Where to study Nursing
Nursing is the rare American degree that still works on the old social contract: graduate, pass one exam, and walk into a $70–85k job with full benefits and a guaranteed shortage employer waiting. The catch — and it is a real catch — is that the path in is harder than it looks. There are two ways to study nursing at the undergrad level, and they lead to very different applications. The first is direct admit: schools like Penn Nursing, Villanova, Boston College Connell, Emory Nell Hodgson, Michigan, NYU Meyers, Georgetown, and Penn State's direct-admit option lock you into the BSN from day one of freshman year. The second is upper-division entry: most state flagships (UT Austin, UNC, UCLA, Washington, Florida) admit you to the university first, then make you re-compete sophomore or junior year for the nursing major itself. UT Austin's School of Nursing admits roughly 100 students out of 1,500+ applicants every year — getting into UT Austin is the easy part.
The single most important quality metric for any nursing program is the NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate. NCLEX is the national licensure exam; without it your degree is decorative. The top programs cluster between 92% and 100% first-time pass rates, and you should treat anything below 90% as a yellow flag and anything below 85% as a red one. Brand does not always correlate: some highly-ranked private nursing schools post pass rates in the high 80s, while several state directional schools clear 95%. Every state board of nursing publishes pass-rate data publicly — Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania boards all have searchable databases. Look it up for any school on your list. Also confirm CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) accreditation, which most BSN programs have but is required for clean license-transfer between states and for any future MSN or DNP program.
Clinical placement quality is the other thing that separates programs and is harder to see from outside. Nursing is an apprenticeship: you learn in hospitals, not classrooms, and the hospitals you train in shape what you can do at graduation. Schools embedded in major academic medical centers — Penn at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Duke at Duke Health, Michigan at Michigan Medicine, UNC at UNC Hospitals, Pitt at UPMC, UCLA at Ronald Reagan, Vanderbilt at VUMC, Emory at Emory Healthcare — rotate students through level-1 trauma, NICUs, transplant units, and oncology centers that smaller programs simply cannot access. This matters most if your kid wants a specialty path: pediatric ICU, NICU, cardiothoracic, transplant, or eventually CRNA. The financial picture is unusually clean: in-state public BSN programs (UNC, UT Austin, Florida, Michigan, Pitt) typically run $40–80k all-in for four years and place into the same $70k+ first job as private grads paying three to four times more. Nursing is one of the few majors where the ROI math at a strong in-state public is hard to beat — and where you can confidently project to NP or CRNA later for $130–220k earnings.
What to look for in a nursing program
Generic college rankings don't tell you whether a program fits you. These are the things that actually matter.
Direct admit vs upper-division entry
Direct admit means you're locked into the BSN from freshman year — your spot is yours as long as you maintain GPA. Upper-division entry means you apply to the university as 'pre-nursing,' take prereqs (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chem, statistics) freshman and sophomore year, then re-apply to the nursing major. Most state flagships work this way and the second admit is brutal: UT Austin admits roughly 1 in 15 pre-nursing applicants. Direct-admit schools (Penn, Villanova, BC, Emory, NYU Meyers, Michigan, Penn State direct, Marquette, Pitt direct) cost more but eliminate the sophomore-year cliff. If your kid is certain about nursing, direct admit is worth paying for. If they're 70/30, upper-division entry preserves optionality.
NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate
The licensure exam decides whether your degree turns into a job. First-time pass rates above 92% indicate the program is preparing students well; below 85% means high remediation, slow employment, and sometimes program-accreditation risk. Top university BSN programs (Penn, Villanova, BC, Duke ABSN, Vanderbilt, Michigan, UCLA, UNC, Pitt, Emory) routinely post 94–100% first-time pass rates. State boards in Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania all publish school-by-school data — pull the actual numbers before you commit, because U.S. News rankings do not weight NCLEX heavily and the brand-to-pass-rate correlation is loose.
