The University of Florida's College of Nursing sees record class numbers

Lillian Lawson, Gainesville Sun
Updated ·2 min read
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The University of Florida’s College of Nursing has its largest incoming class ever this year, the school announced this week.

There are 331 new students, increasing the total number of students to around 1,150 students. They are spread across the college’s three levels of degrees to also makes it the largest class in the college’s 70-year history.

University of Florida graduate students in nursing wave as they make their way into the Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony being held at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, in Gainesville Fla. April 29, 2022. Florida Gators great Tim Tebow was the commencement speaker. He talked about not just being successful, but being sure that you were being significant.
University of Florida graduate students in nursing wave as they make their way into the Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony being held at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, in Gainesville Fla. April 29, 2022. Florida Gators great Tim Tebow was the commencement speaker. He talked about not just being successful, but being sure that you were being significant.

Multiple programs in the college have reached record numbers recently. The doctorate program has 10 students coming in the fall, which is 25% higher than usual semesters and is one of the largest since the program’s establishment.

The number of students in the registered nurse (RN) and bachelor's nursing program has grown by nearly 100%, which is the largest number of nurses to ever enroll in this program, therefore increasing the college’s number of undergraduate nursing students, UF announced in a news release.

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Over the summer, the college also had its largest cohort of students in its accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, which included a 40% increase to the college’s Jacksonville class.

In 2022, the college received funding from the Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) program.

Since then, the college has increased the number of clinical and research faculty, expanded the BSN program in Gainesville and Jacksonville and offered a new online fall admission opportunity through the UF Online RN-BSN program, according to the news release.

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In May 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis approved over $125 million for nursing education for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. And in January, the state awarded $79 million for well-performing nursing education programs in Florida. The funding is through two programs: Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) and Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE), designed to alleviate Florida’s nursing shortage.

The UF College of Nursing said its increasing number of students is a direct result of last year's PIPELINE funding.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF College of Nursing reaches record student numbers