Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Connecticut, Ranked (2026)
Pay is the first thing worth knowing about PhD in nursing programs in Connecticut. Postsecondary nursing instructors here have a median wage of $95,500, about $15,250 above the national faculty median of $80,250. That's unusual. In most states a nursing PhD moves you into a job that pays less than the staff RN work you left, and Connecticut still has that gap, but it's $7,240 rather than the far wider drop that's normal. Two schools do the training, Yale in New Haven and the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and both keep you on campus.
Last updated
Programs ranked
2
Universities
2
Nursing faculty median
$95,500
Faculty jobs in CT
1,380
How We Ranked the Best PhD in Nursing Programs in Connecticut
Campus and online programs are scored on separate models, because they compete on different
things, and this page lists both together with each one's score from its own model. Research
funding comes from NIH RePORTER, doctoral scale from federal IPEDS completions, and the
curriculum, funding and deadline figures from each school's own pages.
The full scoring model is here.
Connecticut's 2 Nursing PhD Programs, Compared
PhD in nursing programs in Connecticut, ranked 2026
Full funding for four years, tuition, healthcare and a monthly stipend, at a school whose published tuition alone is $67,250 a year. Yale is the only Connecticut nursing PhD that pays you rather than bills you.
Where it wins. All $10.7 million of Connecticut's NINR funding runs through this school, across 21 awards, and it produced 17 of the state's 21 nursing doctorates. The GRE isn't just optional here, it isn't accepted.
What you give up. You need a master's and you need to be full-time, in New Haven, for four years. Part-time isn't offered, so if you're a working nurse in Connecticut without an MSN, this program isn't open to you at all.
Funding. All students are fully funded, including tuition, healthcare, and a monthly stipend for 4 years; students are also mentored toward external dissertation funding such as NIH F31 awards.
Research. chronic conditions and family management, symptom science, maternal and child health, sleep disorders, health equity, palliative care.
If you hold a BSN and no master's, this is the only nursing PhD in Connecticut you can apply to, because Yale takes master's-prepared applicants only. It's also the only one you can do part-time.
Where it wins. The Jorgensen and Harriott fellowships each pay $20,000 a year for five years with no service attached, a longer run than Yale's four funded years, and the Nurse Faculty Loan Program writes off up to 85% over four years of faculty work.
What you give up. Miss the fellowship and you're paying $1,084 a credit for 72 credits, which is $78,048, against zero at Yale. No NINR funding runs through the school, so grant-backed research posts are scarcer here.
Funding. Doctoral applicants may compete for the Jorgensen Fellowship and the Harriott Fellowship, each "a service-free fellowship providing a $20,000 annual stipend for five years"; the Nurse Faculty Loan Program offers up to 85% loan cancellation over four years of full-time faculty service.
Research. health equity, symptoms, including pain and sleep disturbance, maternal child health, support for diverse individuals, families, and communities with acute and chronic conditions.
Every published detail for University of Connecticut
What Nursing Faculty and Nurse Researchers Earn in Connecticut
Connecticut's nursing faculty median of $95,500 sits above the national faculty median of $80,250, and the state's RN median of $102,740 sits above the national RN median of $97,550. Both jobs pay well here. What the median hides is the spread. Faculty pay runs from $60,790 at the 10th percentile to $130,380 at the 90th, a range of nearly $70,000 inside one job title, and where you land in it has more to do with rank and institution than with the degree itself. About 1,380 people hold nursing faculty posts in Connecticut, against 40,110 working RNs.
What Does It Mean That Both Connecticut Nursing PhD Programs Are on Campus?
Yale's PhD Program in Nursing sits in New Haven and the University of Connecticut's sits in Storrs, and both are taught on campus. There's no online version and no hybrid one, so the practical question in Connecticut is whether you can be physically present in one of those two towns for roughly four years. The median credit load across the two is 72.
The upside is what on-campus study buys you here. NIH nursing research awards to Connecticut totalled $10,720,314 across FY2021 through FY2025, and one of the two programs is fully funded, meaning tuition plus a stipend rather than loans. The state awards about 21 nursing doctorates a year, so cohorts are small and you won't be one of forty students competing for a mentor's attention.
One of the two schools is private and one is public, which is the sharpest cost difference in the state. It's also why the funded seat matters more in Connecticut than the sticker price does.
Questions About Nursing PhD Programs in Connecticut
How many PhD in nursing programs are there in Connecticut?
2, at 2 universities. 2 are campus-based and 0 run online.
Are there any online nursing PhD programs in Connecticut?
No. Both Connecticut programs, Yale in New Haven and the University of Connecticut in Storrs, are taught on campus. If you need distance study, you'll be applying out of state.
How long does a nursing PhD in Connecticut take?
Plan on about four years of full-time study and a median of 72 credits. One of the two programs also lists a part-time track, which stretches that timeline out.
What do nursing professors earn in Connecticut?
Postsecondary nursing instructors in Connecticut earn a $95,500 median. The bottom 10% earn $60,790 and the top 10% clear $130,380, across 1,380 jobs in the state. The national median is $80,250.
Can you do a nursing PhD in Connecticut without moving?
Every nursing PhD program in Connecticut is campus-based, so studying in state means commuting or moving. The alternative is an online program based elsewhere, and those are ranked here.