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Here Are This Year's Top Nursing Schools

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

Ƶ MedicalToday
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)
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    Jennifer Henderson joined Ƶ 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.