pre-licensure MN
- Financial Aid: More than 96% of undergraduate students been able to receive financial aid in some form with 751 scholarships awarded in the past year
- Passing Rate: 98%
- Job Placement: 100% (3 months after graduation for pre-licensure graduates), 97% are employed 3 months after graduation
Next, we move on to the top-ranked school of the 2025 U.S. News & World Report. Apart from the traditional BSN, they offer pre-licensure programs such as a Distance-Accelerated BSN wherein distance-learners with a previous bachelors degree, after 3 semesters, can earn a nursing degree. They also offer a Pre-licensure Master of Nursing degree for people with a degree from another discipline who want to become registered nurses.
Their school features a simulation lab for students to apply what they learned in the classroom. Their nursing school also has a NEST (Nursing Excellence, Scholarship, Technology) initiative wherein they provide academic, technological, health, and social support for nursing students. For students having a hard time, there is also a Peer Tutoring for those having a hard time with classes. Career services are also available to help students connect with recruiters for externships and even RN positions across the country, essentially helping their students both during and after their nursing program.
#3: Duke University – Duke School of Nursing
- Location: Durham, North Carolina
- Program: Accelerated BSN, MSN, MN
- Tuition: $26,369 Per Semester
- Financial Aid: Scholarships are available for the masters degrees, ABSN can apply for a need-based scholarship
- Passing Rate: 99%
The ABSN degree is an accelerated BSN program where students can finish within 4 semesters. The Direct-Entry Master of Nursing (MN) degree program is also 4 semesters long for students who have bachelor’s degrees in other fields. Afterwards, graduates can take the NCLEX exam to become RNs. Their Center for Nursing Discovery offers simulations for students to learn from. There, they will also be able to work with students from other academic programs to deliver better patient care in complex medical settings.
They offer student support via their Student Success Center to enhance the academic growth of students through helping them manage different aspects of their school life as well as provide guidance through their Career Services. A Stress First Aid Program is even available for timely responses to peers who are in distress and in need of immediate support. You will also find a bustling extracurricular life through several student organizations run for and by nursing students. For students who wish to give back to help guide aspiring students and assist the school, they also have a Student Ambassador program. The school also has access and accommodation services for students with disabilities.
#4: New York University – NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
- Location: New York, New York
- Program: BSN (traditional and accelerated), BS-MS dual degree
- Tuition: Depending on the amount of credits, it can amount to $38,320
- Financial Aid: They offer multiple scholarships and they even have an emergency fund
- Passing Rate: 91.71%
- Job Placement: 88% upon graduating
Apart from their accelerated BSN course for non-nursing degree-holders, they also offer a BS-MS dual degree where students can achieve their degree in nursing and advance to a master’s degree level for people who want to pursue more advanced practice. Upon graduating, the school has a placement rate of 88% on graduating with a mean salary of $86,000 for undergraduate alumni.
They also have a state-of-the-art simulation center for students to practice the skills they learn in the classroom in a safe setting. What’s important in their BS program are their on- and off-campus clinicals where they can practice in both simulations and in actual hospitals and within the community. According to their students, NYU Nursing is great because students are exposed to a diverse patient population and the faculty makes themselves available and shows their involvement in the students’ growth.
#5: University of Michigan – School of Nursing
- Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Program: BSN
- Tuition: $8,702 (+$692/additional hour) for Michigan residents, $30,307 (+$2,492/additional hour) for Non-Michigan residents for the full term
- Financial Aid: Merit scholarships are available as well as an honors program
- Passing Rate: 97.6%
- Job Placement: 94% employment rate
Providing nursing education for over 130 years, U-M School of nursing offers the BSN program which lasts for 4 years. By their second year of schooling, they start working in the clinical learning center to work with simulated clinical scenarios. For struggling students, they may have one-on-one time with the instructional aides to provide them the extra help they need.
For student enrichment, there are multiple university-wide events and organizations for them to join. There is also a Student Nurses’ Association which is student-driven and aims to develop the professional growth of its members. Graduates usually have a starting salary of $63,266 with a 94% employment rate, according to their website.
#6: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – School of Nursing
- Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Program: BSN (Traditional, Accelerated, Military Pathway)
- Tuition: Tuition for undergraduate depends on the credits, which can reach to $3,509.50 for NC residents and $19,614.00 for non-NC residents per semester, non-inclusive of student fees
- Financial Aid: Multiple scholarships and grants, including The Hillman Scholars Program
- Passing Rate: 96%
Ranking 4th on the best undergraduate nursing school according to the U.S. News and World Report, Carolina Nursing offers 3 on-campus programs, including the traditional BSN degree. The accelerated degree takes 4 semesters to complete for students who have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree while the military pathway is for armed force veterans and active duty service members. They also have some online degree programs for MSN and DNP degrees.
