LHSON Listed in U.S. News & World Report - 2024 Best College Rankings

September 19, 2023

The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) is pleased to share the news of its placement in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) rankings as well as other Baylor ranking highlights. LHSON’s undergraduate nursing program moved up eight places to No. 31 in the U.S. News & World Report - 2024 Best Colleges Nationally.

Other notable BU ranking highlights include: Baylor maintained its status as a Top 50 private university (No. 47) and as a Top 100 university (No. 93) in the country. Plus, for the 12^th consecutive year, Baylor is the No. 2 ranked university in the Big 12 and among the top five in Texas.

“We are honored to be listed among distinguished nursing programs ranked by U.S. News & World Report,” said Dean Linda Plank, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing. Exemplifying our motto, Learn.Lead.Serve.® it is the steadfast mission of the LHSON to educate and prepare both baccalaureate and graduate-level nurses within a Christian community for professional practice, healthcare leadership, and worldwide service.“

The University’s undergraduate experiences for first-year students and its learning communities both moved up into the Top 10 U.S. News academic programs that connect to student success, while undergraduate research and teaching commitment are in the Top 25 nationally.

Baylor also scored well in the U.S. News “Programs to Look For” category, which highlights well-regarded academic programs that, research shows, are linked to student success and positive learning outcomes while fostering a rewarding undergraduate student experience. College presidents, provosts and admissions deans were asked to nominate up to 15 standout schools in each category.

The most significant move for the University came in First-Year Experiences and Learning Communities, which saw Baylor jump into the Top 10 nationally in these categories:

No. 5 for First-Year Experience for building into the curriculum first-year seminars or other academic programs that bring small groups of students together with faculty or staff on a regular basis. Baylor was ranked No. 10 last year.
No. 10 for Learning Communities for providing students the opportunity to live with peers in a residential living-learning center who share a common academic interest or hobby. Baylor was ranked No. 16 last year.

In addition, Baylor has two Top 25 rankings for its undergraduate research and teaching commitment, as well as program rankings for innovation and support for veterans:

No. 21 for Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects for providing opportunities for intensive and self-directed research or creative work, typically mentored by a faculty member, that results in an original scholarly paper or other product that can be formally presented on or off campus.
No. 22 for Best Undergraduate Teaching for strong commitment by faculty and administrators to teaching undergraduate students in a high-quality manner.
No. 38 for Most Innovative Schools for making the most innovative improvements toward curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities.
No. 61 for Best Colleges for Veterans for participation in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members access an affordable college education.

Institutionally, Baylor’s position in Texas and within the current group of Big 12 Conference members remains strong. For the 12^th consecutive year, Baylor is the No. 2 ranked university in the Big 12 and among the top five in Texas, behind only Rice (No. 17), the University of Texas at Austin (No. 32), Texas A&M (No. 47) and SMU (No. 89), and in the Big 12 ahead of TCU (No. 98), BYU and Iowa State (No. 115), University of Central Florida and University of Oklahoma (No. 124), University of Houston (No. 133), University of Cincinnati (No. 142), Kansas (No. 151), Kansas State (No. 170), Oklahoma State (No. 185), Texas Tech and West Virginia (No. 216).