Clinical placement quality (hospital system access)
Nursing students learn at the bedside. Programs embedded in major academic medical centers rotate students through level-1 trauma bays, NICUs, transplant units, and oncology centers that community-hospital placements cannot match. Penn (HUP), Duke (Duke Health), Michigan (Michigan Medicine), Pitt (UPMC), UCLA (Ronald Reagan), UNC (UNC Hospitals), Vanderbilt (VUMC), Emory (Emory Healthcare), and Washington (UW Medicine, Seattle Children's, Harborview) all give students rotations at top-tier facilities. This matters most for kids targeting specialty practice — pediatric ICU, NICU, oncology, cardiac, transplant — where the unit names on your senior-year transcript shape your first-job options.
CCNE accreditation
CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) accreditation is the baseline standard for BSN programs — it's required for clean RN license transfer between states, for federal financial aid eligibility, and for admission to any reputable MSN, DNP, or CRNA program later. ACEN is an alternative accreditor that's also broadly accepted. Every program on this guide is CCNE-accredited. If you're considering a school not on this list, verify accreditation at ccneaccreditation.org before applying — non-accredited BSN programs exist and are nearly worthless professionally.
NP/CRNA pipeline if planning grad school
BSN is the floor, not the ceiling. Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) are the upgrade paths and they're where the money is — NPs run $110–140k, CRNAs $180–220k+. Schools with strong BSN-to-MSN/DNP pipelines (Penn, Hopkins, Duke, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Emory, UCSF — graduate only — UCLA, Pitt) make it easy to continue at the same institution and use existing clinical contacts. If your kid is already thinking CRNA, look for schools with strong ICU clinical rotations as a senior — CRNA programs require 1–3 years of ICU RN experience before admission, and the unit you start in matters.
By region
Most students stay closer to home than they think. Start with your region — strong programs exist in every one.
Northeast
The Northeast is where direct-admit BSN was effectively invented and where the strongest concentration of elite nursing programs sits — Penn, Villanova, BC, Penn State, Pitt, Drexel, Fordham, Rutgers, plus the SUNYs. Tuition is mostly private-sticker and need-based aid varies wildly: Penn meets full need with no loans for households under ~$200k; Villanova and BC are more conventional. Hospital-system access is excellent — HUP, UPMC, Boston-area teaching hospitals, NewYork-Presbyterian, and Mass General all take students from regional BSN programs.
- Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Villanova's M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing is direct-admit, ~10% admit rate to the nursing college (harder than Villanova overall), and routinely posts NCLEX first-time pass rates in the high 90s. Clinical rotations across Philadelphia-area academic medical centers including Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Job-placement rates approaching 99% at graduation.
27% acceptance$67,776 in-state - Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
BC's Connell School of Nursing is direct admit and has one of the most cohesive 4-year BSN cohorts in the country. Clinical placements at Mass General, Brigham and Women's, Boston Children's, and Beth Israel — a teaching-hospital density unmatched anywhere else. NCLEX pass rates consistently above 95%.
16.4% acceptance$70,702 in-state - Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
Penn State Nursing offers a direct-admit BSN at University Park as well as upper-division entry at Commonwealth campuses. In-state tuition is the value play — under $20k/yr — for a top-50 nursing program with strong Pennsylvania hospital-system placements (Hershey Medical Center, Geisinger, UPMC partner sites).
55% acceptance$19,286 in-state$38,824 out-of-state - University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Pitt Nursing offers direct-admit BSN with rotations across UPMC, the largest integrated academic health system in the country (40+ hospitals). UPMC Presbyterian is a level-1 trauma center; Magee-Womens and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh round out specialty exposure. NCLEX pass rates in the mid-90s. In-state tuition around $20k.
57% acceptance$21,040 in-state$37,482 out-of-state - Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Drexel's College of Nursing & Health Professions runs a co-op model unique among nursing schools — students complete 6+ months of paid clinical work before graduation, often at Philadelphia academic medical centers. ABSN and traditional BSN both strong. Higher tuition but co-op income offsets.
79.4% acceptance$62,412 in-state - Fordham University
Bronx, NY
Fordham's Westchester campus runs a strong BSN with rotations across NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore, and White Plains Hospital. Jesuit identity gives strong community-health and ethics curriculum. Smaller cohort, high-touch faculty access.
