Niagara University

Niagara University occupies a bluff overlooking the Niagara River in Lewiston, New York, a few miles north of Niagara Falls and roughly twenty minutes from Buffalo. Founded in 1856 by the Congregation of the Mission, it operates as a private Catholic university with a mission emphasizing service, and enrolls students from western New York, southern Ontario, and beyond. Its position near the Canadian border gives it an unusually cross-border student body for a school of its size.

Nursing coursework builds from anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment into nursing care across medical-surgical, maternal-newborn, pediatric, psychiatric-mental health, and community settings, with simulation and skills lab practice ahead of supervised clinical rotations. Placements draw on hospitals and health agencies across the Buffalo-Niagara region, including academic medical centers, community hospitals, and long-term care facilities, which gives students exposure to varied acuity. Graduates are prepared to sit for the NCLEX-RN, and graduate options exist for nurses continuing beyond the bachelor's degree. Cohorts stay small, so students work closely with faculty. Compared with the larger public nursing programs at the University at Buffalo and SUNY campuses, Niagara offers a smaller residential setting.