At a Glance
Penn Nursing programs consistently rank at the very top of U.S. News and other global rankings.
QS World University Rankings
For eight consecutive years, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has been ranked the number one nursing school in the world by QS World University. The rankings highlight the world’s top universities in 54 different subject areas based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact.
U.S. News & World Report
Penn Nursing’s Undergraduate program was ranked #1 by US News and World Report.
The US News and World Report ’2023 Best Graduate School’ rankings have been released and these individual Penn Nursing programs are noted for their high marks:
- Administration #3
- Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner #3
- Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner #4
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner #4
- Family Nurse Practitioner#5
- Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner #7
INSIGHT Into Diversity: Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award
Penn Nursing received the 2016 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.
Basic Facts
- 1,171 students
- 55 standing faculty, 33 full-time lecturers
- Dean: Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN
- Ranked #1: Top nursing school in the world by QS World University, 2016 - 2023
- Ranked #1: Undergraduate program by US News and World Report, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Top ranked Graduate programs
- In 2020: 100% pass rate for first-time test takers on the AMCB certification exam in 2020 (One of only 13 programs in the country to accomplish this)
- Most selective undergraduate program at Penn
- 14 active, nursing-centered student organizations
- 90% of Penn Nursing BSN graduates go on to pursue their MSN
- Two T32 institutional training grants from the National Institute of Nursing Research for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows
- Approximately 15,000 alumni living in 51 countries
Students
- BSN: 597
- MSN: 312
- DNP: 129
- PhD: 50
- Non-degree and Certificates: 20
- Post-Graduate APRN Certificates : 63
- Under-represented minority (URM): 20%
- Male: 13%
- Desirable student-faculty ratios in labs and clinical practicums
The Under-Represented Minority (URM) category used in student reporting includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents who identify with any of the following race/ethnicities: Hispanic/Latino, African American/Black, Native American/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawai’ian/Pacific Islander. All others are classified as Non-URM.
Undergraduate degree options
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) — only Ivy League program
- Dual degree and minor options with Penn’s other schools including a coordinated Nursing and Healthcare Management program (BSN/BS Econ with Wharton)
- Opportunities to submatriculate (beginning graduate study while earning an undergraduate degree), toward an MSN at Nursing, a JD at Penn Law, or a Master’s in Public Health at Perelman School of Medicine
Graduate degree options
- 11 Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs
- Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)
- 3 Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs
- Post Graduate APRN certificate program that includes Streamlined Adult Gerontology Acute Care, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care Acute/Chronic Care Concentration, Pediatric Acute Care Oncology Concentration, Pediatric Acute Care Critical Care Concentration
- 10 Minor options
- Nurse Midwifery is one of only 13 programs in the country with a 100% pass rate for first-time test takers on the national certification
Faculty
- Highest percentage of Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing and members of the National Academy of Medicine than any other peer institution
- American Academy of Nursing Living Legends and American Nurses Association Hall of Fame honorees
- 10 members of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame
- Editors of leading scientific journals and researchers who amass hundreds of publications and thousands of citations annually
- Our scientists are in the top five private nursing schools in research funding from the National Institutes of Health
School of Nursing firsts
- First nursing doctorate in the Ivy League
- First privately funded center for nursing research in the country
- First school at Penn and one of the first in North America to be named a World Health Organization Collaborating Center
- First operating room nurse in the nation
- First nurse anesthetist in Philadelphia
- First nurse to receive the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the “genius” award
- Among the first endowed chairs for nursing in the country
- First nursing school to use interactive simulated (SIM) patients
- One of the first nursing schools to integrate the electronic health record into the curriculum