They offer an EMPOWER program for people who want a career in nurse-midwifery. They also have simulation labs for students, including simulation rooms, full body mannequins, patient simulators, and body part models. What makes this school special is that they have top schools for nursing, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and public health that allow collaborative learning between students and faculty.
The school also offers multiple organizations with initiatives that include mentoring programs, assistance in finding nursing jobs, social events, and other student support programs.
#7: University of California, Los Angeles – UCLA School of Nursing
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Program: BSN, MECN
- Tuition: $13,146 per year with an additional $34,200 for non-residents
- Financial Aid: Merit and need-based scholarships are available
- Passing Rate: 93.62%
Ranking 9th in the U.S. News & World Report in 2025, UCLA’s undergraduate nursing course follows the traditional 4-year curriculum before taking the NCLEX. They also have student-run organizations to help build connections and provide support to students.
For those interested, UCLA also has international affiliations with institutions from different countries for academic and research activities. They also have the NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders) initiative which focuses on geriatric nursing. Like many schools, they also have their own simulation program where students can experience patient care in a controlled and safe learning environment.
#8: University of Alabama – Capstone College of Nursing
- Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Program: BSN, BSN/MSN
- Tuition: $5,842 for full-time graduate residents, $17,271 for non-residents per semester
- Financial Aid: With scholarships and even work-study student employment services
- Passing Rate: 100%
According to their website, students will be able to be guided in the labs and classroom through individualized attention from instructors. They will also have access to multimedia classrooms and human patient simulators for interactive nursing classes. Their simulators include simulation labs, clinical practice labs, and telehealth equipment. Apart from the traditional BSN, they also offer a RN to BSN and BSN/MSN program, to complete in just two years in an online format.
In terms of research, the school has a 42% funding rate for extramural proposals with about $11,969,870 active extramural funding. However, one of the priorities of Capstone College of Nursing is rural health where they have initiatives to improve the accessibility of healthcare services in Alabama.
#9: University of Washington – School of Nursing
- Location: Seattle, Washington
- Program: BSN, Accelerated BSN
- Tuition: $4,325/quarter for residents, $14,403/quarter for non-residents
- Financial Aid: Scholarships and emergency funding are available with an estimated $6 million scholarship funding awarded to students in the past
- Passing Rate: 93.03%
According to the QS World University Rankings in 2025, this school ranks at 6th in globally-ranked nursing programs. They offer the traditional BSN as well as the accelerated program where students can achieve their degree goals within 12 months. Their curriculum features state-of-the-art simulation centers and pre-arranged clinical placements where students can complete rotations in various nursing fields.
For high school students interested in entering nursing, UW offers a week-long nurse camp where they can learn about the nursing field and how to get into nursing school. Students are also advised to join interest groups that may apply to them to build a more inclusive community. For student leaders, the school also provides opportunities for them to shine in leadership roles. The school also provides counselling, disability accommodations, and research and technological support for their students.
#10: Johns Hopkins University – School of Nursing
- Location: Baltimore, Maryland
- Program: Direct-Entry MSN
- Tuition: $47,184 for full-time students for the year
- Financial Aid: Yes, with scholarships that range from $10,000 to full tuition
- Passing Rate: 86%
Last, but definitely not the least, we have Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. They ranked 3rd in the QS World University rankings in 2024. For students with a non-nursing degree, but want to pursue a career in nursing, they can earn an MSN degree and take the NCLEX once that’s completed by the 5th semester.
