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ScrubScope
Methodology

How ScrubScope rates nursing programs

The criteria, the data sources, and why a school cannot buy a better ranking.

Last reviewed May 16, 2026How we rank

Reviewed May 16, 2026 by the ScrubScope editorial team.

Editorial independence

ScrubScope's rankings are determined by fit for the reader's goals, using the criteria and sources below. Referral relationships do not influence how we rank schools or programs. A school cannot pay for a better placement or a recommendation. See our affiliate disclosure for compensation details.

What we evaluate

We assess every program on five dimensions. Accreditation is a hard gate; the rest are weighed together against fit for a working RN. We do not publish a numeric composite score, and we never present a program as a perfect choice.

Accreditation

Hard gate

CCNE or ACEN status, sourced from the school and the accrediting body. A program without it is excluded from a ranking entirely — this is pass/fail, not a score.

Cost and time

Core factor

Typical total tuition range and time-to-completion for the pathway, shown as published ranges. We never present a single sticker figure as the price you will pay.

Format fit

Core factor

Synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid delivery weighed against the realities of a working RN — shift work, residency requirements, and start cadence.

Admission prerequisites

Core factor

Stated requirements — degree, license, GPA, experience — reported administratively, never as advice on whether you should apply.

Outcomes context

Sourced only

NCLEX pass rates and salary figures, shown only when sourced from a state board, government data, or a school catalog. Unsourced outcomes are omitted, never fabricated.

Data sources

Every NCLEX, salary, and accreditation claim is backed by a primary source: state boards of nursing, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the accrediting bodies (CCNE/ACEN), or the school's own catalog. Figures without a confident source are omitted, never fabricated, and ratings are never shown as a perfect score.

Pass-rate figures come from the state board of nursing that reports the program, recorded with the reporting year and a link back to the board document so you can check them yourself. Salary figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited to a fixed data vintage rather than a rolling current-year page. Where a school operates online across several states and no single board reports its cohort, we say so plainly instead of estimating a number we cannot source.

How we research and write

ScrubScope is researched and edited by a team rather than a single named author, so the pages carry an organization byline. Long-form pages get a second editorial pass against the primary sources before they publish. We do not invent a personal reviewer or a credential we cannot stand behind; when a named editor or credentialed reviewer is in place, the byline will say so.

We verify accreditation directly against the accreditor, not the school's marketing copy. A program's CCNE or ACEN status is checked against the published lists from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Accreditation is a hard gate: a program we cannot confirm as accredited does not appear in a ranking at all. Tuition and admission details are read from the school's official catalog and shown as ranges, because the figure you actually pay depends on residency, transfer credit, and the pathway you enter.

How often we update

Pages carry a last-reviewed date, and we re-check sourced figures on a review cycle and whenever a board or agency publishes new data. NCLEX pass rates are re-pulled when state boards publish a new reporting year; salary figures are re-pulled when the Bureau of Labor Statistics issues a new vintage. When source data changes, that is a deliberate, dated update, not a silent edit. Because program cost, accreditation, and admission terms change between cycles, treat what you read here as general, informational research, and confirm current details directly with the school and your state board of nursing before you decide.

What we do not evaluate

ScrubScope covers the administrative decision only. We do not:

  • Provide clinical, medical, or scope-of-practice interpretation.
  • Make admissions decisions or give licensed academic advice.
  • Guarantee cost, aid, or admission outcomes; verify directly with the school.

What we will never do

  • Move a school up our ranking because it entered a referral relationship with us.
  • Present a program as a flawless or perfect choice.
  • Display a school logo or asset we do not have the rights to.
  • Use unsourced NCLEX, tuition, or salary figures.

See our affiliate and editorial disclosure for the full disclaimer.