Students work in a simulation lab at VCU School of Nursing.
Students work in a simulation lab at VCU School of Nursing. (File photo courtesy of Jay Paul)

Sept. 15, 2021

VCU School of Nursing program ranks in top 25 in first year of U.S. News’ undergraduate nursing rankings

The designation “is the result of the hard work of our dedicated faculty and staff in their commitment to serving our students,” said Jean Giddens, the school’s dean.

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By VCU News staff

VCU School of Nursing earned a top spot in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges inaugural undergraduate nursing programs list, released Tuesday.

The School of Nursing ranked at No. 23 on the undergraduate nursing programs list for 2022, putting the school in the top 4% of 694 ranked programs.

“This designation is the result of the hard work of our dedicated faculty and staff in their commitment to serving our students,” said Jean Giddens, Ph.D., a professor and dean of the VCU School of Nursing. “Our school continues to build on these and our top-50 graduate programs rankings by increasing access to education through new scholarships, accelerated pathways to practice and partnerships with community colleges to help our students graduate faster, addressing shortages of qualified health professionals in Virginia and beyond.” 

The School of Nursing’s undergraduate program offers two prelicensure pathways for students to become a nurse — the traditional B.S. and accelerated B.S., and an RN to B.S. pathway for registered nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

Several VCU online graduate programs were ranked among the best in the country in their categories, according to a January report from U.S. News.

Among VCU’s top-five programs in previously updated listings are nurse anesthesia (No. 1), fine arts: sculpture (No. 1), fine arts: printmaking (No. 2), rehabilitation counseling (No. 4) and health care management (No. 5). 

Not all program areas receive updated rankings each year. For more about VCU’s rankings, including graduate programs ranked in the top 50 during previous updates by U.S. News & World Report, visit www.vcu.edu/about-vcu/facts-and-rankings/.