How to choose a nursing school

A nursing program is a large commitment of money and years, and programs with similar names differ a lot in what graduates get out of them. Work through these checks in order. The first two can rule a school out in minutes.

1. Confirm the state board approves the program

Only graduates of a program approved by the state board of nursing can sit the NCLEX in that state. Approval is separate from accreditation. Each board publishes a list of approved programs, and our state licensing pages link to the board for each state we cover. If a school you are considering is not on the list, stop.

2. Check programmatic accreditation

ACEN and CCNE are the two main nursing accreditors, and a third, the NLN’s CNEA, accredits a smaller number of programs. Accreditation affects whether credits transfer, whether you can enter a graduate program later, and whether some employers will pay tuition benefits. Look the school up in the accreditor’s own directory, or start from our accredited programs by state. Our page on nursing school accreditation explains the difference between the accreditors.

3. Read the NCLEX pass rate, with the right context

State boards publish the share of each program’s graduates who pass the NCLEX on the first attempt. Use it this way:

• Look at three years, not one. A single year swings when a class is small. Our rankings pool three years.
• Check the number of test-takers. A rate based on fewer than 20 graduates is noisy, so we flag those programs instead of ranking them.
• Compare against the right benchmark. In 2025 the national first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate was 86.7% for US-educated graduates, 87.6% for bachelor’s graduates and 86.1% for associate-degree graduates, according to NCSBN (opens in a new tab).

Find your state on NCLEX pass rates by state or compare bachelor’s programs on our BSN state pages.

4. Compare net price, not sticker price

The published tuition is rarely what students pay. The College Scorecard reports an average net price, which is the cost after grants and scholarships for students who receive aid. Community colleges and public universities often cost far less than private schools, and an associate degree followed by an RN-to-BSN program is a common lower-cost route to a bachelor’s degree. How to pay for nursing school covers aid in detail.

5. Ask how clinical placements work

Clinical hours are the hardest part of a program to deliver. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports that US nursing schools turned away tens of thousands of qualified applications in 2025, with a shortage of clinical sites, faculty and preceptors among the main reasons. Ask the admissions office:

• Does the school arrange every placement, or do students find their own?
• How far will students travel for placements, and are evening or weekend shifts required?
• What share of the entering class finishes on time?

6. Look at graduation and what graduates earn

The College Scorecard publishes graduation rates and the median earnings of graduates a year after they finish. Both appear on our school pages where the data exists. A low graduation rate suggests that many students leave before finishing, often after paying for part of the program.

7. Match the format to your life

Programs differ in schedule, length and delivery. Part-time and evening tracks exist but take longer. Prelicensure programs cannot be completed fully online because clinical hours are in person, although coursework is often online or hybrid. Check the degree requirements for the route you want and the prerequisites you still need.

A short list to take to a school visit

• Is the program approved by the state board and accredited by ACEN or CCNE?
• What were the first-time NCLEX pass rates for the last three years?
• What is the total cost, and how much of the entering class receives grants?
• How are clinical placements assigned?
• What percentage of students finish within the planned time?

Our method for combining these measures is described on how we rank programs.