by our College Data Analytics Team
For this year's Best Nursing Colleges for Non-Traditional Students in the New England Region ranking, we looked at 39 colleges that offer a bachelor's in nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great nursing programs and a strong support system for non-traditional students.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the nursing program at the school, affordability, and non-traditional population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Nursing Schools for Non-Traditional Students list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for non-traditional students studying nursing.
Rivier University has taken the #1 spot in this year's nursing ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Nashua, Rivier is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.5%. 733 students at Rivier are exclusively online. There are roughly 1,262 part time students in attendance at Rivier.
University of Saint Joseph landed the #2 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. Located in the suburb of West Hartford, USJ is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. USJ not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #1 on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the New England Region list.
About 0.7% of USJ students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 442 students at USJ that take at least one class online. 607 students are part time.
Simmons University landed the #3 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large city of Boston, Simmons is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. Simmons not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #2 on our Best Colleges for Nursing in the New England Region list.
The student loan default rate at Simmons is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. 2,739 students at Simmons are exclusively online. 2,902 of Simmons students are attending part time.
Our rankings recognize Elms College as the #4 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large suburb of Chicopee, Elms College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
About 1.1% of Elms College students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 395 students at Elms College that take at least one class online. 394 of Elms College students are attending part time.
Quinnipiac University landed the #5 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. Located in the suburb of Hamden, Quinnipiac is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. Quinnipiac also took the #4 spot in our Best Colleges for Nursing in the New England Region rankings.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. Approximately 4,129 students take at least one class online at Quinnipiac. About 1,458 of the students at Quinnipiac are attending part time.
The #6 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Sacred Heart University. Located in the suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. Sacred Heart also made our Best Colleges for Nursing in the New England Region list, coming in at #9.
About 0.9% of Sacred Heart students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 2,774 students at Sacred Heart that take at least one class online. There are roughly 2,334 part time students in attendance at Sacred Heart.
Curry College landed the #7 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. Curry is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Milton.
The student loan default rate at Curry is lower than is typical, just 2.4% of students default in three years. 237 of Curry students are exclusively distance learners. About 387 of the students at Curry are attending part time.
Endicott College comes in at #8 in this year's ranking. Endicott is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Beverly.
About 0.8% of Endicott students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 885 students at Endicott are exclusively online. About 887 of the students at Endicott are attending part time.
The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Massachusetts Amherst. UMass Amherst is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Amherst. As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Amherst, the school also landed the #7 rank in our Best Colleges for Nursing in the New England Region ranking.
The student loan default rate at UMass Amherst is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. 4,105 students at UMass Amherst are exclusively online. 6,786 of UMass Amherst students are attending part time.
Southern New Hampshire University earned the #10 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.0%. 138,672 students at SNHU are exclusively online. About 102,147 of the students at SNHU are attending part time.
Explore the best for non-traditional students nursing schools for a specific state in the New England region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 3,400 |
| Connecticut | 1,555 |
| New Hampshire | 1,435 |
| Rhode Island | 626 |
| Maine | 760 |
| Vermont | 216 |
One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Footnotes
*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
