The University of Iowa College of Nursing was recently ranked the number one public program and fourth overall, according to the latest U.S. News and World Report college rankings, tied with Ohio State University.
This is the third year U.S. News has ranked undergraduate nursing programs and the third time UI College of Nursing has been in the top ten.
“We have great faculty, staff, [and] students that are visible across the country,” UI Dean of the College of Nursing Julie Zerwic said.
The program was ranked ninth overall in the 2022 ranking and fourth overall in the 2023 ranking.
According to the report, a program’s ranking is determined by the average of scores received from surveys of top academics and officials at nursing schools or departments.
The survey, conducted in the spring and summer of 2024, asked faculty members to rate peer institutions’ nursing programs on a five-point scale: outstanding, strong, good, adequate, or marginal.
Current and former UI nursing students attributed the high ranking to the supportive staff and faculty and proximity to UI Health Care, allowing for hands-on clinical experience.
Cara Goodman, a fifth-year student, initially enrolled at UI because of the prevalence of its hospital system. Before enrolling in the nursing program, Goodman worked at the hospital and had a significant patient experience which led her to join the nursing program.
“Just being supported the entire time speaks volumes of the people that are in the College of Nursing,” Goodman said. “If I was able to say one thing that would give you that ranking compared to the other programs, I would say the support we receive as students.”
May 2024 graduate Dillon Brown, Minnesota-born and raised, never expected to attend school in Iowa until hearing about the UI nursing program’s positive reputation. Brown applied for direct admission to the nursing program, ridding the need to reapply in his second year. During his time at the UI, Brown was president of Men in Nursing.
“I really enjoyed the clinical experience we got there, being right next to the hospital,” he said. “We had firsthand experience with some of the sickest patients in Iowa, and to be able to work with them and see them get the best treatment possible — it was just amazing.”
May 2024 graduate Kate Randle always wanted to be a nurse, looking to her great aunt for inspiration. Randle became acquainted with the UI after moving to Coralville in high school. During her time at the UI, Randle served as president of the school’s Student Nurse Association.
Randle shared how she attended the Iowa Nurses Association Annual Convention during her presidency and met with all the colleges that have nursing programs in Iowa.
“We were talking about their programs’ and their [smaller programs’] struggles, and it made me so thankful and grateful for all the opportunities we got with just our clinical placements and being able to be at UIHC and really learn from, like, the best hospitals in the United States,” Randle said.
All nursing students complete general education credits before taking nursing classes. Once nursing classes begin, a cohort of 84 students completes four semesters in the College of Nursing.
The first semester includes a clinical immersion day, followed by medical, surgery, or gerontology rotations in the second semester. The third semester involves psychiatric and pediatric rotations. The final semester includes a senior internship on the floor with a preceptor, which is completed alongside a reduced class schedule.
Zerwic said that while it has not been a problem at the UI, many nursing programs struggle to fill seats.
“They may have the ability to admit 30 students into the program each year, but they’ve only been able to fill half those seats,” she said.
To help combat the nursing shortage, the UI has introduced a Master of Science in Nursing program, recruiting individuals with a degree in another field.
The first Masters of Science in Nursing class graduated in August 2024, with a total of 14 students, Zerwic said. The second class, which began in January, has 22 students enrolled. The next group, starting in January 2025, has already admitted 38 students. The program goal is 48 students.
“We’re really excited about this program because, ideally, we’ll recruit individuals who are bringing lots of different skill sets,” Zerwic said.
Zerwic also shared that the program sees success even after students leave.
“Ninety-seven percent of our students have a job or are going back to school within the first six months after graduation,” she said. “They all have jobs and opportunities.”