The School of Nursing was recognized as the No. 1 nursing school globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
The ranking marks Penn’s return to its long-held top spot among nursing schools. In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Nursing School Dean Antonia Villarruel said the ranking is “reflective of the consistent excellence of nursing at Penn.”
“It’s an affirmation of who we are and what we bring to the University and to the profession, both locally and globally,” Villarruel added.
Villarruel explained that QS global rankings have a “large impact internationally” and shape “how countries outside of the U.S. look at Penn and at Penn Nursing.”
Nursing School Director of Simulation Ann Marie Hoyt-Brennan described the recognition as an “outward validation” of the school’s work.
She told the DP that Penn has the only nursing school in the United States where students in clinical courses train in a hands-on simulation center every week to augment material taught in the classroom.
In reference to the simulations, Hoyt-Brennan explained that “nothing is prepurchased or bought, like most other schools.” Instead, the material is “all customized and written by full-time faculty.”
“We also are the only nursing school in the country that offers five summative base simulation assessments with a one faculty to two student ratio,” Hoyt-Brennan said. “We work so hard to be the best and to deliver the best and to ensure that our students have the best educational opportunities and exposure, and provide the highest, most innovative curriculum.”
RELATED:
‘Holes’ in federal AI healthcare regulation should be patched, Penn Med faculty say
Penn spinout awarded $22 million to develop anti-aging drug, advance cancer treatment
Villarruel told the DP that achieving the top ranking will not change the school’s direction moving forward.
“You can’t rest on being number one,” she said. “It’s the continued drive and expertise and excellence and impact that our faculty and students are known for.”
Villarruel added that the Nursing School remains focused on adapting to broader changes in the “changing landscape” of the healthcare and education industries.
“We’re consistently looking at how we continue to make an impact in our research and education and teaching,” she said. “We are [the] number one School of Nursing because we are situated in a university that values the profession, that values the research, that values our perspective.”
QS world rankings evaluated over 1,900 institutions across 55 subject areas. The recognition comes after the Nursing School earned the highest amount of National Institutes of Health funding among nursing schools nationwide this past fiscal year. It received $17.9 million in NIH awards in 2025, reclaiming the top spot for the first time since fiscal year 2019.
