Best Nursing Schools - How to Find the Top Schools to Start Or Continue Your Nursing Education

The standard for ranking nursing schools is U.S. News and World Report, which asks deans, administrators, and faculty members to evaluate other schools based on the quality of academic programs and how well students are prepared for a career in nursing. Professionals who hire new graduates also are surveyed to help create the list of the best nursing schools.

There are two more common levels of nurses: ADN (Associate Degree Nurses 2 years of study), and BSN (Bachelor of Science Nurses 4 years of study. Accelerated programs are available for both degrees, especially if you have college credits or a degree in another field. Those with bachelor's degrees can expect to make more money the national average for a BSN is $52,000 and advance to supervisory or management positions more quickly than those with an ADN.

In its most recent rankings for the top nursing schools, U.S. News and World Report put the University of Washington in Seattle at the top of the list, followed by the University of California-San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Nursing.

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