Top Nursing Schools in Maryland for 2023

Nursing Degrees & Schools / Best Schools Maryland

Centrally located on the East Coast of the United States, Maryland has something for everyone and a lot to love, including top-notch nursing schools. Maryland’s highways, trains, and airports make it easy to get wherever you want to go, such as the remarkable hospitals, including one of U.S. News & World Report’s top ten Best Hospitals in the Country. The state is one of the best educated in the country, with 47.7% of the population having a college education and over 19% holding a graduate or professional degree.

Marylanders enjoy mild versions of all four seasons, access to some of the country’s best seafood, and a booming economy. It’s also been ranked as having the 4th best environmental record in the country.

Maryland’s top programs:

1. Salisbury University
2. University of Maryland Baltimore
3. Coppin State University
4. Towson University
5. Notre Dame of Maryland University
6. Frostburg State University
7. Bowie State University
8. Stevenson University
9. University of Maryland Global Campus
10. Washington Adventist University

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1.  Salisbury University– Score 79

NCLEX Pass Rate – 94.79%

Annual In-State Tuition: $7,556

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $18,032

The BSN program at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland has one of the highest five-year average NCLEX-RN pass rates in the entire state, and the program has been accredited by the CCNE. 

The Student Nurses Association prides itself on community service and has been nationally recognized for its efforts. The school offers three paths to BSN degrees and multiple graduate programs that are offered both in-person and with flexible synchronous and asynchronous distance learning strategies.

Salisbury’s graduates are directly recruited by highly respected organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the University of Maryland Hospitals, and the Washington Hospital Center.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• RN-to-MSN
• MSN (Online)
• DNP

2.  University of Maryland Baltimore– Score 74 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 86.62%

Annual In-State Tuition: $12,606

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $29,370

The University of Maryland at Baltimore has a robust nursing program that offers more than 20 doctoral, master’s, undergraduate and certificate programs and specialties. U.S. News & World Report consistently recognizes this school as among the best public schools of nursing in the country at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including ranking #4 for its BSN program, #9 for its MSN program, #4 for its DNP program, and #25 for its online MSN program for veterans.

The school’s 28 clinical simulation labs, its enrollment of 842 graduate nursing students, and its undergraduate graduation rate of 90% all point to the excellence of the program.

University of Maryland Baltimore has been educating nurses for 130 years. All programs are offered at its sprawling Baltimore campus, which it shares with five other University of Maryland professional schools and the Graduate School.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• RN-BSN (Online)
• RN-MSN (Online)
• MSN Clinical Nurse Leader Entry Level (Non-nurse)
• MSN (Online and in person)
• MSN/MPH
• MSN/MBA
• DNP
• PhD

3.  Coppin State University – Score 65

 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 84.62%

Annual In-State Tuition: $4,740   

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $11,266

Coppin State University’s Helene Fuld School of Nursing offers a comprehensive menu of high-quality nursing education and training. The Baltimore school emphasizes social responsibility, civic and community engagement, as well as cultural diversity and inclusion. 

Coppin State offers access to its Academic Success Center and First Year Experience staff members while undergraduate students are going through the application process, and the graduate program is structured to allow students to advance their education while still meeting their career and social responsibilities.

CCNE-accredited program offered:

• BSN
• RN-BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• MSN
• BSN-DNP (Traditional or hybrid)
• MSN-DNP (Traditional or hybrid)

4.  Towson University – Score 58 

 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 85.00%

Annual In-State Tuition: $10,818

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $26,820

With 800 students in its undergraduate programs and a graduation rate of 74%, Towson University’s Department of Nursing is the second largest producer of bedside nurses in the state of Maryland. The Towson-based school’s students have the advantage of a selection of programs to match their personal needs. Undergraduate options include a full time BSN and two nursing degree completion options: an RN-to-BSN program available both full-time and part-time and an accelerated 2 ½ year Associate-to-Bachelor’s program in partnership with participating community colleges.

Towson also offers a new Entry-Level Master of Science (ELMS) program for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree who want to make a career shift into nursing. The program allows these students to become advanced practice registered nurses without having to earn a second bachelor’s degree.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• AS-to-BSN
• ELMS

5.  Notre Dame of Maryland University– Score 50 

 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 75.00%

Annual Tuition: $35,600

Baltimore-based Notre Dame of Maryland University offers flexible options for earning a BSN degree. In addition to the traditional four-year BSN program that is available to female students through the Women’s College, the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies also offers an accelerated second degree program taught both on-campus and online for those who have already earned a bachelor’s degree in another field but who now wish to shift to a career in nursing. This program is open to both men and women. There is also an RN-to-BSN program available to men and women that allows registered nurses to expand their education to the content provided by a bachelor’s degree.

