Rankings

Best Nursing Schools: Master's

The Master of Science in Nursing program was one of five South Dakota State University graduate programs ranked among the nation’s best following a survey of more than 2,000 programs by U.S. News & World Report.

Best Graduate Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program was one of five South Dakota State University graduate programs ranked among the nation’s best following a survey of more than 2,000 programs by U.S. News & World Report.

Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs

The online Master of Science in Nursing program was one of three South Dakota State University graduate programs ranked among the nation’s best following a survey of more than 2,000 programs by U.S. News & World Report. It tied for 122 among the Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs.

Best Clinical Nurse Leader Programs

The South Dakota State University College of Nursing was ranked No. 7 in RegisteredNursing.org’s list of 2019 Best Clinical Nurse Leader Programs. The ranking of CNL programs is a first for the firm.

Doctor of Nursing Practice and nurse practitioner

Study.com has named South Dakota State University’s College of Nursing No. 12 for its doctor of nursing practice program and No. 14 for its nurse practitioner programs.

51^st among public nursing schools

South Dakota State University’s College of Nursing has been named to Nursing Schools Almanac list of top 100 nursing schools. The college was 97th nationally and 51st among public nursing schools.

Best Online Bachelor's in Nursing Programs

TheBestSchools.org featured South Dakota State University as one of the best Bachelor's in Nursing degree programs for 2018.

Ranked in 2018 | TheBestSchools.org

Best Online RN to BSN Degrees

College Choice named the South Dakota State University online RN to BSN program among their list of Best Online RN to BSN Degrees.

Ranked in 2017 | College Choice

Best Nursing Schools: Master's

The South Dakota State University Master's in Nursing program ranked 70th among the nation's best nursing schools by U.S. News & World Report.

Ranked in 2016 | Best Nursing Schools: Master's Rankings Methodology

Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice

The South Dakota State University Doctor of Nursing Practice program ranked 46th among the nation's best nursing schools by U.S. News & World Report.

 Ranked in 2016 | Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice Rankings Methodology

Nation's Best Nursing School

The South Dakota State University College of Nursing ranked 58th among the nation's best nursing schools by U.S. News & World Report. The ranking was based on 13 criteria, including quality assessment, student selectivity and achievement, faculty resources and research activity. 

Ranked in 2015

Best Graduate Nursing School

The South Dakota State University Master's in Nursing program was ranked 4th in the 50 Best Graduate Nursing Schools in America 2016 by TopMaster’sInHealthcare.com.

The firm highlighted the flexible curriculum, the active faculty and the program’s affordability. 

Ranked in 2016

Best Nursing School in the Nation

NursingSchoolsAlmanac.com South Dakota State University the 75th-best nursing school in the nation, which places it in the top 3 percent of all schools considered. South Dakota State was listed eighth in the Plains region and 40th among public nursing schools.

The research team at NursingSchoolsAlmanac.com collected data on over 3,200 nursing schools and campuses throughout the United States. It evaluated each school on:

• The institution’s academic prestige and perceived value;
• The breadth and depth of nursing programs offered; and
• Student success, particularly on the NCLEX national licensure exam.

Ranked in 2016

Top 50 best Value DNP Program

Citing the impact South Dakota State University’s College of Nursing made on the state’s health-care system as one of its factors, ValueColleges listed South Dakota State University as the nation’s 21st-ranked in its Top 50 Best Value DNP Programs of 2016. Value Colleges has compiled a ranking of the top 50 Best Values in DNP programs beginning with the AACN’s authoritative program directory; of the 265 schools AACN lists as having a DNP program, they ranked according to three data points:

• Reputability (U.S. News & World Report 2017 Best Grad Schools – Nursing)
• Cost (Actual per credit Tuition) (we use lowest in-state)
• Projected Salary Outcome (Payscale data for mid-career/alumni’s of institution) Value Colleges

Ranked in 2016

Accredited Schools Online

AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org ranked South Dakota State University 27th in its ranking. Schools were ranked by in-state tuition rates, graduation rate and student/faculty ratio.

Ranked in 2016

Best Online Nursing Schools

Affordablecollegesonline.com ranked South Dakota State University 18th among the nation's best online nursing schools. Affordablecollegesonline.com scored the schools on the following categories: count of online bachelor's degrees available; student-faculty ratio (undergraduate); 6-year graduation rate; online degree coverage/breadth (associate, bachelor's, master's, doctorate); job placement for graduates; acceptance rate; loan default rate and proprietary peer-based value rating.

Forty-seven schools made the final list. Our RN upward mobility program was highlighted as an online RN to BSN program for associate and diploma nursing graduates. 

Ranked in 2015

Best Value Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

South Dakota State University's College of Nursing has been named second in the list of 50 best value bachelor of science in nursing programs of 2015 by ValueColleges. ValueColleges looks at: accreditation by either the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing; payscale's 2015 College ROI Report by Healthcare Career criteria; U.S. News &World Report's national rankings; and credit per hour tuition rate as reported by each institution.

Ranked in 2015

30 Most Influential Deans of Nursing in the United States

Mometrix has named South Dakota State University College of Nursing Dean Nancy Fahrenwald one of "The 30 Most Influential Deans of Nursing in the United States." Dean Fahrenwald ranked 13th.