The Nursing School Almanac recently released it's 2021 rankings of the best associate degree nursing programs in New York State, and SUNY Orange's Middletown daytime and evening Nursing programs, plus its Newburgh Nursing program, all ranked in the top twenty of the "Best Associate's Degrees in Nursing in New York", beating out many other local community colleges.

Nursing Schools Almanac’s mission is to provide aspiring nurses a detailed, comprehensive and analytical resource for selecting their future nursing school. A key part of that effort is an annual ranking of the best nursing schools state by state. As part of this process, Nursing Schools Almanac collects data on more than 3,000 nursing schools and campuses, and then assesses each school on: the breadth and depth of nursing programs offered; student success, particularly on the NCLEX licensure examination; and a calculation of these assessments into an overall score that ranks the programs accordingly. 

For the 2021 rankings of “Best Associate's Degree in Nursing programs,” SUNY Orange's Middletown campus Evening Nursing Program ranked seventh with a first-time NCLEX pass rate of 93.3 percent; the Newburgh campus Nursing Program ranked eighth with a first-time NCLEX pass rate of 93.2 percent; and the Middletown campus Day Program ranked 16th with a first-time NCLEX pass rate of 91.5 percent.

Pat Cal, chair of the Nursing Department, says that the success of SUNY Orange nursing students in their NCLEX licensure examination reflects the quality of education they receive.

“The SUNY Orange Nursing programs have a long and distinguished history as the first Associate-degree Nursing program in the country. Our graduates’ high performance on the NCLEX licensure exam is a point of pride for faculty and students alike. They also enjoy a stellar reputation in the community's healthcare agencies as graduates who are well-prepared for beginning nursing practice based on exceptional clinical skills. This is due in large part to the quality of our outstanding faculty, both in the Nursing department and other areas of the college in courses that support our programs.”

To learn more about the Nursing Programs at SUNY Orange, please visit the Nursing Department website.

The SUNY Orange Nursing programs are part of the Health Sciences and Wellness degree community, which also includes Dental Hygiene, Exercise Studies, Medical Laboratory Technician, Medical Office Management, Occupational Therapist Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Public Health, and Radiologic Technology. If you are interested in applying to the Nursing Program, or to any of the other health professions degrees available at SUNY Orange, visit the Health Professions page or the College’s admissions website. The Admissions Office can also be reached by phone at (845) 341-4030 or email at apply@sunyorange.edu.

Read the Nursing Schools Almanac Best Associate's Degree in Nursing 2021 Rankings here.