Choosing a nursing school comes down to a handful of concrete factors: accreditation, program type, clinical experience, cost, and how well graduates land jobs. Get these right and you set yourself up for licensure, employment, and long-term career flexibility. Get them wrong and you risk wasting years in a program that employers or graduate schools won’t recognize.
Check Accreditation First
Before anything else, confirm that the nursing program (not just the university) holds programmatic accreditation. Two organizations handle this in the United States. CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) accredits BSN, MSN, and doctoral programs. ACEN (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing) covers a broader range, from practical nursing certificates through doctoral degrees. Both are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and either one satisfies the standard employers and licensing boards expect.
A school can be regionally accredited as an institution while its nursing program lacks programmatic accreditation. That gap matters. Without CCNE or ACEN accreditation, your degree may not qualify you to sit for the NCLEX licensing exam in some states, and many employers will pass over your application entirely. It can also block you from transferring credits or applying to graduate programs later. Checking accreditation status takes five minutes on each organization’s website and should be your first filter.
ADN vs. BSN: Picking the Right Degree
The two main entry points into registered nursing are the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). An ADN is a two-year program, typically offered at community colleges, with some accelerated tracks finishing in 18 months. A BSN is a four-year undergraduate degree at a college or university. Both qualify you to take the NCLEX-RN and work as a registered nurse.
The difference shows up after you’re licensed. About 25% of hospitals now require new hires to hold a BSN, and nearly 70% express a strong preference for BSN graduates. BSN holders also earn higher salaries on average, and the degree is a prerequisite for any graduate nursing program. If you want to become a nurse practitioner, nurse educator, or clinical nurse specialist, you’ll eventually need a BSN at minimum.
An ADN makes sense if cost or time is your biggest constraint. Community college tuition is dramatically lower, and you can start working two years sooner. Many nurses follow an ADN-to-BSN bridge path, earning money as an RN while completing the bachelor’s degree part-time. Just make sure the ADN program you choose has articulation agreements with BSN programs so your credits transfer cleanly.
Clinical Rotations Are Where Learning Happens
Classroom lectures teach you theory. Clinical rotations teach you how to actually care for patients. The quality of a school’s clinical placements is one of the strongest predictors of how prepared you’ll feel on your first day of work, so ask pointed questions before you enroll.
Find out which hospitals and healthcare systems the school partners with. Strong programs maintain formal partnerships with clinical sites, sometimes through dedicated education units where nursing students are embedded into a specific floor with consistent mentors. These models outperform traditional rotations where students rotate through unfamiliar settings each week. One-on-one supervision with a clinical mentor builds confidence, sharpens critical thinking, and helps students connect textbook knowledge to real patient scenarios.
Ask how varied the rotations are. A good program exposes you to medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, psychiatric nursing, community health, and obstetrics at a minimum. Ask whether clinical faculty are present on-site or whether the program relies entirely on preceptors (staff nurses who supervise students alongside their regular duties). Both approaches work, but programs that blend faculty oversight with preceptor mentorship tend to give students the most support.
Student-to-Faculty Ratios
Small clinical groups mean more hands-on time and more direct feedback. The Texas Board of Nursing, which sets one of the more detailed benchmarks in the country, caps clinical groups at 10 students per faculty member. When a clinical teaching assistant is present, that ceiling rises to 15. Programs that rely on preceptors can assign one faculty coordinator to up to 24 students, since each student also has an individual preceptor at the clinical site.
These numbers give you a useful yardstick. If a program you’re considering puts 14 students in a clinical group with a single instructor and no assistant, that’s a red flag. You’ll spend more time watching and less time doing. When you visit a school or attend an information session, ask directly: how many students per clinical group, and who supervises them?
What Graduates’ Job Numbers Tell You
A nursing program’s job placement rate is one of the most practical indicators of its quality. Data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing shows that 84% of new BSN graduates have a job offer at the time of graduation. By four to six months after completing their program, that number climbs to 96%. Entry-level MSN graduates see nearly identical rates: 82% at graduation, 95% within six months.
When evaluating a specific school, ask for its NCLEX pass rate and its employment data. Most state boards of nursing publish NCLEX pass rates by program. A first-time pass rate consistently above 90% signals strong preparation. If a school’s rate dips below 80%, that’s worth investigating further. Some programs also publish employment surveys showing where graduates work and how quickly they were hired. If a school can’t or won’t share this data, consider that a warning sign.
Understanding the Cost
Nursing school tuition varies enormously depending on whether you attend a community college, a public university, or a private institution. As a benchmark, the University of Washington (a well-regarded public program) charges about $4,470 per quarter for in-state BSN students and roughly $14,880 per quarter for out-of-state students. Its accelerated BSN track costs around $13,430 per quarter regardless of residency. Private universities can run significantly higher.
Total cost includes more than tuition. Budget for textbooks, clinical supplies (scrubs, stethoscope, shoes), background checks, drug screenings, liability insurance, and certification exam fees. Some programs also charge lab fees for simulation experiences. Add living expenses if you’ll be attending full-time and working less.
Financial aid, scholarships specifically for nursing students, and employer tuition reimbursement programs can offset costs substantially. Many hospitals offer tuition assistance to employees pursuing nursing degrees, which is especially relevant if you’re already working in healthcare. Federal nursing workforce programs and state-level loan forgiveness programs for nurses who work in underserved areas are also worth exploring before you commit to a price tag.
Admissions: What You Need to Get In
Nursing programs are competitive, and admissions criteria vary, but most use a points-based system that weighs your GPA and entrance exam scores. A common minimum college GPA is 2.5, though competitive applicants typically carry a 3.5 or higher. For high school applicants, an average of 85 or above is a standard threshold.
Most programs require the ATI TEAS exam or the HESI A2 as an entrance test. On the TEAS, scoring 78 or above puts you in the strongest tier at many schools, while scores below 56 may earn zero admission points. Programs add your GPA points and TEAS points together to rank applicants, so strength in both areas matters. If your GPA is on the lower end, a strong TEAS score can compensate, and vice versa.
Prerequisites typically include anatomy, chemistry, biology, psychology, and English composition. Completing these courses with strong grades before you apply both boosts your GPA score and shows you can handle science-heavy coursework. Some programs also consider healthcare work experience, certifications like CNA, volunteer hours, or letters of recommendation as part of a holistic review.
Practical Factors That Add Up
Beyond the big-ticket criteria, a few logistical details can make or break your experience. Location matters more than people expect. If your program requires you to be at a clinical site at 6 a.m. and that site is an hour from campus, your daily commute becomes a real factor in burnout and study time. Ask where clinical sites are located, not just which hospitals the school partners with.
Schedule flexibility is another consideration. Some programs offer evening, weekend, or hybrid tracks designed for students who work. Others are full-time, Monday-through-Friday commitments with no room for a job. Be realistic about your financial situation and energy levels before choosing a format.
Finally, look at the support infrastructure. Does the school offer tutoring, NCLEX prep courses, skills lab open hours, or mental health resources? Nursing school is academically and emotionally demanding. Programs that invest in student support tend to have higher retention and pass rates, which benefits you directly.