College Factual recognized Quinnipiac’s undergraduate nursing program as among the top 5% in the country, specifically No. 20 out of 518 schools and No. 4 out of the 48 programs in New England. Determining factors included the university's overall quality — including degree completion resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings; how much a school focuses on nursing as compared with other programs; how many other nursing students choose this school; and how well the school is accredited.

“Based upon PayScale survey data, a student who graduates from Quinnipiac with a bachelor's degree in nursing will make an average early-career wage of $67,000 and average mid-career wage of $76,000,” the site reports. “This is above the national average of all nursing graduates, who make $53,000 in their early career. It is also above the average for nursing graduate’s mid-career salary of $70,000.”

U.S. News and World Report recognized the university’s graduate online master’s program as one of the nation’s best, ranking it No. 92 out of more than 190 programs. The rankings are based on a formula comprised of: engagement, expert opinion, faculty credentials and training, services and technologies and student excellence.

Nursing Schools Almanac named the nursing program as one of the best in New England, specifically No. 9 out of 60 — based on academic prestige and perceived value; the breadth and depth of nursing programs offered; and student success.

“The School of Nursing is very proud of our recent recognition through both national and regional rankings including US News, College Factual and Nursing Schools Almanac,” said Lisa O'Connor, dean of the School of Nursing. “Such rankings are a testament to the high quality faculty and staff who prioritize the student experience.”

She attributed the recognitions to the school’s rigorous continuous quality improvement processes based on student feedback.

“Most importantly, our students are not only academically excellent, they are hard-working, caring and strong-willed individuals who are committed to the nursing profession,” O’Connor added. “They make our nursing school the outstanding community that it is.”

It’s easy to see why. With a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio that beats the national average of 15:1, the School of Nursing is designed for close student engagement with faculty, which was one of the reasons why USA Today named Quinnipiac one of the top ten places to earn a nursing degree in the country. In addition, students in the School of Nursing consistently say that the one of the most valuable aspects of the program is its holistic credentialing. In fact, the School of Nursing is one of only 15 universities in the country with peer-reviewed endorsed programs from the American Holistic Nurses Association.

The school’s flagship bachelor of science in nursing program graduates more than 140 students annually from its traditional four-year pathway, and more than 60 more students graduate from the accelerated BSN program each year.


The time in the classroom pays dividends upon graduation, where the passed the NCLEX exam at a solid 90% rate over the past decade, including an impressive 93% pass rate for the accelerated BSN program.