Online nursing programs
Online nursing study is common for degrees you earn after you are licensed and rare before. This page shows which levels have online options, how many are accredited and where to find the ranked lists.
- 189
- schools whose bachelor's nursing program is offered entirely online, per federal data
- 225
- schools whose master's nursing program is offered entirely online
- 92,447
- students enrolled in RN-to-BSN programs in fall 2025 (AACN), up 2% on the year
Online options by degree level
Schools report to the federal government whether each program is offered entirely online, partly online or not online. Counts are schools with a program at that level.
| Level | Fully online | Partly online | Not online | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical nursing (LPN) | 2 | 27 | 880 | Mostly in person: hands-on skills and clinical hours |
| Associate degree (ADN) | 15 | 60 | 988 | Mostly in person; some hybrid programs |
| Bachelor's (BSN) | 189 | 353 | 575 | Fully online options are mostly RN-to-BSN completion programs |
| Master's (MSN) | 225 | 134 | 253 | Coursework online; clinical hours in person |
Only 1% of associate programs and 0% of practical nursing programs are reported as fully online, against 17% of bachelor’s and 37% of master’s programs. The pattern follows the license: degrees that lead to your first license need in-person skills training, while degrees for working nurses can move online.
Ranked lists
What to check before you enroll
- Accreditation and approval. ACEN or CCNE accreditation, and for pre-licensure programs approval by the state board where you will do clinicals. See what accreditation means.
- Clinical or practicum placement. Ask who arranges it and what happens if no site is available near you. It is the most common source of delay.
- Live sessions. Online can mean scheduled video classes or fully self-paced. Match it to your work schedule.
- Total cost. Ask for tuition, fees, technology and clinical costs for the whole program. See how to pay for nursing school.
- State rules. A school may not be approved to enroll students in every state. Ask for it in writing.
Common questions
Can you become a nurse entirely online?
No. Every route to a first nursing license includes supervised clinical hours in person, and state boards approve the program. Courses can be online, in a hybrid program. After you are licensed, completion degrees such as RN-to-BSN and many master’s programs can be done mostly or entirely online.
Are online nursing degrees respected?
The degree is the same as an on-campus one and does not say how you studied. What employers and boards look at is accreditation, state approval and, for new graduates, the NCLEX result. Choose programs accredited by ACEN or CCNE.
How do I know a program is fully online?
We use the federal IPEDS survey, where schools report whether each program is offered entirely online, partly online or not at all. A school’s own page has the details. Even fully online programs may require in-person practicum or clinical hours near you.
Sources: IPEDS (delivery method), ACEN and CCNE directories, AACN annual survey fall 2025. Data sources.