Survey: Nursing school enrollment grows but PhD programs continue decline

Editor's Note

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)’s AACN’s 2024-2025 Enrollment and Graduations survey shows undergraduate and graduate nursing programs saw enrollment gains in 2024, with a 4.9% increase in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program enrollment, along with a 1.6% gain in RN-to-BSN programs following five consecutive years of decline. However, interest in PhD pathways continues to wane.

As detailed in a June 17 announcement, the survey was conducted in fall 2024 with responses from 964 nursing schools, representing an 89.4% response rate. Total enrollment in entry-level BSN programs reached 267,889 students, while RN-to-BSN programs enrolled 90,369 students. However, RN-to-BSN enrollment remains well below the 2018 high of 139,587.

Graduate nursing programs also experienced growth. Master’s-level programs reported a 4.8% increase in enrollment, or 6,308 additional students—the first increase since 2021, the Association reports. In total, 136,656 students were enrolled across 655 master’s programs. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs saw a 2.0% increase, or 936 additional students, bringing total enrollment to 42,767 in 2024. This marked the 21st consecutive year of growth in DNP programs.

In contrast, enrollment in research-focused PhD nursing programs declined by 0.5% (21 students) from the previous year. This marks the eleventh consecutive year of decline, with overall enrollment dropping 17.9% since 2013—from 5,145 to 4,223 students.

AACN also tracked application trends, noting that total applications to baccalaureate and graduate programs reached 728,819 in 2024—an increase of 46,272 over the prior year. Application growth was recorded in entry-level BSN (up 8.5%), master’s (up 4.5%), PhD (up 7.2%), and DNP (up 18.5%) programs. RN-to-BSN programs were the only category to see a decline, falling by 0.7%.

Despite growing interest, 80,162 qualified applications were not accepted in 2024 due to limited capacity. This included 65,398 applications to entry-level BSN programs, 7,603 to master’s programs, 5,366 to DNP programs, 1,530 to RN-to-BSN programs, and 265 to PhD programs. The primary barriers to admitting qualified applicants include insufficient clinical placements, faculty shortages, lack of preceptors and classroom space, and budget cuts.  

The full announcement offers additional detail, including analysis behind the numbers, solutions advocated for by the Association, and information on how the survey data can be employed for benchmarking.