Know what your needs are. Make sure to decide what kind of nurse you want to be---a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse or a registered nurse with a bachelor's.
Decide what nursing school characteristics are most important to you: NCLEX exam pass rates, location, cost, size of student body, size of classes, specialization opportunities, admissions requirements, clinical opportunities or opportunities for further study.
List your nursing school criteria in order of importance.
Visit websites that list and describe nursing schools (see Resources). Find schools that match your criteria.
Talk to nurses and nursing students you know. Ask them about their schools or any recommendations they may have.
Make a top ten list of schools and visit the websites of the top ten. Ask for brochures and visit the campuses if possible.
Coordinate your priority list with your observations from Step 6 to choose a top five. Apply to those five schools.
Wait for your acceptance letters and financial aid information to come in before making the final decision.