At a Glance

Penn Nursing programs consistently rank at the very top of U.S. News and other global rankings.

Penn Nursing ranked as the number 1 nursing school in the world for 9 consecutive years.

QS World University Rankings

For nine 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 55 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 ’2024 Best Graduate Schools’ rankings have been released and these individual Penn Nursing programs are noted for their high marks:

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 - 2024
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
Master of Professional Nursing (MPN), an accelerated, entry-level nursing program for bachelor degree holders in a non-nursing field
Master of Science in Nutrition Science (MSNS) program
3 Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)
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 7 programs in the country with a 100% first-time pass rate on the national AMCB certifying exam for the past two years.

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