ATLANTA—Georgia State’s School of Nursing (SON) rose 59 spots to No. 74 in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings of undergraduate nursing programs.
The SON program was the second ranked undergraduate program in Georgia, behind Emory University, and nationally, only three other programs among the top 100 jumped more spots from their previous rank.
The SON is buoyed by new leadership, a rise in licensure exam pass rates and a partnership with Grady Healthcare. Kyungeh An, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA, started her tenure as associate dean of the SON in October after serving as the PhD program director at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing. The school also saw a rise in its nursing licensure exam pass rates, to 98.5 percent for spring 2024 graduates up from 83 percent in 2023. The school’s undergraduate program also has had a partnership with Grady Healthcare for the past three years to provide promising Bachelor of Science in Nursing students with scholarships in exchange for working at Grady after graduation. Grady also has opened more clinical rotation spots to GSU nursing students, which, in turn, has allowed GSU to admit larger BSN classes.
“I’m so pleased that others in the academic community are seeing the GSU School of Nursing’s commitment to academic excellence,” An said. “Everyone in the school is dedicated to graduating nurses who will practice at no less than the highest level and go on to become nursing leaders. And that starts with a strong undergraduate program.”
The Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions is the home college of the SON. U.S. News rankings for graduate programs were released in April 2024, and the Lewis College saw a significant jump in two of its other programs.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program moved up from No. 71 in 2020 to No. 58 this year. The program is the No. 1 public program in Georgia and No. 2 overall out of eight programs in the state.
Over the past five years, graduates of the DPT Program have achieved 100 percent ultimate pass rate overall, and 98.6 percent of graduates passed their board exams on the first attempt.
The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Program moved up from No. 108 in 2020 to No. 65 this year. It is the No. 1 program in Georgia, out of four programs in the state. The OTD replaces the previous Master of Occupational Therapy degree as the entry level degree required for the profession evolved. In the past five years, 99.6 percent of GSU Master of Occupational Therapy graduates passed the national board examination.
“The Lewis College has been one of the fastest growing colleges at GSU in the past few years,” said Huanbiao Mo, dean of the college, “and these rankings demonstrate that our quality programs attract students into healthcare as we strive to meet the staffing needs in the marketplace.”