Nursing Schools Almanac has just released its 2019 rankings of the best U.S. nursing schools and we are proud to see Jersey College on the top 20 list for both New Jersey and Florida. For their 2019 rankings, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac collected data on over 3,000 nursing schools and campuses throughout the United States.

Each school was evaluated on three dimensions. Below are the scoring criteria shared from Nursing Schools Almanac:

1. The institution’s academic prestige and perceived value (50% of overall score)

“’Prestige’ and ‘value’ are notoriously difficult concepts to quantify. To be rigorous in our approach, we considered several quantitative measures including:

                - Graduates’ ability to repay their student debt in a timely manner
                - Professional designations (e.g., National League for Nursing Center of Excellence)
                - Grant funding for nursing research from the National Institutes of Health
                - Number of years in operation, particularly at the graduate nursing education level”

2. The breadth and depth of nursing programs offered

“We considered the full range of undergraduate and graduate nursing programs offered by each school, including degrees, diplomas, and certificates. Graduate programs were weighted more heavily, although we also recognized program breadth (e.g., offering baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral nursing tracks). Finally, we awarded points for program size – since, all else equal, programs with higher enrollment play a larger role in combating the nation’s nursing shortage.”

3. Student success, particularly on the NCLEX licensure examination

“Nursing is highly regulated, with a mandatory licensure or certification exam for most roles. Student performance on these tests provides a standardized metric for assessing the quality of instruction across schools. We relied most heavily on first-time NCLEX exam pass rates; this test is uniformly required for both RN and LPN/LVN licensure, and most state boards of nursing report the results annually. We also considered APRN certification tests administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and similar organizations.”

After they evaluated each nursing school on these three dimensions, they weighted the assessments into one overall score and ranked all nursing schools accordingly. Jersey College is proud to be ranked in the top 20 out of the 3,000 nursing schools evaluated across the United States, with a ranking of #14 in New Jersey and #18 in Florida! 

View the full ranking list at :
https://www.nursingschoolsalmanac.com/rankings/florida
https://www.nursingschoolsalmanac.com/rankings/new-jersey