Nursing Continues to Impress

Shenandoah University’s Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing had high pass rates on licensure and certification exams across all of its undergraduate and graduate programs during the 2025 calendar year. 

Bachelor of Science in Nursing program graduates posted a 95.83% first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination. Nursing graduates must pass the NCLEX-RN to practice as a registered nurse. Shenandoah offers three undergraduate nursing pathways: a traditional four-year BSN, a transfer-track BSN, and an Accelerated BSN.

All master’s and post-graduate certificate Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), and Nurse-Midwifery graduates had 100% board certification exam pass rates during the 2025 calendar year. These certifications are bestowed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (FNP & PMHNP), American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (FNP & PMHNP), and the American Midwifery Certification Board. 

Shenandoah’s Nurse-Midwifery program is Virginia’s top program in the field, according to U.S. News & World Report.

A Culture of Success

“At the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing, our success is not just measured by our high licensure pass rates and certification rates; it is seen in the resilience and compassion of our graduates. We empower our nurses to lead with clinical excellence and a deep-seated commitment to the communities they serve,” said Dean of the School of Nursing Lisa Levinson, Ph.D. 

The graduates’ success is an outgrowth of the nursing school’s standard of “‘nursing perfection,’ characterized by rigorous academic preparation and a deep commitment to clinical excellence. 

The school’s strengths include direct admittance for first-year students; state-of-the-art simulation and campus learning labs; two campus locations; abundant, high-quality clinical experiences; small class sizes; expert faculty teaching and mentorship; online learning for graduate students; and a culture that prizes interprofessional learning throughout the health professions. Shenandoah is also home to highly respected programs in its School of Health Professions and the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, as well as Shenandoah Conservatory’s music therapy program.