59.3% acceptance$64,915 in-state - Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ
Rutgers School of Nursing across New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden is a major BSN producer in the mid-Atlantic — in-state tuition under $20k makes it one of the best value BSNs in the Northeast. Clinical placements at RWJBarnabas, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and University Hospital Newark.
66% acceptance$16,592 in-state$35,636 out-of-state
South
The South is where nursing demand is hottest and the in-state public BSN value play is sharpest. UNC, UF, UT Austin, and Emory anchor the top end; Duke runs an accelerated BSN that is consistently #1 in the country for ABSN. Texas and Florida hospital systems are aggressively hiring new-grad RNs at $30–40/hour with sign-on bonuses. Clinical placement quality is excellent at the academic centers (Duke Health, UNC Hospitals, Shands, Emory Healthcare, Vanderbilt).
- Duke University
Durham, NC
Duke School of Nursing offers no traditional 4-year BSN — it's an accelerated 16-month ABSN for students who already hold a bachelor's, and it's ranked #1 in the country. NCLEX pass rates routinely 95%+. Clinical rotations at Duke University Hospital (level-1 trauma, transplant, oncology). For high schoolers, Duke undergrad + later ABSN is one path; the Duke MSN/DNP is direct-entry.
5.7% acceptance$68,758 in-state - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
UNC School of Nursing is upper-division entry (apply sophomore year) but the in-state tuition is around $9k — easily the best ROI nursing program in the Southeast. Clinical placements at UNC Hospitals (the state's flagship academic medical center), NC Children's, and the NC Cancer Hospital. NCLEX pass rates consistently above 95%.
16.8% acceptance$9,021 in-state$38,562 out-of-state - University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
UF College of Nursing is ranked #19 nationally (US News 2025) and the BSN runs $6k/yr in-state — combined with Bright Futures, many Florida residents pay near zero. Clinical placements at UF Health Shands (level-1 trauma, transplant center). Strong NCLEX pass rates and excellent Florida hospital placement post-graduation.
24.2% acceptance$6,381 in-state$28,659 out-of-state - Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Emory's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing is direct-admit BSN, consistently top-5 nationally, with clinical rotations at Emory Healthcare (the largest health system in Georgia), CDC partnerships, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. NCLEX pass rates above 95%. Higher tuition but strong financial aid for need-based applicants.
10.7% acceptance$64,280 in-state - University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
UT Austin School of Nursing is upper-division entry and the admit is brutal — roughly 100 seats out of 1,500+ applications. Texas residents who clear the gate pay around $11k/yr for a top-20 program with rotations across Ascension Seton and Dell Children's. NCLEX pass rates routinely 95%+. Texas job market is white-hot post-grad.
31.8% acceptance$11,448 in-state$41,070 out-of-state - Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Vanderbilt School of Nursing has no traditional BSN — undergrads interested in nursing complete a different major then enter the direct-entry MSN (PreSpecialty + Specialty) at Vanderbilt. The MSN program is consistently top-5 nationally, with clinical rotations at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (level-1 trauma, Monroe Carell Children's Hospital). Path for high schoolers: Vandy undergrad, then this MSN.
5.9% acceptance$67,498 in-state - University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
UVA School of Nursing runs a direct-admit BSN, in-state tuition around $20k for a top-30 program. Clinical placements at UVA Health (level-1 trauma, transplant, NICU). AccessUVA meets full need for in-state residents. One of the few public Ivies with direct-admit nursing.
16.3% acceptance$21,426 in-state$57,222 out-of-state
Midwest
The Midwest is the value tier for nursing. Michigan and Wisconsin-Madison anchor the top end; Marquette, Loyola Chicago, Saint Louis University, and Case Western round out the strong privates. Big Ten flagships with major academic medical centers (Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Iowa, Minnesota) give students clinical access to some of the best teaching hospitals in the country at in-state public tuition.
- University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan School of Nursing is direct-admit, consistently top-10 nationally, with in-state tuition around $17k. Clinical rotations at Michigan Medicine (level-1 trauma, C.S. Mott Children's, Von Voigtlander Women's). NCLEX pass rates routinely above 95%. Strong BSN-to-MSN pipeline for NP/CRNA-bound students.
