Early 2020 graduation gives students a head start to pursue licensure.

Save the Date for our May 20th Graduation Celebration Event and December 1st Convocation ceremony to recognize all graduates – Learn More

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Rutgers School of Nursing announced Monday that it will graduate roughly 350 senior nursing students early, on May 1, 2020, joining a national trend of academic institutions seeking to support the fight against COVID-19 by expediting graduations of students entering the health professions. 

“In this unprecedented moment, we encourage our graduates to move forward in their careers in ways that are most appropriate for them,” said Interim Dean Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN. “We are extraordinarily proud, and confident that our graduates are talented, highly skilled, and well prepared to enter the workforce as competent and compassionate nurses.”  

The school will formally recognize graduates during a convocation ceremony in December. 

With the majority of the school’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing students completing degree requirements by the end of April, the school will recognize May 1 as the official degree conferral date, allowing willing graduates to get a head start on sitting for the nursing licensure exam and join the workforce as soon as possible. In 2019, the pass rate for Rutgers School of Nursing’s first-time test takers of the national nursing licensure exam was 95.4 percent—above the national average pass rate of 91.2 percent.  

“We are extraordinarily proud, and confident that our graduates are talented, highly skilled, and well prepared to enter the workforce as competent and compassionate nurses.”  

Dr. Linda Flynn
Interim Dean

Because of differing clinical requirements for graduate students––including those on course to become nurse practitioners––students enrolled in the Master of Science in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice programs will graduate at the regularly scheduled time at the end of May. All Rutgers School of Nursing graduate students are licensed registered nurses, and many are already an active part of the health care workforce. 

About Rutgers School of Nursing 

As one of the nation’s largest, most comprehensive nursing schools, Rutgers School of Nursing (SON) is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, evidence-based health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. SON is ranked 14th in the nation for its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, and 17th in the nation for its Master of Science in Nursing program by U.S. News and World Report, and offers programs across all levels of nursing practice — bachelor’s, advanced practice, doctoral, and certificate and professional development programs. SON is one of eight schools comprising Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) — New Jersey’s largest and most influential constellation of academic institutions devoted to nursing, medicine, dentistry, advanced health-related sciences, pharmacy, public health, and the full spectrum of allied health careers.