Here Are This Year's Top Nursing Schools

— The latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report

by Jennifer Henderson, Enterprise & Investigative Writer, ľ��ֱ�� August 10, 2021

A gold laurel wreath over a photo of Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore, MD

For those looking to pursue a graduate degree in nursing, Johns Hopkins, Rush, and Emory universities are among the top places to do so, .

Johns Hopkins and Emory took the top two spots, respectively, on the "2022 Best Nursing Schools: Master's" list, while Johns Hopkins placed second to Rush on the "2022 Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice" list.

Master's programs included in the rankings focus on areas such as acute care, pediatric care, and obstetrics, according to U.S. News, with in-depth coursework on management, research, and social and physical sciences. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs focus on advanced practice, as well as diagnosis and treatment of disease; the degree is typically recommended to train registered nurses, U.S. News noted.

U.S. News releases its nursing school rankings every year in March. To determine top performing schools, U.S. News examined indicators such as peer assessment scores by nursing school deans, research activity (including total grants), nursing practice participation, and student-faculty ratios.

Below are the lists of the top 10 nursing schools for master's and DNP degrees.

2022 Best Nursing Schools: Master's

1. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

Overall score: 100/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 63%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad grade point average (GPA): 3.5
2020 master's program enrollment: 466
Tuition: $1,738 per credit (full-time); $1,738 per credit (part-time)

2. Emory University, Atlanta

Overall score: 92/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 63%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.5
2020 master's program enrollment: 606
Tuition: $1,963 per credit (full-time); $1,963 per credit (part-time)

3. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (tie)

Overall score: 90/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 42.9%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.5
2020 master's program enrollment: 532
Tuition: $1,838 per credit (full-time); $1,838 per credit (part-time)

3. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (tie)

Overall score: 90/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 70%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.7
2020 master's program enrollment: 646
Tuition: $45,248 per year (full-time); $1,931 per credit (part-time)

5. Columbia University, New York City

Overall score: 88/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 47.2%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.5
2020 master's program enrollment: 357
Tuition: $87,242 per year (full-time); $17,000 per year (part-time)

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (tie)

Overall score: 87/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 45.7%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.6
2020 master's program enrollment: 176
Tuition: $19,062 per year (in-state, full-time); $40,394 per year (out-of-state, full-time)

6. University of Washington, Seattle (tie)

Overall score: 87/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 96.4%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.5
2020 master's program enrollment: 157
Tuition: $17,919 per year (in-state, full-time); $31,026 per year (out-of-state, full-time)

8. Vanderbilt University, Nashville

Overall score: 85/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 46.9%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.8
2020 master's program enrollment: 761
Tuition: $1,716 per credit (full-time); $1,716 per credit (part-time)

9. Ohio State University, Columbus (tie)

Overall score: 84/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 62.2%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.4
2020 master's program enrollment: 497
Tuition: $973 per credit (in-state, full-time); $2,447 per credit (out-of-state, full-time)

9. University of California San Francisco (tie)

Overall score: 84/100
2020 master's acceptance rate: 24.3%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.6
2020 master's program enrollment: 390
Tuition: $12,570 per year (in-state, full-time); $24,815 per year (out-of-state, full-time)

2022 Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice

1. Rush University, Chicago

Overall score: 100/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 47.6%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.6
2020 DNP program enrollment: 865
Tuition: $1,166 per credit (full-time); $1,166 per credit (part-time)

2. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

Overall score: 99/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 64.6%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.3
2020 DNP program enrollment: 442
Tuition: $1,825 per credit (full-time); $1,825 per credit (part-time)

3. University of Washington, Seattle

Overall score: 95/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 56.9%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.6
2020 DNP program enrollment: 310
Tuition: $29,122 per year (in-state, full-time); $41,521 per year (out-of-state, full-time)

4. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Overall score: 94/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 39.1%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.5
2020 DNP program enrollment: 297
Tuition: $1,838 per credit (full-time); $1,838 per credit (part-time)

5. Columbia University, New York City

Overall score: 89/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 38.8%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.5
2020 DNP program enrollment: 352
Tuition: $66,156 per year (full-time); $35,190 per year (part-time)

6. University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (tie)

Overall score: 88/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 36.1%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.7
2020 DNP program enrollment: 192
Tuition: $920 per credit (in-state, full-time); $1,098 per credit (out-of-state, full-time)

6. Vanderbilt University, Nashville (tie)

Overall score: 88/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 86.1%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.9
2020 DNP program enrollment: 178
Tuition: $1,716 per credit (full-time); $1,716 per credit (part-time)

8. Emory University, Atlanta

Overall score: 87/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 42.1%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.7
2020 DNP program enrollment: 119
Tuition: $1,671 per credit (full-time); $1,671 per credit (part-time)

9. University of Illinois, Chicago (tie)

Overall score: 85/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 89.9%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.4
2020 DNP program enrollment: 517
Tuition: $975 per credit (in-state, full-time); $1,440 per credit (out-of-state, full-time)

9. University of Kentucky, Lexington (tie)

Overall score: 85/100
2020 DNP acceptance rate: 100%
2020 mean full-time average undergrad GPA: 3.5
2020 DNP program enrollment: 156
Tuition: $17,682 per year (in-state, full-time); $46,126 per year (out-of-state, full-time)

Jennifer Henderson joined ľ��ֱ�� as an enterprise and investigative writer in Jan. 2021. She has covered the healthcare industry in NYC, life sciences and the business of law, among other areas.