BSN program climbs to No. 6 nationally
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UIC’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program surged in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, released today. Climbing seven places to No. 6 in the nation, the program also retained its spot as No. 1 in Illinois.
“It’s always terrific to be recognized for our efforts to prepare undergraduate students to be deeply knowledgeable, highly skilled practitioners,” says Dean Eileen Collins, PhD, RN, FAAN, ATSF. “But we never rest on rankings. Our faculty and staff work every day to ensure we’re meeting or exceeding the highest standards in nursing education. That includes rigorous coursework, state-of-the art simulation programs, robust clinical placements, and a commitment to support each unique student along the way.”
UIC’s BSN program is tied with the University of Michigan’s.
UIC Nursing has three BSN degree-granting campuses across the state of Illinois, in Chicago, Springfield and Urbana. This year, for the first time in decades, the college has admitted students to the BSN program at the freshman level.
In the overall “Best Colleges” rankings, UIC placed 42nd among public national universities, and ranked much higher than that in promoting student social mobility and expanding access to higher education. UIC climbed to a tie for 9th nationally among top-performing public universities in social mobility. It is the top-ranked Illinois university in the group. This category measures the top-performing schools that enrolled and graduated students who received federal Pell grants, given to students whose total family incomes are less than $50,000 annually.
“It is deeply gratifying to see UIC nationally recognized for our strong commitment to social mobility while delivering world-class academic programs,” said Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda. “Our goal is to equip students with degrees that ultimately allow them to compete globally and lead meaningful lives.”
Like U.S. News, Washington Monthly’s 2025 College Rankings, released in August, placed UIC in multiple top spots, recognizing the university’s affordability, accessibility, student success and research excellence. The noteworthy rankings for UIC included being named as one of 25 “best-in-class” colleges, No. 1 best bang for the buck in the Midwest and No. 40 of the best colleges for your tuition and tax dollars.