Arkansas's Best Nursing Schools for 2020

Northwest Arkansas Community College is located in Bentonville. Their nursing program is ideal for a variety of student types, as some of their classes are available online. In addition, classes are also offered at their other campuses in Springdale or Farmington.

North Arkansas College is located in Harrison, Arkansas.  They offer both an LPN to RN program and an RN program.  Their LPN to RN program is offered yearly, beginning in January.  In addition to meeting the prerequisite requirements that all RN students must meet, the LPN to RN program requires its students to have practiced as an LPN for at least 3 months or 120 hours, and have this verified by their employer.

National Park College is located in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.  They offer multiple nursing programs – an LPN program, an RN program, and an LPN to RN program.  Unique to National Park College is the High School to ASN track.  The high school student applies in their senior year of high school and can elect either a two year or three year option; the three year option is often selected if the student suspects that they will eventually continue for a BSN degree.

University of Arkansas Community College – Batesville is located in Batesville, Arkansas.  They offer a general RN program, an on-campus LPN to RN program and an online LPN to RN program.  Their LPN to RN program runs for 11 months, and begins in the spring.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) s located in Little Rock, Arkansas.  They offer multiple types of RN programs – an RN program, a BSN program, an online RN to BSN program, and an LPN or paramedic to to RN program.  The Department of Nursing is the largest department at UALR – at any given time, there are 600 students, twenty full-time faculty and six staff members.

Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas.  Carr College of Nursing was founded in 1975; their graduates are now working throughout the world.  Carr College of Nursing produces nurses who are not only prepared for entry-level nursing positions, but are also Christian servants.  Their students have the opportunity to join a Health Care Missions Program, with local and international experiences.

University of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing offers a BSN and an RN to BSN program.  It is their belief that professional nursing begins with a Bachelor of Science degree, so their curriculum “offers a research base for nursing practice that promotes the ability of the nurse to effect change needed to improve health.”

University of Arkansas – Fort Smith is located in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  They are proud to boast that their online RN to BSN program has been rated third out of 30 best affordable online programs by Great Value Colleges, which helps students get the best education for their money.

University of Central Arkansas is located in Conway, Arkansas.  Their BSN program was founded in 1967 in response to the closure of a neighboring school’s BSN program.  They currently offer a BSN program, an LPN to BSN program, an RN to BSN programa, and an RN to BSN/MSN program.  In addition, they have an MSN program that is subdivided into Nurse Practitioner (NP), Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL), and Nurse Educator with a Clinical Specialty (NECS).  Their MSN program is ranked 8th in the nation by Top Master’s in Healthcare Administration.