FAU makes national top 50 list for best online nursing programs

The rankings were based on tuition, graduate success rates and financial aid availability.

Photo+courtesy+of+College+Choice.

Photo courtesy of College Choice.

Ross Mellman, Contributing Writer

Following a semester when the graduating class had near perfect passing rates, FAU’s online master’s nursing program ranked 37 out of 50 for the best nursing programs nationwide.

College-ranking website College Choice ranked the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at the Boca campus by taking into account graduate success rates, financial aid offerings and the annual cost of tuition.

One of the college’s most compelling factors is its high level of flexibility.

A student enrolled in the College of Nursing has the choice of attending entirely online, part-time or full-time. Students also have the opportunity to pursue degrees ranging from baccalaureate to doctoral.

“We’ve instituted intensive advising and mandatory tutoring programs to insure that the students would be successful,” Dean of the College of Nursing Marlaine Smith said.

The class of 2016 passed the National Council Licensure Examination — a state exam to become a board certified nurse — with a 96 percent pass rate, roughly 10 percent higher than the national average, according to Dean Smith.

The rankings were determined based on information gathered by U.S. News and World Report, the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, Payscale and the National Center for Education Statistics.

Ross Mellman is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].