While many students interested in nursing turn to large research institutions for their undergraduate degrees, we’ve found that liberal arts schools are an attractive alternative for students drawn to small class sizes and intensive learning. That said, many of the traditional ‘top’ liberal arts schools don’t offer nursing majors–many of those storied institutions don’t directly train nurses.
Instead, you’ll find that a number of liberal arts colleges are offering mixed nursing programs–they allow their nursing students to split their studies between the liberal arts college and a larger research institution. These programs allow students to combine the liberal arts curriculum with more practical nursing training, and some even allow students to graduate as Nurse Practitioners.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best small schools offering nursing degrees. We’ll break our list down by location–there’s a nursing school for you in whichever part of the country you’d like to study in.
Gettysburg College
Located in rural Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with a student body of around 2,500, Gettysburg College offers different nursing programs in partnership with Johns Hopkins University. Students can study for four years at Gettysburg College and then finish a Masters of Science in Nursing at JHU, one of the top nursing and medical schools in the country. The program guarantees admissions to Gettysburg students who maintain a GPA above 3.2.
Gettysburg College is known for its traditions, location, and friendly atmosphere–it’s a great place to study if you’re interested in working and living in the Mid-Atlantic region. Their nursing program is a great ‘backdoor’ into JHU–Gettysburg’s admission rate is significantly higher (~48% vs ~11%) than Hopkins’, so think about applying here and maintaining that GPA.
Simmons University
Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a small women’s college located in Boston, MA, with an undergraduate enrollment of just under 1,800. If you’re eligible to apply, consider Simmons seriously–they offer a number of different nursing degrees, and have a long tradition of training excellent healthcare professionals. Simmons offered the first university-level nursing program in the country, and they’ve continued to innovate with their degree offerings.
Simmons has a tradition of training female leaders, and they’re one of the few schools that didn’t go co-ed during the general transition to mixed higher education. Their students are known for their commitment to diversity, social justice, and progressive causes, and the school has matched their passion with academic initiatives.
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a small catholic school located in Portland, Oregon, with a student body of ~4,000. The school offers a number of different nursing degrees, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and allows its students to set their own course when choosing between accelerated and normal programs for their B.S. and M.S. in nursing.
The University of Portland has an acceptance rate of 77% and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional universities in the northwest–give it a closer look if you’re attracted to the Cascadia region. While the school is affiliated with the Catholic Church, it’s more similar to Georgetown than the Catholic University–don’t worry about mandatory mass or anything like that.
University of San Francisco
USF may not be a traditional liberal arts school, but we insist that our students interested in nursing give it a closer look. This private Jesuit institution has a 1,200 student School of Nursing and Health Professions that functions somewhat autonomously from the rest of the institution–think of it as a school within a school.
USF boasts that its undergraduate students have a 94% pass rate on the nursing licensing exam, which is pretty great, to say the least. USF has a proven commitment to giving back to the local community–nursing students provide service at local hospitals while training, aiding the city while also gaining valuable skills and experience.
Berry College
Berry College, located right outside of Rome, Georgia, is one of the top liberal arts schools for nursing in the south. With around 2,400 students and an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio, Berry offers small class sizes and an inclusive atmosphere for potential nursing students. Berry’s nursing program focuses on practical and hands-on learning–nurses are trained extensively in local hospitals.
Berry advertises that its nursing students have a 100% employment rate three months after graduation. While that may seem impossible, we believe it–the nationwide shortage of nurses is putting them at high demand, especially in rural communities like those Berry serves. Students should take a closer look at Berry if they’re interested in studying in the South.
While there are many nursing schools we didn’t cover, we hope the few that we detailed offer something of a cross-section of what’s available for you. Take a look at the list of schools that the AACN put together–you might find something different that happens to be right for you.
Remember, we’re always here to help–if you’d like to discuss your planning for a nursing degree, or your college choice in general, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Contact us here if you need help with the college application process