Frontier Nursing University to Discontinue Participation in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) will no longer submit its data and information to U.S. News & World Report for participation in the publication’s annual rankings of universities and colleges. The decision was made in response to concerns about the data that is collected and whether the report reflects FNU’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We are very proud to practice holistic admissions, which gives credit to a wide variety of attributes related to our goals for creating a diverse healthcare workforce. We are also very concerned about 20% of the score coming from peer assessments. Most peers do not have enough information about other universities to complete that assessment accurately. While FNU has frequently received favorable rankings, including being ranked as the thirdbest Online Family Nurse Practitioner Master’s Program in 2022, the university’s leadership determined the selected data that is collected may not assess our goals at FNU as reflected in our mission statement. The specific data collected and peer assessment called into question the relevance of the annual rankings for FNU. U.S. News & World Report operates as a commercial entity rather than a collegiate governing body. FNU joins several other universities in making the choice to no longer participate in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

“We are very appreciative of the efforts that U.S. News & World Report has put into creating these annual rankings,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM. “However, participation in the process comes at a cost of both time and money that we believe is better spent in our full commitment to our mission. Our faculty, staff, and Board of Directors are fully invested in providing accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education to prepare competent, entrepreneurial, ethical, and compassionate leaders in primary care to serve all individuals with an emphasis on women and families in diverse, rural, and underserved populations.”

Founded in 1939 as the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery, Frontier has more than 8,700 alumni and a current enrollment of 2,500 students representing all 50 states. In 2021, FNU students in the Family Nurse Practitioner program had a first-time pass rate of 100% from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as compared to the national pass rate of 87.6%. FNU nursemidwifery students had an overall pass rate of 86% from the American Midwifery Certification Board in 2021, versus the national overall pass rate of 81%.

In 2022, the nurse practitioner program rankings compiled by U.S. News & World https://www.wsj.com/articles/medical-schoolsbail-on-academic-merit-and-intellectual-rigorus-news-rankings-diversity-equity-inclusion-racestudents-11675005330

Report were based on the following categories: Engagement (30%), faculty credentials and training (20%), expert opinion (20%), services and technologies (20%), and student excellence (10%).

Outside of the criteria identified in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, FNU has also prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with annual goals of increasing diversity in student enrollment, as well as in faculty and staff. The diversity of student enrollment has risen from 9 percent in 2010 to a current rate of 27 percent. FNU’s DEI initiatives and focus have led to the university being named a recipient of the prestigious Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity for each of the last five years.