17.7% acceptance$17,786 in-state$57,762 out-of-state - Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Case Western's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing is direct-admit and offers clinical rotations at Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth — three top-tier academic medical centers in walking distance. One of the deepest research-nursing departments in the country.
36.5% acceptance$66,608 in-state - Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Marquette College of Nursing is direct-admit (freshmen guaranteed all required nursing classes and clinicals). Ranked #28 nationally. Clinical rotations across Milwaukee-area medical centers including Froedtert and Children's Wisconsin. Jesuit ethics curriculum is a differentiator.
81.3% acceptance$51,170 in-state - Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL
Loyola's Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing offers direct-admit BSN with clinical placements at Loyola University Medical Center (level-1 trauma) and across Chicago-area systems. Strong community-health and Catholic-healthcare network for post-grad placement.
81.6% acceptance$53,710 in-state - Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO
SLU's Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing is direct-admit and runs clinical rotations at SSM Health, Mercy, and BJC HealthCare — including SLU Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's. One of the deepest Catholic-nursing networks in the Midwest.
75% acceptance$55,760 in-state - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
Wisconsin School of Nursing is upper-division entry with in-state tuition around $11k. Clinical placements at UW Health (American Family Children's Hospital, level-1 trauma at University Hospital). NCLEX pass rates consistently 95%+. Excellent value for Wisconsin residents.
45.2% acceptance$11,603 in-state$42,103 out-of-state - Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Ohio State College of Nursing is one of the largest BSN producers in the Midwest; in-state tuition around $12k. Clinical placements at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, Nationwide Children's (one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the US), and James Cancer Hospital. Strong NCLEX pass rates.
53% acceptance$12,485 in-state$36,722 out-of-state
West
The West has fewer traditional 4-year direct-admit BSN options than the East. UCLA's Joe C. Wen School of Nursing is the headline direct-admit program; most other UCs (notably UCSF) are graduate-only. Washington and Oregon Health & Science University are upper-division entry with strong clinical placements. California's nursing shortage is severe and starting wages are the highest in the country — new-grad RNs in Bay Area and LA routinely start at $110–140k.
- University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
UCLA's Joe C. Wen School of Nursing runs a direct-admit 4-year BSN with one of the lowest admit rates in the country (~3% to the nursing school). In-state tuition around $14k. Clinical placements at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Mattel Children's. California new-grad RN salaries are the highest in the US — graduates routinely start at $110k+.
8.6% acceptance$14,312 in-state$44,830 out-of-state - University of Washington
Seattle, WA
UW School of Nursing is upper-division entry, in-state tuition around $13k, consistently top-10 nationally. Clinical placements at UW Medicine (Harborview level-1 trauma, Seattle Children's, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center). Strong NP/DNP pathway for students planning advanced practice.
48% acceptance$12,643 in-state$41,997 out-of-state - Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR
Oregon State partners with OHSU for nursing programs; in-state tuition around $13k. Clinical placements through OHSU Hospital (level-1 trauma, transplant center). Oregon's rural-health rotation requirements give unusually broad clinical exposure.
77.3% acceptance$14,400 in-state$38,190 out-of-state - Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
ASU's Edson College of Nursing is the largest BSN producer in the Southwest and offers traditional, accelerated, and concurrent-enrollment BSN options. In-state tuition under $13k. Clinical placements across Banner Health and HonorHealth — Arizona's job market is growing fast.
88% acceptance$12,447 in-state$31,200 out-of-state - University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Utah College of Nursing runs upper-division BSN entry with in-state tuition around $10k. Clinical placements at University of Utah Hospital and Primary Children's. One of the better-priced strong nursing programs in the Mountain West.
86% acceptance$9,620 in-state$30,860 out-of-state - University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO
CU Boulder partners with CU Anschutz College of Nursing in Denver for the BSN; clinical placements at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, Children's Hospital Colorado, and Denver Health. In-state tuition around $14k. Strong Mountain-region job placement.
