New data released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) show increases in student enrollment from 2023 to 2024 across both undergraduate and graduate-level nursing programs at 964 U.S. schools. The data indicate a reversal of some downward trends observed in recent years across various nursing degree programs.
Highlights from the report include:
- The percentage of students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree has increased for the second year in a row, this year by 4.9%.
- The number of students in RN to BSN degree-completion programs increased, following five consecutive years of decline. This is an important pathway for nurses looking to advance their education and is highly sought after as the workforce faces a shortage of skilled nurses.
- At the graduate level, the number of students enrolled in a Master’s-level nursing program has seen its first increase since 2021 by 6,308 (4.8%). Master’s-level nursing programs prepare individuals for a variety of roles in administration, teaching, research, informatics, instruction, and direct patient care.
- PhD nursing program enrollment declining for the eleventh consecutive year. These degree holders are often those filling critical educator and leadership roles, making this drop concerning among academic leaders who aim to lower faculty vacancy rates and increase the capacity of nursing schools.
- The total number of applications to baccalaureate and higher degree programs reached 728,819, an increase of 46,272 applications since 2023. However, 80,162 qualified applications were rejected at schools of nursing nationwide. The primary barriers to accepting all qualified students continue to be insufficient clinical placement sites, faculty, preceptors, and classroom space, as well as budget cuts.
To bolster the capacity of nursing programs to accept more qualified students and fill gaps in the workforce, the Healthcare Workforce Coalition calls on Congress to pass the Train More Nurses Act (S. 547). This legislation would find ways to increase faculty at nursing programs, particularly those in underserved areas, enable nurses with more than 10 years of clinical experience to become faculty, and strengthen pathways for LPNs to become RNs.
To read more about the AACN report, CLICK HERE.
To learn more about the Train More Nurses Act, CLICK HERE.