The school  also offers Master of Science in Nursing programs through its College of Graduate & Professional Studies. Specialties include Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, and two leadership in nursing programs.

Working nurses who have active Maryland RN licenses will receive 30 upper-level nursing credits in acknowledgement of the knowledge provided by their professional experience.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Accelerated BSN
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• MSN

6.  Frostburg State University– Score 50 

NCLEX Pass Rate – N/A

Annual In-State Tuition: $6,974

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $21,854

Frostburg State University’s Department of Nursing is a well-rounded, comprehensive program with BSN degree options for first-year college students, working RNs, and students attending local community colleges. The Frostburg-based school also offers several MSN programs for those wishing to move both their nursing careers and education forward.

Beyond its traditional four-year pre-nursing degree, Frostburg State University has partnered with Allegany College of Maryland to create its Collaborative Pathway for Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It combines the school’s general education and RN-to-BSN program with the community college’s associate degree nursing program. There’s also an online RN-to-BSN program that is delivered asynchronously along with a 135-hour practicum hour requirement and a dual enrollment opportunity that bridges from an Associate’s degree community college program to a BSN degree.

There are four graduate nursing concentrations available, including two nurse practitioner tracks, a nurse educator track, and a leadership and management track.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Collaborative BSN
• RN-BSN (Online)
• Associate-to-BSN
• MSN

7.  Bowie State University – Score 46 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 39.47%

Annual In-State Tuition: $5,875

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $16,666

Bowie State University is in the midst of a significant upgrade of their nursing department and this is reflected in their new learning center and state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab. As a result, the RN-to-BSN program and accelerated BSN program that they have historically offered is not currently accepting applications. The traditional BSN program continues to be offered at the Bowie, Maryland campus, and distinguishes itself with its mission of increasing the number of qualified people of color in the nursing field.

The graduate program was ranked #156 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Nursing Schools: Master’s list. Housed in the school’s Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Nursing, it provides two pathways to an MSN degree: Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Educator.

ACEN-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• MSN 

8.  Stevenson University – Score 46 

 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 84.40%

Annual Tuition: $36,036

With an MSN-degree program that was ranked #143 in the country by U.S. News & World Report and multiple pathways to a BSN degree, Stevenson University’s nursing program is competitive and has achieved a graduation rate of 58%. Undergraduates in the traditional BSN Nursing major program begin receiving program-specific guidance starting in their first semester as freshmen, and clinical nursing courses are introduced during junior year. The school is based in Stevenson, Maryland, and offers a hybrid Associate to Bachelor’s option that allows students to begin courses toward a bachelor’s degree in nursing while at the same time completing an associate’s degree in nursing.

Both the RN-to-BSN and RN-to-MSN programs are offered fully online, allowing working nurses to access an advanced education and improved career opportunities. RN-to-BSN program graduates who move on to the Stevenson’s MSN program will be charged the undergraduate tuition rate for their first graduate nursing course.

Stevenson’s nationally ranked MSN programs are offered online in 8-week sessions, six times per year. The available concentrations are nursing leadership and management, forensic nursing, education, and population-based care.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• Associate to Bachelor’s
• RN-to-BSN (Online)
• RN-to-MSN (Online)
• MSN (Online) 

9.  University of Maryland Global Campus – Score 44 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 86.62%

Annual In-State Tuition: $9,360

Annual Out-of-State Tuition: $14,970

The University of Maryland Global Campus is a distance-learning institution that offers its online classes to students around the world. It is both the largest of the University of Maryland campuses and the largest public university in the United States.

