Straight, data-backed answers for future nurses
Hakia Nursing is an independent research resource for people navigating nursing education and careers. No admissions-office agenda, no recruiter spin, just federal data, honest context, and rankings you can actually check.
Why Hakia Nursing exists
If you have ever tried to research nursing programs online, you know the landscape: generic listicles ranking schools nobody has heard of, "guides" that are really just lead-generation forms, and salary numbers copy-pasted from the same BLS page with zero context. That is a frustrating way to make a decision that costs tens of thousands of dollars and shapes the next decade of your working life.
We built the resource we wished existed: one that treats readers like adults, cites its sources, and does not bury the honest trade-offs behind a "request info" button. Every ranking, career guide, and salary breakdown here is built from publicly verifiable federal data, and we link straight to it so you can verify every number yourself.
We are the Nursing division of Hakia, the semantic search engine for degree programs that helps people find the perfect program by meaning, not just keywords.
What we cover
Program Rankings
Data-driven rankings of accredited nursing programs, from BSN and ADN to NP, CRNA, MSN, and DNP, scored on graduation rate, cost, and outcomes, not ad spend.
Career Guides
Honest, step-by-step roadmaps for every nursing role: what the job is really like, what it pays, and the exact path to get there.
Salary Data
Detailed pay breakdowns by role, state, experience, and setting, sourced straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
Guides & Analysis
Plain-English answers on the decisions that actually matter: ADN vs BSN, is a DNP worth it, how to become a CRNA, and more.
How we research and rank
Every page goes through the same process. We are a small team, so we move methodically and show our work. The full scoring formula lives on our methodology page.
Primary-source data
Every ranking is built from federal data: IPEDS institutional records (graduation rate, admissions, tuition) and BLS wage statistics. If we cannot source a claim, we do not publish it. We link to the data so you can check our work.
Accreditation verification
Every program we rank holds current CCNE or ACEN accreditation, verified against the accreditor’s own directory. Accreditation is what determines whether you can sit for the NCLEX, so we treat it as non-negotiable.
Writing with context
We write for real people making real decisions. That means the honest salary ranges (not just the ceiling), the debt loads, the time commitments, and the trade-offs. If a path has downsides, we say so.
Regular updates
Pages are refreshed as new data lands, when BLS publishes new wages, when accreditation changes, or when a program stops accepting applicants. Every page shows its last-updated date.
Who’s behind it
Taylor Rupe
B.S., Oregon State University · B.A., University of Washington - Seattle
Taylor researches and writes the content on this site and built the platform behind it, from the ranking methodology to the front-end code. The combination of a research background and the technical ability to work with large federal datasets is what makes a site like this possible: the rankings are generated from IPEDS and BLS data programmatically, then reviewed and written up by hand.
To be clear about what this is and isn’t: Hakia Nursing is an educational research resource, not a nursing school, a licensing board, or a source of medical or admissions advice. Our authority comes from transparent, cited, publicly verifiable data, not from clinical credentials. Always confirm program details, accreditation, and requirements with the school and your state board of nursing before you enroll.
Editorial independence
Hakia Nursing is advertising-supported, and some featured programs are from partners who compensate us. Here is exactly what that does and does not change:
- Rankings are editorial. Compensation never influences our rankings, scoring, or the order programs appear. Ranks come from our composite Hakia Score, full stop.
- We only feature accredited programs. Every school is verified against its accreditor’s directory (CCNE or ACEN) before it appears anywhere on the site.
- Affiliate links are contextual. When we link to a program, we may earn a commission if you enroll. It never changes the price you pay, and it helps keep the site free and ad-light.
- Career and salary content is non-commercial. Our guides and salary data are written purely for information, with no affiliate relationships.
The full details are on our advertising disclosure page.
Questions, corrections, or feedback?
We read everything that comes in. Reach us at help@hakia.com, or head to our contact page. Ready to explore? Start with the program rankings or find your path.