how many nursing schools are there in the us

There are more than 1600 nursing schools in the US

There are more than 1600 nursing schools in the US. Is that a lot? It depends on your perspective:

• A few years ago, the nation was in a nursing shortage and everyone was trying to get into nursing school.
• Now, there are so many nurses that some hospitals can’t afford to keep as many as they’d like, and lots of recent nursing grads have trouble finding jobs.
• Higher ed consultant Geraldine Bednash says we’ve reached “the plateau of supply for nurses”, meaning there’s no longer a need for more new ones.
• But she also notes that this is a good thing because it means students can work closely with their professors and learn more thoroughly at smaller schools that were created during the shortage. There you go! That explains everything. If you want to know how many nursing schools are in your state (and I’m sure you do), keep reading!

The vast majority of these 1600 schools grant bachelor’s degrees, but there are also hundreds that grant associates degrees or master’s degrees or doctorates

There are more than 1600 nursing schools in the US, and the vast majority of these grant bachelor’s degrees. Bachelors programs can be found at community colleges and universities; it’s common for community colleges to offer associates degrees as well. Masters programs are offered by universities, while doctorate programs are almost exclusively reserved to universities. If you’re looking to become a nurse, you’ll probably want to attend one of the many bachelors programs available at universities or community colleges around the country.

There is a shortage of nursing faculty so schools are turning down applications

However, that doesn’t mean you should start sending in your applications. Nursing schools are turning away qualified applicants because they don’t have the faculty to teach them. There is a nationwide shortage of nursing faculty and it’s causing some schools to turn down qualified applicants.

“The nursing shortage reminds me a lot of the staffing shortages we saw in hospitals during the late 1990s and early 2000s,” said Anna Gerschner, program director for New York University’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. “We’re not seeing as many nurses entering the workforce as are leaving it.”

You can’t tell how many nursing schools there are in the US from any one number.

While it’s difficult to find an exact number of how many nursing schools there are in the US, and the numbers vary depending on your definition of “nursing school,” you can be sure that there are more than 1600 programs, with most of those granting bachelor’s degrees (BSN). There are also hundreds that grant associate’s degrees or master’s degrees or doctorates.

At first glance, it seems like you can get a pretty good idea about how many nursing schools there are in the US by looking at just one number: the total number of accredited nursing programs. This number is 1,873—but this only accounts for BSNs and graduate-level nursing programs. It doesn’t account for LPN/LVN programs (which fall under different accrediting agencies) or non-accredited degree programs available at some community colleges.

Another source claims that there are 2,707 nursing education institutions offering undergraduate, postsecondary diploma and degree programs in 2018—but this includes all 50 states plus Washington DC AND Guam and Puerto Rico. And it still doesn’t include LPN/LVN programs at trade schools!