Hi I’m a junior and plan to graduate in 2016. My dad and I have been searching for Nursing Schools for the longest time however we are stumped! What are some Nursing Schools in or near the Northeast region (like NY, NJ, PA, MA, CT, etc.) ? Direct Entry BSN programs are preferred. Are they easy or hard to get into? If you are a parent of a nursing major, please respond! Thank you very much!
Have you tried using the “Supermatch” tool over on the left of the site? It will help you find some colleges.
Also, have you taken the SAT yet?
@bopper Yes I have! The supermatch tool was alright. I’m more of looking for reviews of nursing schools and what other people think of the programs.
And yes I have taken the SAT, once in December and actually today in March!
West Chester in PA is a wonderful school. Not too expensive for OOS, lots of school spirit and a wonderful SIM lab. Nestled in a quaint town. Direct entry.
TCNJ, in NJ has a good reputation (more competitive to gain entrance than West Chester). Drexel in PA does co-op and also has a good rep, but is expensive.
This may be alittle off topic but I applaud you for looking at Nursing Schools. It is a very smart move! I did this in 1987. I went on to get my Masters at NYU (excellent school but $) and now I am an Adult Nurse Practitioner. I am self employed and offer my services to a cardiologist and a healthcare company. I am doing exceptionally well financially and I am proud of my decision bc I love helping people. I don’t think it matters too much where you go as long as you get the combined BSN/MSN or MA. You will open up doors for you if you do this. You must have a few years as a nurse first-preferably a hospital bc they prepare you best. Don’t stop at undergrad. Once you start working as a staff RN (choose a major medical center with a fantastic rep), get tuition reimbursement and go for your masters! All of the RNs do this! Use nursing as a stepping stone, if you can, to be become an Advanced Practice Nurse. You will not regret it.
Let me clarify…you can get the combined degree but you can also get the BSN and work at a hosp and get tuition reimbursement for the Masters. I worked at Lenox Hill Hospital NYC and went to NYU. You work 3 days and go to school on the others. Not demanding at all. Just study.
I would recommend that you look at the Master List of Direct Entry Nursing Programs thread on this Nursing Board for programs in the states you are interested in. This is a great starting point. Obviously cost at in-state public universities would be less in most cases compared to private universities. Competition for some of your more highly ranked programs can be intense so make sure you apply early to the programs you are interested in. Based on their stats many applicants identify 3-4 schools in each of the following 3 categories: safety schools; competitive schools; and reach schools. Just some suggestions. You might want to consider adding the state of Delaware to your list (the Univ. of Delaware has one of the best Nursing Programs in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic area). Good luck.
You can do a search for the word “nursing” and the name of a college on this website, and you will find many comments from other parents and students. The admissions difficulty greatly varies (U. Del. nursing out of state is one of the most difficult).
Often public flagship uiniversities are difficult for admission. Some of the less well-known private colleges may be less difficult for admission. It is more important to find a good nursing program with excellent clinical opportunities than a prestigious name on a college diploma.
Many private colleges offer large merit or need based aid that may bring their cost down to a level close to public flagship university. It is common for private colleges on the average to charge half of their sticker price for a very good applicant. Meanwhile, many public universities have much less aid to give away, so you often pay closer to their sticker price.
Most colleges north of Md. are direct entry for nursing, while most colleges in the southeast are 2-2 programs.
In New York, Molloy and Adelphi come to mind, as well as some of the SUNY colleges.
Here is that link again to the most recent list of direct admit nursing programs:
Go through past threads to get the links to NCLEX pass rates for some of the states’ nursing programs are posted or look at the Board of Registered Nursing for each state to obtain NCLEX results [RN passing rate]. That is another good way to start your research to find quality nursing programs.
That list is very helpful. However, make sure you read the fine print on each college’s website, for colleges that you are considering. Some colleges are switching to direct entry. Some have direct entry only for honor college students. Some colleges have some students who are direct entry, and others have to compete for spaces. Some 2-2 schools are extremely competitive for entry into nursing.
Look on page 13 for the most updated list (as of today). There are 131 colleges listed and many of them are on the northeast. We tend to have more direct entry nursing programs on the east coast so you’re in luck. Anyway, here’s a list of schools that I was accepted to this fall. I’ll include scholarship amounts too which might help determine if you can afford the college or not. If your scores are better than mine, you’ll probably get more money. I live in NJ and didn’t apply to any public schools here so state aid didn’t help me, but it could help you. Oh and if you have any questions, let me know!!! I’m going to be a freshman next year so I’ve already done the researching, visiting, and applying lol.
** I applied to a lot of schools because my stats were kinda low. You might not have to apply to so many if your stats are better than mine **
SAT: 1610
CR+M only: 1000
GPA: 3.5
Rank: 112 out of 278
Race: Asian
Honors Classes: 8
AP Classes: 1 (AP Biology)
- No Sports in HS
- Did TONS of clubs in school
- Had 250 - 300 volunteer hours from clubs, volunteering at hospital & library, etc.
