Lee University’s School of Nursing was ranked #1 in Tennessee by registerednursing.org for its third Annual RN Program Rankings 2019 Edition.

Lee’s nursing program began in 2014 and has grown rapidly to include almost 400 students. The program is nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Registerednursing.org ranks nursing programs by the percentage of graduates who pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) registered nurse (RN) version. Program pass rates from past years are then averaged together and weighted by the recency of the exam. For example, exam pass rates in 2018 count more towards overall rankings than scores from 2014.

Forty-four Tennessee schools were analyzed, and the top 20 qualified for registerednursing.org’s ranking. One qualification for this ranking is that the program must offer an Associate in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or Direct-Entry Master of Science in Nursing Degree. Of the programs ranked by registerednursing.org, Lee’s School of Nursing is the only nursing program in Tennessee, and the Southeast, with an averaged 100 percent passing rate.

“I’m thankful to the Lee campus community, School of Nursing faculty, staff, and students, and the multiple health care personnel and facilities that contribute so greatly to the success of the nursing program,” said Dr. Sara Campbell, dean of Lee’s School of Nursing.

Of the 639 programs ranked across the country by registerednursing.org, only six other schools had an averaged 100 percent passing rates on the NCLEX-RN. Those schools were Stanbridge University in California, Baton Rouge General Medical Center in Louisiana, Pace University in New York, University of Mount Union in Ohio, Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania, and LeTourneau University in Texas.

The NCLEX-RN exam is used by all state boards of nursing across the United States to help assess a student’s competency and is required for licensure. In addition, many state boards of nursing use the total overall NCLEX-RN pass rates for a school as one of the main ways to approve a school’s ability to provide a nursing education in the state.

For more information about Lee’s School of Nursing, visit SON.

For more information and to see other program rankings, visit RegisteredNursing.