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A student dons her white coat during a ceremony for the UAMS College of Nursing. The college placed 59th in U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings of undergraduate nursing programs.
Image by Bryan Clifton
UAMS College of Nursing Ranks 59th in U.S. News’ List of Top Undergraduate Nursing Programs
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing placed among the nation’s top 100 undergraduate nursing programs in rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.
The College of Nursing tied for 59th out of 686 programs evaluated by the publication, rising 15 spots from its ranking in fall 2024. UAMS is the highest-ranked institution in Arkansas.
UAMS’ undergraduate offerings include a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and an Accelerated BSN program for students who hold bachelor’s degrees in other fields. The A-BSN program, established in 2022 at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville, is a 15-month track that helps students quickly transition to the nursing workforce.
The College of Nursing in 2024 implemented a Fast-Track Program that allows top-performing students from the traditional BSN program to condense their senior-year course load and graduate a semester early. Twenty-four students are participating in the Fast-Track Program this year.
Sarah Jane Rhoads, Ph.D., DNP, dean of the College of Nursing, said this year’s ranking from U.S. News & World Report reflects the college’s dedication to providing a high-quality educational experience for aspiring nurses.
“Our faculty and staff understand that the education we provide our students today will have a direct impact on the level of care that Arkansans receive in the future,” she said.
U.S. News & World Report conducts its annual evaluations through surveys from top academic and nursing school officials, who rate BSN programs they are familiar with on a scale from 1 to 5. Schools on the list are required to have a bachelor’s-level accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, and they need to have recently awarded at least 50 BSN degrees.
In the 2024-25 school year, the UAMS College of Nursing graduated 103 students from its BSN program and 18 from its A-BSN track. Since the programs’ inception, 5,853 students have earned their undergraduate nursing degrees at UAMS.
Beginning Oct. 1, the College of Nursing will accept applications for its undergraduate programs for the 2026-27 academic year. For more information, go to nursing.uams.edu.
The College of Nursing, established in 1953, also offers a Master of Nursing Science degree, a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 902 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###