About NurseWay
NurseWay is an independent comparison platform for prospective nursing students. We aggregate NCLEX pass rates, tuition, GPA requirements, and admissions details for 7,000+ ADN, BSN, ABSN, MSN, and DNP programs across all 50 states — and present them in one searchable database, free of charge.
Why we exist
Nursing program data is scattered across hundreds of state board websites, federal datasets, and individual school pages — and rarely formatted for comparison. Most ranking sites are pay-to-play directories that bury the schools that aren't paying for placement. NurseWay exists to give applicants a clean, data-first view of every program in the country, ranked by what actually predicts success: NCLEX pass rates, affordability, accreditation, and program fit.
We do not accept payment in exchange for ranking position. Our methodology is published in full. Every data point links back to its source.
Editorial team
Our editorial team maintains the underlying database, audits new state-level data releases, and reviews every guide before publication.
Researchers and analysts who maintain NurseWay's nursing program database, sourcing data from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 44 state Boards of Nursing.
Where our data comes from
We pull from primary public sources and update at least quarterly. Specific dataset details are listed on the methodology page.
- IPEDS — Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (U.S. Department of Education). Tuition, enrollment, and institutional data.
- College Scorecard — Federal postsecondary outcomes data.
- State Boards of Nursing — NCLEX first-attempt pass rates published by each state board (44 states publish program-level data).
- CCNE / ACEN — Accreditation status from the two recognized nursing-program accreditors.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Registered nurse wage and employment data by state.
How we make money
NurseWay is free for students. We may earn a referral fee when a user requests information from a partner school through one of our forms — these are clearly labeled. Referral fees never affect ranking, search results, or the data shown on a program's page. If we ever accept paid placements, we will label them as “Sponsored” in line with FTC disclosure rules.
Found a data error?
We work hard to keep data accurate, but program details change every cycle. If you spot something wrong, please reach out with the program name and the source you're comparing against.