The school distinguishes itself in many ways, one of which is that they offer $15 million in scholarships to its students. It has just one nursing offering, an RN-to-BSN program that allows working nurses to transfer up to 90 credits from other programs, to take every class online, and to sign up for its rolling admissions and classes at any time. University of Maryland Global Campus RN-to-BSN program also offers an Associate-to-Bachelor’s program to accommodate eligible community college students.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

RN-BSN (Online)

Associate-to-Bachelor’s (Online)

10. Washington Adventist University – Score 38 

NCLEX Pass Rate – 58.49%

Annual Tuition: $23,400

The Edyth T. James Department of Nursing at Washington Adventist University is located in Takoma Park, Maryland, and is one of the state’s oldest nursing programs. It has established clinical partnerships with a notable list of facilities, including MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Children’s National Hospital, Adventist HealthCare, and the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

In addition to the traditional 4-year BSN program, the school facilitates working nurses’ career advancement through hybrid programs leading to an RN-to-BSN degree, an RN-to-MSN degree, a Master of Science in Nurse Education and an MSN Nursing and Business Leadership degree.

CCNE-accredited programs offered:

• BSN
• RN-to-BSN (Hybrid)
• RN-to-MSN (Hybrid)
• MSN (Hybrid)

Honorable Mention – Johns Hopkins University

No list of nursing programs in the state of Maryland would be complete without including Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University. The statistical methodology that Incredible Health uses to calculate the “Top Nursing Schools in Maryland places significant weight on the quality of BSN programs — and this puts Hopkins, which does not offer a BSN program, at a scoring disadvantage. 

Johns Hopkins University has been ranked #1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for both its Master’s in Nursing program and its Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

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How to choose the right nursing program

Maryland is a great state in which to be a healthcare professional, and its nursing schools are top notch. While the most important variable is whether a particular program offers the degree that you want, but the one that’s your best fit will be dictated by your personal priorities. Considerations include location of each school’s campus, whether online classes are available, the school’s reputation, class size and faculty-to-student ratio, and tuition.

Location 

The location of Maryland’s nursing schools is important both for convenience of those who plan to commute to in-person classes and for the medical facilities that each school partners with for clinical practice and internships. Many Maryland nursing programs leverage their proximity to the nation’s capital, while others that are located near underserved communities focus much of their attention on providing much-needed care to their neighbors.

Tuition 

Tuition at Maryland’s top nursing programs range dramatically, with state universities offering the lowest per-credit fees to those who are state residents. All of the programs listed above are eligible for FAFSA support, and there are numerous scholarships and grants available. Check the websites of the school you choose, as well as other scholarship and financial aid resources. 

NCLEX pass rate 

Every nursing student who looks to graduation day as the gateway to their career knows that to get their license, they have to pass the NCLEX-RN exam. Many programs build dedicated test preparation into their curriculum while others assume that students who have met their graduation standards will also do well on the test. Schools who have a greater percentage of their students pass the test than the national average are proud of that accomplishment and make a point of publicizing notable NCLEX pass rates.

Programs offered 

All of the Maryland nursing schools listed above are excellent, but a school’s reputation, NCLEX pass rates and tuition don’t mean anything if it doesn’t offer the nursing degree you need. Save yourself time and effort by starting your search by identifying the schools that offer your needed program. 

Graduation rate  

No matter how prestigious a school may be or how much a student wants a degree, life is unpredictable and many end up dropping out before graduation. The published graduation rate reflects how many students who begin a four-year undergraduate degree program complete it and graduate within six years. It also does not include metrics for students outside of the traditional four-year degree program. Though in some cases the graduation rate statistic may be a reflection on aspects of the school, in most cases students who fail to complete their program do so for personal reasons.

Next steps

Choosing Maryland for your nursing education is a great first step, but you still have a lot of work to do. Applying for nursing school requires focus and organization. You’ll need to collect transcripts and letters of recommendations, and submit all of the required paperwork according to each school’s requirements. It’s a significant effort, but well worth the time.

Whether you’re entering a four-year BSN program or pursuing a degree that will require less time, you’ll be done before you know it. If you have questions about continuing your career in Maryland, our community of nurses is ready to answer any questions you may have including about Maryland’s licensing and CEU requirements. Incredible Health is here to help and support you at every step of the way.

Methodology

In order to determine the best nursing schools in a state, Incredible Health compared the top schools among five categories: graduation rate, tuition, NCLEX pass rate, accreditation, and the number of nursing programs offered.

Each metric was scored on a 100-point scale with 100 representing the highest total for that category. Then we compiled the individual scores to get an overall score.

We used data from: 

• Salisbury University
• University of Maryland Baltimore
• Coppin State University
• Towson University
• Notre Dame of Maryland University
• Frostburg State University
• Bowie State University
• Stevenson University
• University of Maryland Global Campus
• Washington Adventist University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Maryland Board of Nursing
• Federal Student Aid
• U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
• U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings