How We Ranked the Best Healthcare Programs?

Well, to begin with, there is no such definition of a good school. Each school has pros and cons, and this makes compiling a ranking list quite cumbersome. Nevertheless, our approach towards ranking healthcare programs is a simple one; we get our data from unbiased sources and then assess schools based on various factors, which we believe are crucial to a successful educational experience. Furthermore, to add an external perspective to our rankings, we also consider rankings, ratings, and reviews from other major publications.

What Factors Were Considered for our Rankings?

Our ranking factors look-into every dimension of a program. Mainly, we have captured three broad areas, such as academic quality, the overall reputation of the school offering the program, and affordability. These factors will be crucial in helping you achieve your specific career goals. The table below lists all the factors that form the base of our ranking methodology.

Why Were the Above Factors Considered for Our Rankings?

Below, we have explained why each factor was considered for our rankings.

1. Academic Quality (50%)

To measure a program’s academic quality, we have taken-into-account the school’s acceptance rate, enrollment rate, graduation rate, full-time retention rate, and student to faculty ratio. Academic quality is one of the important factors to measure a programs' success. The very reason a student enrolls in a school is to achieve a successful academic outcome, and seemingly so, this area constitutes 50% of our total ranking score.

Acceptance Rate: Acceptance rate is the number of students a school accepts in proportion to the applications it receives. A school stringent about maintaining quality standards looks out for high performing candidates, is selective in its admission policy, and has a low acceptance rate.

Enrollment Rate: Enrollment rate is the percentage of students choosing to enroll in the school after their application has been accepted. Higher enrollment points towards the school being a preferred choice among students for the positive learning experience it offers.

Graduation Rate: Graduation rate of a college tells you the percentage of students that graduate from a program within the stipulated time frame. A higher graduation rate is promising as it means that the college provides a conducive learning environment, helping students in reaching their academic goals.

Full-time Retention Rate: A college with a higher retention rate means fewer dropouts and higher number of full-time students being happy with their learning experience and continuing with the college to complete the program.

The Student to Faculty Ratio: Student to faculty ratio means the number of students to the faculty of the program. A lower student to faculty ratio is beneficial as students can make the most of the individualized training and are likely to achieve a positive academic outcome.

2. Editorial Team Ratings (30%)

Our Editorial Team Rating accounts for 30% of our total score and is based on factors such as faculty credentials, and a school’s overall reputation. These factors give us a broad idea about the student’s learning experience and the popularity of the school.

Faculty Credentials: The faculty plays a crucial role in transforming you from a student to a professional. We have considered factors such as the faculty’s academic background, professional organization memberships, and recognition & awards.

The School’s Overall Reputation: To get an idea of a school’s overall reputation, we have assessed college rankings & ratings and student reviews from respected online publications such as US News, Niche, Grad Reports, and Rate My Professors. By incorporating this outside viewpoint into our methodology, we were able to make the ranking more meaningful and complete.

3.Affordability (20%)

Affordability is an important factor while considering a school and constitutes 20% of our ranking score. Affordable education can help you graduate with lesser debt, and to decipher this factor, we have considered a college’s net price and percentage of students receiving any kind of financial aid.

Net Price: The net price is the cost you are going to incur to complete the program. A school with a high net price can put a great deal of financial burden on you, so it makes sense to consider the cost while selecting a school.

Percentage of Students Receiving Financial Aid (Grants, Loans & Scholarships): Financial aid helps you pay for college. A high percentage of students receiving financial aid means the college’s financial aid office has been instrumental in matching eligible students to suitable grants, loans, or scholarships. This means you stand a better chance of receiving financial aid.

Disclaimer

At nursingprocess.org, we understand that our rankings can influence a student's decision in making a choice for the right school. We do not promote the schools that have made it to our list; neither do we disregard schools that haven't made it to our list. Although we have tried our best in bringing you a list of the best schools that can simplify your search, there is no one perfect ranking tool or formula to devise a list of the best schools. Our rankings are fair and unbiased, and we are in no way associated with any educational institution and thus have nothing to gain out of the ranking order. To maintain transparency, we have clearly mentioned the factors considered for our rankings for everyone to see, the data for which was collected from reliable sources.

How to Interpret Our Rankings

Students: As a student, you are advised to take the rankings as a starting point in your search and make a final decision about your education only after extensive research.

Schools: We understand that the higher education domain is a complex one, and the reputation of a school cannot be reduced to a ranking. We believe that the academic outcome of any program depends on a student's talent and hard work as much as it depends on the college, and rankings of any nature must not be construed as a barometer of a college or program's success. Also, at times unranked schools may have not made it to our list simply because we could not source accurate data to derive a conclusive ranking score.

Any Further Questions

If you have questions, comments, or corrections about our Rankings or need further clarification regarding our ranking methodology, please feel free to get in touch with our editorial staff through the Contact Form.