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 small city of Nashua, Rivier is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 1.5% of Rivier students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 733 of Rivier students are exclusively distance learners. About 1,262 of the students at Rivier are attending part time.
University of Saint Joseph landed the #2 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large suburb of West Hartford, USJ is a private not-for-profit college 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.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.7%. Approximately 442 students take at least one class online at USJ. About 607 of the students at USJ are attending part time.
Simmons University landed the #3 spot in our 2021 best nursing schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Boston, Simmons is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-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 school has a low student loan default rate of 0.2%. 2,739 students at Simmons are exclusively online. There are roughly 2,902 part time students in attendance at Simmons.
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. Approximately 395 students take at least one class online at Elms College. 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 school with a medium-sized student population. Quinnipiac also took the #4 spot in our Best Colleges for Nursing in the New England Region rankings.
About 1.2% of Quinnipiac students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 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 school 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.
The student loan default rate at Sacred Heart is lower than is typical, just 0.9% of students default in three years. There are approximately 2,774 students at Sacred Heart that take at least one class online. About 2,334 of the students at Sacred Heart are attending part time.
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.
About 2.4% of Curry students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 237 students at Curry are exclusively online. 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.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. 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 very large public school located in the large 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 school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. 4,105 students at UMass Amherst are exclusively online. 6,786 students are part time.
Southern New Hampshire University earned the #10 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.0%. 138,672 students at SNHU are exclusively online. 102,147 students are 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.