78.1% acceptance$15,666 in-state$44,918 out-of-state - Boise State University
Boise, ID
Boise State's School of Nursing is upper-division entry, in-state tuition under $9k — among the cheapest 4-year BSNs in the West. Clinical placements at St. Luke's and Saint Alphonsus Boise. Idaho RN shortage means new-grads are aggressively recruited.
87.2% acceptance$9,048 in-state$27,788 out-of-state
By budget
Net cost — sticker price minus aid — is what your family actually writes a check for. Same major, wildly different prices.
Under $20k net (strong in-state publics)
- University of Florida$6,381/yr in-state (~$25k total)
Bright Futures Scholarship covers 75–100% of tuition for in-state Florida residents with strong test scores. The cheapest top-20 nursing program in the country. UF Health Shands gives level-1 trauma and transplant clinical exposure.
- Boise State University$8,500/yr in-state (~$34k total)
Idaho residents get one of the cheapest BSN options in the country. Upper-division entry. Idaho RN shortage means graduates are placed immediately into Boise-area hospitals.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$9,000/yr in-state (~$36k total)
Carolina Covenant meets full demonstrated need for in-state students under federal poverty line + 200%. UNC Hospitals clinical access. Single best ROI nursing program in the Southeast for NC residents.
- University of Utah$10,000/yr in-state (~$40k total)
Strong value for Utah residents. Upper-division entry through the College of Nursing. Primary Children's clinical exposure is a rare-pediatric strength.
- University of Texas at Austin$11,448/yr in-state (~$46k total)
Texas Advance Commitment covers full tuition for in-state under $100k household. The catch: upper-division entry, admit rate ~7%, so factor that risk. NCLEX pass rates 95%+.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison$11,000/yr in-state (~$44k total)
Bucky's Tuition Promise covers tuition for Wisconsin residents under $65k household. UW Health clinical access (level-1 trauma, AFCH pediatric).
- Ohio State University$12,000/yr in-state (~$48k total)
Buckeye Opportunity Program covers tuition for in-state Pell-eligible students. Wexner Medical Center + Nationwide Children's is one of the strongest clinical-placement pairings in the Midwest.
$20k–$40k net (top-tier publics, mid-tier privates)
- University of Michigan$17,736/yr in-state / ~$30–40k net for mid-income out-of-state
Go Blue Guarantee covers full tuition for in-state under $75k household. Out-of-state $61k sticker. Direct-admit BSN with Michigan Medicine clinical exposure justifies the cost.
- University of Pittsburgh$20,000/yr in-state (~$80k total)
Pitt's Pittsburgh Promise covers tuition for Pittsburgh Public Schools graduates. Direct-admit BSN with UPMC clinical placements — largest integrated academic health system in the US.
- University of Virginia$20,000/yr in-state / ~$30k net out-of-state with aid
AccessUVA meets full demonstrated need for in-state. Direct-admit BSN. UVA Health level-1 trauma and transplant rotations.
- Pennsylvania State University$19,500/yr in-state (~$78k total)
Penn State Nursing offers direct-admit at University Park and upper-division entry at Commonwealth campuses (cheaper). Strong PA hospital placements.
- University of California, Los Angeles$14,312/yr in-state / ~$70k+ out-of-state
California Middle Class Scholarship + Blue and Gold covers tuition for CA residents under $80k. Out-of-state pays full freight — and admit rate to nursing school is ~3%. Worth it for CA residents.
- Rutgers University$17,000/yr in-state (~$68k total)
Garden State Guarantee covers tuition for NJ residents under $65k household for junior and senior year. Clinical placements at RWJBarnabas and University Hospital.
$40k+ net (top privates, direct admit)
- Villanova University$66,000/yr sticker, $40–55k net common
Need-based aid meets demonstrated need for most students. Direct-admit BSN with ~10% admit to the nursing college specifically. NCLEX pass rates in the high 90s. Job placement near 99%.
- Boston College$70,000/yr sticker, $40–55k net for mid-income families
BC meets full demonstrated need. Direct-admit Connell School of Nursing. Boston teaching-hospital density (MGH, Brigham, Children's, BIDMC) is unmatched. NCLEX pass rates routinely 95%+.
