UT Health Science Center College of Nursing’s BSN Program Ranked No. 28 in Nation

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program ranks No. 28 in the nation among undergraduate nursing programs on the 2026 Best Colleges list published today by U.S. News & World Report.

This is highest ranking ever for the UT Health Science Center BSN program, tying with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing for Tennessee's most highly ranked BSN program on the prestigious list.

This ranking in a list of 686 nursing colleges places UT Health Science Center in the top 4% of universities nationwide for its BSN program. U.S. News & World Report ranked the College of Nursing as the top program in Tennessee in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

"We are very proud to hold the highest position among BSN programs in Tennessee, along with our UT System sister school," said College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP. "This is another demonstration of the excellence of our faculty and staff and the caliber of nursing professionals that this college produces."

For U.S. News & World Report, the Best Colleges rankings were determined by factors including student excellence, financial resources, outcomes such as graduation and retention, faculty resources such as faculty salaries and class size, and ratings by peer institutions. Only academic data from surveys and reliable third-party sources were used to calculate each ranking factor.

Other BSN programs in Tennessee also made the list. The University of Memphis' BSN program was ranked No. 135; UT Chattanooga was ranked No. 160; Belmont University and East Tennessee State University tied at No. 186.

The UT Health Science Center College of Nursing has 212 BSN students, 100 of whom began the program this fall. The college offers two pathways to the BSN degree. For those who already have a non-nursing bachelor's degree, the accelerated program enables students to earn a BSN in 12 months. Students who have no bachelor's degree but have earned nursing prerequisites can earn a BSN over four semesters in the traditional BSN program.

Rebecca LaPlante is a student in the traditional BSN program. "The combination of classroom learning, labs, and clinical experiences has not only strengthened my knowledge and skills but has also deepened my passion for nursing," she said. "Each patient interaction reminds me why I chose this path, and UT Health Science Center has given me the confidence and support to become the kind of nurse who is both compassionate and dedicated to making a difference in people's lives."

Features that set the UT Health Science Center BSN program apart include specialized education opportunities such as the Rural and Underserved Health Care Scholars, Oncology Nursing Scholars, STEPS in Nursing Scholars, and the Baptist Scholars Program.

Judith Lopez Trejo is also in the BSN program and said, "I've been so blessed to be part of a college that not only cares about student voices and their success but also participates in so many events that help the community."