UW News

April 5, 2007

U.W. School of Nursing is No. 1 in the nation

The UW School of Nursing again has ranked first among nursing schools in the country, according to annual rankings of graduate and professional schools provided last week by U.S. News & World Report.

Of the eight nursing specialties included in the rankings, the UW School of Nursing ranked first in adult / medical-surgical, first in community / public health, and first in psychiatric / mental health. In the Nurse Practitioner area, the school ranked third in adult nursing, first in family nursing, fourth in pediatric nursing, and tenth in geriatric nursing. The UW ranked eighth in nursing midwifery.

“We are so honored to again receive this high level of recognition from our esteemed peers. Their acknowledgement of the strength of our programs reflects the quality of education we provide to students and the impact of our research,” said Dean Nancy Woods. “We are committed to providing innovation in nursing; for example, our momentum continues with this year’s launch of our new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program and expanded global health opportunities.”

Like other nursing schools across the nation, the UW School of Nursing is facing the challenge of educating enough nurses to overcome a severe nationwide nursing shortage and limited resources. To meet this critical need, the school is using a number of approaches to better prepare highly skilled nurses:


  • Innovative partnerships with local hospitals provide additional faculty and opportunities for student learning and jobs
  • A fast-track program speeds students with a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field into the nursing master’s degree program
  • The Campaign UW fund-raising effort to date has raised more than $26 million in support of the school, faculty recruitment and retention, and student scholarships.

The UW School of Nursing has been ranked No. 1 in the nation since 1984, when the first survey of nursing schools was conducted. U.S News & World Report began ranking nursing schools in 1993.