Looking for a good nursing school? We’ve listed the best of the best in each state!
When you think of the term best in regard to lists or rankings of nursing schools, what does it really mean? Is it the best test scores? The schools graduating the best earners or best known nurses? Or is it the schools offering the best learning opportunities for its students?
In most cases, the quality of education is the driving factor, however not everyone can afford to go to Johns Hopkins or similar schools. Therefore, we have to take a more practical look at what makes a school the best. In the real world, cost and functionality do matter and the Nurse Journal’s list of America’s Best Nursing Schools & Colleges for 2015 takes that into consideration.
Nurse Journal ranks nursing schools using a methodology that better reflects the factors that the average student has to consider when trying to choose where to go to school. The rankings are formulated by giving each school a score based on 5 different categories:
– Affordability (35 points)
– Quality (30 points)
– Convenience (25 points)
– Satisfaction (20 points)
– Value (20 points)
These categories are added up to a maximum combined score of 130 points. If you would like further information as to the methodology of arriving at these scores can be seen here.
Location matters! Proximity to home not only plays a role in the decision as to where to attend for most people because of convenience, but also cost as out of state student fees can be ridiculously high. Location cannot be ranked in the above formula because it is so individual, but it does need to be seriously considered as you begin narrowing down your choices as to where to attend.
It is because of this that we have broken down the list to be more useful on a state by state basis. At a later date, we will also do this by region: Eastern, Western and Central.
Here are the best nursing schools in each state of the Eastern Region, along with their corresponding scores from all 5 categories:
Alabama
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL
– Quality Score: 27.77
– Affordability Score: 25.75
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 16.97
– Value Score: 4.34
– Overall Score: 99.83
Arkansas
Arkansas State University-Main Campus
Jonesboro, AR
– Quality Score: 25.73
– Affordability Score: 28.49
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 15.16
– Value Score: 9.21
– Overall Score: 103.59
Connecticut
Yale University
Orange, CT
– Quality Score: 29.30
– Affordability Score: 22.67
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 18.03
– Value Score: 6.96
– Overall Score: 96.96
Delaware
University of Delaware
Newark, DE
– Quality Score: 27.66
– Affordability Score: 26.38
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 17.03
– Value Score: 6.01
– Overall Score: 97.08
Florida
University of Florida
Gainsville, FL
– Quality Score: 28.39
– Affordability Score: 28.46
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 17.73
– Value Score: 8.04
– Overall Score: 107.62
Georgia
Georgia Regents University
Augusta, GA
– Quality Score: 25.26
– Affordability Score: 30.09
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 14.23
– Value Score: 20.00
– Overall Score: 109.59
Kentucky
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY
– Quality Score: 25.70
– Affordability Score: 25.36
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 14.28
– Value Score: 9.15
– Overall Score: 99.49
Louisiana
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Monroe, LA
– Quality Score: 26.31
– Affordability Score: 28.92
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 14.46
– Value Score: 11.55
– Overall Score: 101.24
Maine
Husson University
Bangor, ME
– Quality Score: 25.29
– Affordability Score: 23.77
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 14.06
– Value Score: 4.34
– Overall Score: 92.46
Maryland
Coppin State University
Baltimore, MD
– Quality Score: 22.41
– Affordability Score: 28.77
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 12.82
– Value Score: 8.56
– Overall Score: 97.56
Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA
– Quality Score: 27.35
– Affordability Score: 22.07
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 16.71
– Value Score: 4.33
– Overall Score: 95.45
Mississippi
Mississippi University for Women
Columbus, MS
– Quality Score: 26.85
– Affordability Score: 28.46
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 15.79
– Value Score: 8.47
– Overall Score: 104.57
New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH
– Quality Score: 27.67
– Affordability Score: 21.13
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 16.48
– Value Score: 4.5
– Overall Score: 94.78
New Jersey
Rutgers University-Newark
Newark, NJ
– Quality Score: 27.05
– Affordability Score: 24.35
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 14.74
– Value Score: 9.82
– Overall Score: 95.96
New York
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, NY
– Quality Score: 24.08
– Affordability Score: 29.42
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 15.50
– Value Score: 14.40
– Overall Score: 103.40
North Carolina
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC
– Quality Score: 26.60
– Affordability Score: 29.86
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 13.97
– Value Score: 13.99
– Overall Score: 109.42
Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
– Quality Score: 28.10
– Affordability Score: 18.68
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 17.76
– Value Score: 5.10
– Overall Score: 94.64
Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI
– Quality Score: 26.83
– Affordability Score: 23.97
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 15.62
– Value Score: 5.99
– Overall Score: 92.41
South Carolina
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
– Quality Score: 28.44
– Affordability Score: 26.09
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 17.19
– Value Score: 5.41
– Overall Score: 97.13
Tennessee
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN
– Quality Score: 26.40
– Affordability Score: 27.63
– Convenience Score: 25.00
– Satisfaction Score: 14.45
– Value Score: 8.88
– Overall Score: 102.36
Vermont
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT
– Quality Score: 18.80
– Affordability Score: 25
– Convenience Score: 20
– Satisfaction Score: 16.37
– Value Score: 5.24
– Overall Score: 85.41
Virginia
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
Richmond, VA
– Quality Score: 23.00
– Affordability Score: 29.89
– Convenience Score: 15.00
– Satisfaction Score: 12.81
– Value Score: 20.00
– Overall Score: 100.70
West Virginia
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
– Quality Score: 27.85
– Affordability Score: 28.27
– Convenience Score: 20.00
– Satisfaction Score: 15.63
– Value Score: 8.42
–Overall Score: 100.17
There are many choices when it comes to nursing schools, but if you live in one of these states, the school listed might be your best bet.