This nursing school features a career lab which allows students to connect with alumni, staff, and faculty. They also have personalized clinical placement where students work with the Track Director. There, they will be connected with healthcare providers around the US and find high-quality placement opportunities. The school also has a system for individual and group tutoring, writing assistance, support workshops, and pre-semester course primers. Lastly, there are a variety of clubs and organizations that students can join to build their connections and social support.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some honorable mentions of schools that are still considered top schools but weren’t able to make the top 10:
Boston College – Connell School of Nursing
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Program: BSN, Global Public Health Major and Minor
Tuition: $69,400 for entering students
Financial Aid: Multiple nursing scholarships to apply for
Passing Rate: 98% for first-time NCLEX takers
Job placement rate: 99% graduates employed, in graduate school, or engaged in service/fellowship after one year
The Ohio State University – College of Nursing
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Program: BSN, Accelerated BSN, BS Health and Wellness, Online RN to BSN, LPN to BSN Bridge Track
Tuition: $13,244 for tuition and fees
Financial Aid: Multiple scholarships are available through ScholarshipUniverse
Passing Rate: 94.17% in 2023
University of Illinois at Chicago – College of Nursing
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Program: BSN, Online RN to BSN, MSN for non-RNs
Tuition: $5,712 in-state and $13,763 out-state for courses 12 credit hours or more plus $2,306 tuitional differential per semester
Financial Aid: With scholarships that can award nearly $850,000 to 300 students
Passing Rate: 93% in 2024
Columbia University – School of Nursing
Location: Manhattan, New York City
Program: MSN direct-entry
Tuition: $150,471 estimated cost of attendance for first three terms of the program
Financial Aid: With scholarships and grants, offering $12 million annually with nearly 90% of students receiving financial assistance
Passing Rate: 93% in 2023
Job Placement: 95% upon graduation
University of Pittsburgh – School of Nursing
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Program: BSN, Accelerated BSN, BSN Honors
Tuition: $25,880 for residents, $50,918 for non-residents for two full-time terms
Financial Aid: Multiple scholarships opportunities available
Passing Rate: 97% in 2023
How to Choose the Right Nursing School for You
Factors to look at, beyond the rankings
There are more to these schools than their rankings. Think about what kind of nurse you want to be or the kind of work you can see yourself doing and enjoying in the future. The school you choose should be able to provide not only your current needs, but also how you want to grow as a professional.
- Specialties: Some schools emphasize mental health. Some offer special courses in anesthetics, midwifery and other specialties. Depending on the specialization you may want in the future, you might want to pick a school with a present program related to it.
- Class size: There are pros and cons that come with big and small class sizes. Big class sizes allow for diverse groups of people to work together and learn from one another. Small classes on the other hand allow instructors to work with students individually, allowing for more opportunities for students to address topics they struggle with.
- Online options: There are a few schools on this list that offer online courses for nursing. If you’re someone who cannot always travel to the campus of your ideal school, you can try exploring online courses offered by your school of choice.
- Extracurricular activities: While becoming a registered nurse is the goal, growth means becoming well-rounded and working on strengths outside of nursing. Through school organizations and events, you may find opportunities to grow and even take up leadership roles that can help you become a better nurse.
- Location: It’s not enough that you get into a prestigious school. You need to consider your travel and living costs. Some of the tuition fees included on this list include those living costs and they can be quite pricey. Sometimes being practical, especially when it comes to finances, needs to trump over going into a top school. Sometimes the best school for you may be the one that is closer to you.
Should you go for BSN, ADN, or direct-entry MSN?
It’s important to say that an RN (Registered Nurse) is determined by their license status, not their degree. In order to qualify to sit for the NCLEX, you need to have completed an accredited nursing program. Pursuing the right route depends on your goals. There is no correct way to become an RN.
An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) can take 2-3 years to complete. It covers a variety of courses related to nursing. It essentially qualifies you to take the NCLEX in a shorter amount of time compared to a BSN. This is attractive to people whose goal is to become an RN within a shorter amount of time, especially since longer programs may be more expensive or they simply don’t fit into your future plans.
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) on the other hand, provides a wide range of roles after studying. There are additional courses in these programs compared to an ADN one because it can take 4 years to finish a BSN program. Some would say that a BSN may receive better opportunities and be offered higher salaries, so if pursuing a few more years of nursing school for these benefits is worth it to you, this may be the degree for you.
An Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is a postgraduate degree for RNs for more specialized roles in nursing. However, a Direct-Entry MSN is a 5-year-degree program meant for non-nursing bachelor degree-holders who want to pursue nursing. Afterwards, MSN degree-holders can take the NCLEX to become RNs. People with this degree qualify them for specialist roles and even leadership roles.
Conclusion and Next Steps
While there are many schools not on this list, that doesn’t mean that school is not a well-performing school. They may not be topping online lists, but that doesn’t take away any merit from them as an institution. So after narrowing down your choices with this list, you might still want to explore schools that are more practical for you to attend. If you’re still unsure about nursing or the kind of nurse you want to be, you can explore the different fields in nursing by exploring Lecturio’s expert-led courses.
Remember, just because your school may not be on the top 10 list doesn’t mean it’s not the best school for you. If you enjoy the culture and you feel like you’re growing as a nurse, maybe you’re exactly where you need to be.