- Emory University$62,000/yr sticker, $35–55k net for mid-income families
Emory Advantage caps loans and replaces with grants for families under $100k household. Direct-admit BSN at Nell Hodgson Woodruff, consistently top-5 nationally.
- Duke University$68,000/yr sticker, $40–70k net common
For undergrads at Duke who later want nursing, the Duke ABSN (16 months, ~$70k total) is the #1-ranked accelerated BSN. Need-blind, full-need met for undergrad — but the ABSN itself is a second-degree program with limited aid.
- Case Western Reserve University$66,000/yr sticker, $35–50k net with merit aid
Case awards substantial merit aid. Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing has direct-admit BSN with Cleveland Clinic, UH, and MetroHealth clinical rotations — three top-tier hospitals in walking distance.
- Marquette University$50,000/yr sticker, $25–40k net with merit aid
Marquette is generous with merit aid for nursing applicants. Direct-admit BSN with guaranteed clinical hours. NCLEX pass rates 90%+. Solid Catholic-healthcare network.
- Drexel University$60,000/yr sticker, $35–45k net with merit + co-op income
Drexel's co-op model means students complete paid clinical work (typically $30–40k earned during co-ops) before graduation. Net cost effectively lower than sticker suggests.
By career outcome
Same major, different careers. These clusters reflect where graduates of each school actually end up — not just where the school says they could go.
Bedside RN (med-surg, ICU, ED)
Typical: $70–95k starting (national); $110–140k starting in California, $85–105k Northeast urban- University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Pitt feeds the entire UPMC system — the largest integrated academic health system in the US (40+ hospitals). New grads routinely place into UPMC Presbyterian (level-1 trauma) and UPMC Shadyside med-surg/ICU rotations.
- Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
OSU College of Nursing places heavily into Wexner Medical Center and central Ohio hospitals. Strong med-surg and ICU pipeline; many new grads start on step-down or ICU units directly out of school.
- University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
UT Austin grads place into Ascension Seton, Dell Seton Medical Center, and St. David's HealthCare across Austin — Texas hospital systems are aggressively hiring new-grad RNs with $10–20k sign-on bonuses.
- University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
UCLA grads place into Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and other LA-basin systems. California Bay Area and LA new-grad starting wages routinely top $110k — highest in the country.
- Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
BC Connell grads feed Mass General, Brigham and Women's, Boston Children's, and BIDMC. Boston teaching-hospital concentration means most grads have a residency offer at the place they did senior clinicals.
Pediatric / NICU specialty
Typical: $75–100k starting in PICU/NICU; $130–160k for pediatric NP after MSN- Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus is one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the US and the primary clinical site for OSU pediatric rotations. PICU and NICU residency programs are well-established for new grads.
- University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC is a top-10 pediatric hospital nationally; Pitt nursing students rotate there as juniors and seniors. NICU and PICU placement post-grad is strong.
- Duke University
Durham, NC
Duke Children's Hospital and Duke Children's Health Center give ABSN students level-4 NICU and PICU exposure. Strong pipeline into Duke Children's nursing residency programs.
- University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City is the largest pediatric hospital in the Mountain West; Utah nursing students rotate there extensively. Rare-pediatric-condition exposure unusual outside major coastal hospitals.
- Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is a top-15 pediatric hospital. Vanderbilt direct-entry MSN students can specialize in pediatric primary care or PNP from day one of the specialty year.
Nurse Practitioner (FNP, PNP, AGNP)
Typical: $110–140k after MSN/DNP; $160k+ in CA, NY, and rural-incentive markets- Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Vanderbilt's direct-entry MSN is purpose-built for the BSN-to-NP pipeline. Top-5 nationally for NP specialties; placement at VUMC, regional partner sites, and rural Tennessee community health centers.
- Duke University
Durham, NC
Duke MSN/DNP programs are top-5 nationally across FNP, AGNP, and PNP specialties. ABSN-to-DNP path is well-trodden — many ABSN grads continue at Duke for the advanced-practice degree.
- Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Emory MSN programs leverage Emory Healthcare clinical sites + CDC partnerships for public-health-oriented NP training. Strong placement into Atlanta-area primary care and rural Georgia FQHCs.
- University of Washington
Seattle, WA
UW DNP is top-10 nationally and the primary NP feeder for the Pacific Northwest. Strong rural-health track for WWAMI-region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) primary-care placement.
- University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan's BSN-to-MSN pathway is one of the most efficient in the country; many BSN grads go straight into Michigan's MSN with Michigan Medicine clinical hours already on the transcript.
- Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Case's Frances Payne Bolton MSN/DNP leverages Cleveland Clinic + UH + MetroHealth clinical sites. One of the few programs where students get rotations across three top-tier academic medical centers.
CRNA (Nurse Anesthesia)
Typical: $180–220k starting; $250k+ in independent-practice states (Texas, Florida, rural)- University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Pitt's DNP-CRNA program (admitting from working ICU RNs) is one of the largest and most respected in the country. UPMC ICU clinical site density is rare in CRNA training.
- Duke University
Durham, NC
Duke DNP-CRNA is top-5 nationally. Path: Duke ABSN → 1–3 years Duke ICU experience → Duke CRNA. The pipeline is well-worn and the OR clinical rotations at Duke Hospital are among the most diverse in the country.
- Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Case CRNA program in partnership with Cleveland Clinic is one of the strongest in the Midwest. Cleveland Clinic anesthesia department is world-renowned and the OR exposure is exceptional.
- Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Vanderbilt Nurse Anesthesia program is top-10 nationally. VUMC's level-1 trauma OR and large cardiac surgery volume give CRNA students rare case mix.
- Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Virginia Tech-Carilion School of Medicine partners on CRNA training in Roanoke; Carilion clinic OR sites give strong case volume. Path for Virginia-region RNs.
- Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ
Rutgers School of Nursing Anesthesia program is well-established in NJ/NY metro. Clinical sites across RWJBarnabas and Newark provide trauma and cardiac OR experience.
Public Health / Community Nursing
Typical: $60–85k starting; $90–110k for public health RN leadership / health-department roles- Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Emory's location next door to the CDC is unmatched for public-health nursing. BSN students can take Rollins School of Public Health electives; many Emory nursing alumni work at CDC, state health departments, or international NGOs.
- University of Washington
Seattle, WA
UW School of Nursing has a strong population-health track and partnerships with Public Health Seattle & King County. Rural-and-underserved track places into WWAMI-region community health.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
UNC Nursing partners with UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (top-2 SPH in the country). Strong NC rural-health and community-clinic placement pipeline.
- University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan Nursing has a deep community-health track partnering with Detroit-area FQHCs and rural Michigan health departments. Strong public-health-MSN pipeline at the same institution.
- Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL
Loyola's community-health rotations leverage Chicago's network of safety-net hospitals and Catholic-healthcare community clinics. Strong Jesuit social-justice framing of public-health practice.
Travel Nursing (high-pay short-stint)
Typical: $2,500–4,500/week ($130–230k annualized) for 13-week travel contracts; requires 1–2 years of bedside experience first- University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
UF BSN grads with strong ICU or ED clinical hours are well-positioned for travel contracts after their first 1–2 years. Florida-licensed nurses are in demand across all 50 states; many UF grads do travel stints between bedside and grad school.
- Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
ASU's large BSN cohort produces many travel nurses. Arizona-licensed RNs in the Nurse Licensure Compact can practice across 40+ states without re-licensing — a major advantage for travel work.
- University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state — UT Austin grads can travel-nurse across 40+ states immediately after licensure. Strong med-surg and ICU prep makes them competitive for high-pay crisis-rate contracts.
- Boise State University
Boise, ID
Idaho is a compact state and Boise State grads with strong rural-and-acute clinical experience are competitive for travel contracts to the Mountain West and West Coast — where pay premiums are highest.
- Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Ohio State grads with Wexner ICU or Nationwide Children's PICU experience command top travel rates — high-acuity hospital experience is what travel agencies screen for. Ohio is a compact state.
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Guide updated May 2026. Acceptance rates and tuition refresh nightly. Earnings data from College Scorecard.