Western Kentucky University
Public school in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 12,155 undergraduates. School website (opens in a new tab)
- 95.1%
- first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, BSN, last 3 years pooled
- $11,789
- average net price a year, after grants and scholarships
- $73,223
- median pay of BSN graduates one year after finishing
How it compares
- Over its last 3 reporting years, Western Kentucky University's BSN graduates passed the NCLEX-RN on their first try 95.1% of the time (432 test-takers), 3.6 points above the Kentucky BSN average of 91.5%.
- That puts it 8th of 15 ranked BSN programs in Kentucky on first-time pass rate.
- Its average net price of $11,789 a year is $2,511 below the $14,300 median of the 15 ranked programs with a published price.
- Its first-time pass rate rose 4.7 points between 2023 and 2025.
NCLEX pass rate by year
- 2023 156 first-time takers91.7%
- 2024 138 first-time takers97.8%
- 2025 138 first-time takers96.4%
Kentucky BSN average, latest year: 91.5%
Source: Kentucky board of nursing (opens in a new tab), calendar. Listed by the board as Western Kentucky University.
- 2023 98 first-time takers90.8%
- 2024 116 first-time takers87.1%
- 2025 103 first-time takers93.2%
Source: Kentucky board of nursing (opens in a new tab), calendar. Listed by the board as Western Kentucky University.
- 2023 12 first-time takers91.7%
- 2024 8 first-time takers100.0%
- 2025 12 first-time takers100.0%
Source: Kentucky board of nursing (opens in a new tab), calendar. Listed by the board as Western Kentucky University.
Nursing programs at Western Kentucky University
| Program | Graduates in 2023–24 | Median loan debt | Pay 1 year out | Accredited by | Online option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate (ADN) | 114 | $13,561 | $74,271 | ACEN | Yes |
| Bachelor's (BSN) | 146 | $21,130 | $73,223 | CCNE | No |
| Master's (MSN) | 13 | $22,378 | $85,662 | CCNE | No |
Graduates are IPEDS completions for 2023–24 and include RN-to-BSN completers. Debt is the median federal loan balance of graduates who borrowed; pay is the median earnings of graduates working one year out (2024 dollars). Both from the College Scorecard. A dash means the figure is not published. “Partly” means some, but not all, of the school's programs at this level can be completed fully online, such as an RN-to-BSN track.
About these figures
56% of first-time, full-time students at Western Kentucky University finish within 150% of normal time (whole school, not nursing alone). Pass rates, cost and pay come from public sources listed on data sources and are combined by the method on how we rank programs. We do not accept payment to change a school's listing.
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