- was in NHS
Scholarship money is for all 4 years in total
Adelphi: accepted for nursing w/ $44,000
Alvernia: accepted for nursing w/ $60,000
Curry: accepted for nursing w/ $34,000
DeSales: accepted but not for nursing 
got a $60,000 scholarship though
Fairleigh Dickinson (metro campus, both campuses have nursing though): accepted w/ $56,000 but not for nursing
Holy Family: accepted for nursing w/ $62,000
Marymount: accepted for nursing w/ $48,000
Moravian: accepted for nursing w/ $56,000. I got a $2,000 grant too but idk if its for 1 year or all 4 years?
Neumann: accepted for nursing w/ $52,000
Pace: they asked to see my MP 1 & 2 grades before making a decision, i should be hearing back from them soon…
Robert Morris: accepted for nursing w/ $28,000
Seton Hall: was waitlisted but i got into pre-nursing, no scholarship though -______-
Shenandoah: accepted for nursing w/ $36,000
Widener: accepted for nursing w/ $92,000
Wilkes: accepted for nursing w/ $44,000
William Paterson: accepted but not for nursing
Some other schools that I didn’t apply to are York College of PA, Drexel, Temple, Sacred Heart, Fairfield, Stevenson, University of Delaware, University of New Hampshire, East Stroudsburg, Villanova, University of Scranton, University of Pittsburgh, TCNJ, Salve Regina, Penn State, Rutgers, Quinnipiac, Northestern, NYU, La Salle, Hartwick, Endicott, Simmons, Duquesne, Carlow, Case Western, Bloomsburg, and Boston College.
https://sites.google.com/site/directadmitnursing/list
This link may help too, but I caution you to not rely on all the info you find on websites. It might have changed over the years so you’re better off creating a new excel spreadsheet and researching on your own. This means actually googling the colleges and visiting their pages. Email the admissions counselors if you can’t find the info you’re looking for, because some colleges don’t have SAT and GPA requirements on their websites. This will take a very very very long time if you don’t narrow down your choices quickly, but don’t worry, it will all be worth it!! You have a lot of time so get started now!! 
A direct entry nursing program I’ve been accepted into is Pace University’s RN-4 Program. I’m not sure if it is competitive as I got in with a 3.0 GPA but I think the fact that I took the IB Program boosted my stats and I had a high GPA.
Hello!
I am a nursing major at Quinnipiac University! I can tell you first-hand that this school is a top-notch nursing school. We were just ranked top 10 nursing schools in America by USA Today. I love being here and the people and professors in my program are absolutely amazing.
Some other schools I applied to were University of Delaware, Scranton, The College of New Jersey, Villanova, Rutgers, and Northeastern, to name a few.
Let me know if you have any questions! I am an ambassador for QU and love talking to prospective students, especially future nurses, about the school and life as a nursing student, and I am very willing to get much more in depth if you are interested!
Hi QU Bobcat18!
My daughter is and accepted student and just attended preview day. She liked it but had concerns about where the clinicals are. Bridgeport seems a bit far, and not in the best area. I’ve have also heard some negative things about New Haven. Can you tell us more about campus life there, plus anything more about the program, and why you chose that over the others you mentioned? (She was also applied and was accepted to several of those schools too). Thanks
@soontobeprepmom thank you very much for your insight!!
@mjmansuria15 Thank you for listing some schools out! I appreciate it greatly.
@QUBobcat18 how is QU’s nursing program? Is it difficult to get into? And does QU give scholarships? How’s living in campus and the dorms? QU is definitely one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever seen! It’s definitely on my list. What made you choose QU out of all the other ones you applied?
@mjmansuria15 - I was wondering why you have crossed off your list Neumann, Alvernia & Moravian. They are all direct admit, gave you nice FA & have high passing NCLEX scores?
@blueskyforever Well Neumann and Alvernia are really nice schools but they just lack diversity. I’m Asian and there are barely any Asians there. After growing up in a town that is probably one of the most diverse in NJ, I think I would kinda feel awkward. Moravian, however, was on my list for a very long time since one of my good friends is going there. But it’s just not as diverse or close to the city as Adelphi, Widener, & Seton Hall are.
kdads03. UNH, UMaine and UVM are all direct entry in the Northeast, obviously all state schools. All offer excellent programs. UVM is the most expensive out of the gate. UNH is not known for their giving great money, unfortunately. On the other hand, UMaine is extremely generous with their FA and scholarships. My daughter decided on attending UMaine for nursing this fall, class of 2019. The campus is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and there is a ton of school spirit with excellent football and hockey teams, if that interests you!