NLN Honors the 2026 Centers of Excellence (COE) in Nursing Education

NLN Honors the 2026 Centers of Excellence (COE) in Nursing Education

Award Ceremony Set for Honors Convocation at the NLN Education Summit in Washington, DC

Washington, DC — The National League of Nursing proudly announces the selection of 20 nursing schools and programs as 2026 NLN Centers of Excellence™ located throughout the United States and representing the spectrum of higher education in nursing, from certificate-granting programs through advanced-degree academic institutions. Formal recognition will take place at the Honors Convocation during the 2026 NLN Education Summit in Washington, DC, on Friday, September 25.

“Congratulations to these well-deserving 2026 NLN Centers of Excellence. They truly represent the outstanding efforts of academic nursing leadership, faculty and students who collaborate to create programs that inspire and support the development of an outstanding nursing workforce,” said NLN Chair Yolanda VanRiel, PhD, RN, MEDSURG-BC, OCN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, chair of the Department of Nursing, North Carolina Central University and patient placement coordinator at First Health of the Carolinas-Moore Regional Hospital.

“Earning the NLN Center of Excellence designation reflects the hard work and commitment by these nursing schools and programs to sustain innovation and excellence in every aspect of the academic experience, from classroom to clinic to campus life. We applaud the 2026 NLN Centers of Excellence and thank them for demonstrating values and actions that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary in nursing education,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN.

2026 NLN Centers of Excellence

Advances the Science of Nursing Education

• Duke University School of Nursing
• Kent State University College of Nursing
  

Impact Climate Change and Planetary Health

• Duke University School of Nursing
  

Enhances Student Learning and Professional Development 

• Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing
• California State University-Fullerton
• Coastal Alabama Community College
• Community College of Philadelphia
• Rush University
• Rutgers University School of Nursing-Camden
• South Dakota State University College of Nursing
• University of Nevada - Las Vegas School of Nursing
• University of North Carolina-Greensboro School of Nursing
• University of Texas at San Antonio
  

Promotes the Academic Progression of Nurses

• Cleveland Clinic
  

Promotes the Pedagogical Expertise of Faculty

• Arizona College of Nursing
• Fairfield University Egan College of Nursing and Health Studies
• Indiana University School of Nursing (Bloomington, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis)
• Quinnipiac University School of Nursing
• Southern Connecticut State University School of Nursing
• University of South Carolina College of Nursing
  

Information about the COE program and application process can be found at NLN.org. For more information about the 2026 NLN Education Summit, visit Summit.NLN.org.