How to Choose a Nursing School: A Practical Checklist

Choosing a nursing school is mostly a matter of checking a handful of facts in the right order. A glossy program page can look identical to a strong one, so the checks below rely on sources outside the school: your state board of nursing, the program's accreditor and the licensing exam's own data. This checklist is written mainly for people comparing prelicensure programs, such as ADN, BSN and accelerated BSN options. Requirements vary by state and by school, so confirm every point with the school and your state board of nursing before you commit money.

Start with state board approval

Before anything else, confirm that the program is approved by the board of nursing in the state where it operates. This is the step that decides whether graduates can apply to sit the licensing exam. The Texas Board of Nursing tells prospective students to investigate a program's credentials before enrolling and warns that graduates of unapproved schools would not be eligible for the NCLEX. It also notes that approval of prelicensure programs is mandatory by statute in that state. California's board says the purpose of its approval is to ensure a program complies with statutory and regulatory requirements.

Most boards publish a list of approved programs with contact details. Use that list rather than the school's own claim. Approval is a separate process from accreditation, which is covered next. See our guide on accreditation versus state approval.

Check accreditation in the accreditor's own directory

Programmatic accreditation is voluntary, so not every approved program has it. Three accreditors specialise in nursing and are recognised by the U.S. Department of Education: ACEN, CCNE and the NLN's CNEA. Each publishes a searchable list.

• Search the accreditor's directory by program and location instead of relying on a logo.
• Confirm the accreditation covers the specific program (for example the BSN, not just another degree at the same school).
• Note the status. ACEN states that candidacy is not accreditation and does not guarantee it will be granted, and that a graduate counts as a graduate of an accredited program only if the graduation date falls within the accreditation period.

Some employers and graduate programs ask for graduation from an accredited program, so this can matter later even if the board approves the program today.

Read NCLEX results with their context

NCLEX results are one of the few outside measures of a prelicensure program. Look at the specifics: which exam (RN or PN), which year, whether the figure covers first-time takers, and how many people were counted. NCSBN's dashboard breaks results out by educational program, first-time versus repeat status and domestic versus internationally educated candidates, with a toggle for each year.

California's board shows how detailed a board listing can be: five annual periods running July 1 to June 30, the number of first-time testers and the percentage who passed. The same page lists different degree tracks of one university on separate lines and shows that a program with only a handful of testers can swing sharply from year to year. Ask each school which source its quoted rate comes from. Our guide to understanding NCLEX pass rates goes through the details.

Ask how clinical placements work

Clinical hours are part of every prelicensure program, and the questions below are worth putting to admissions staff in writing:

• Who arranges placements, and are they guaranteed?
• Where are placements located, and how far might you travel?
• Are clinical days on weekdays, evenings or weekends?
• Does the school place students in the state where it is approved?

State rules can shape the answer. California's board states that students must be enrolled in a Board-approved program to complete clinical hours in California facilities, which matters for students of out-of-state schools who want local placements. If you are considering a hybrid format, read our guide on online nursing programs and clinical requirements.

Compare cost on the same basis

Published prices are often not comparable. California's board lists tuition and fees before financial aid for each approved RN program and labels what the figure includes: "Total Program", "Tuition", "Tuition + Books" or "Tuition + Fees". Two programs showing similar numbers may be quoting different things. Before comparing, find out:

• Whether the price is per credit, per year or for the entire program.
• Whether books, uniforms, lab fees, exam fees and background checks are included.
• Whether the program is public or private, and what the length of the program is, because a lower yearly figure over a longer program can cost more overall.

Federal aid eligibility generally depends on institutional accreditation by a Department of Education-recognised agency, which is another reason to check accreditation early. See the scholarships page for funding ideas.

Check schedule, capacity, deadlines and transfer credit

Application timing differs by program. NursingCAS, the application service run by AACN, states that deadlines vary by program and should be checked on each program's website. California's list also shows each program's approved annual enrollment, a useful hint at how many seats exist, and flags programs that admit only LPN/LVNs. Ask whether admission is competitive, whether there is a waitlist, and when cohorts start.

Transfer credit. Accreditation does not guarantee that another school will accept your credits. NC-SARA, quoting the Department of Education, notes that accepting credit is the prerogative of the receiving institution. Get a written transfer evaluation before enrolling if you hold college credits, and ask how prerequisites and general education courses count toward the program.

How to use our school pages

Treat a school page on this site as a starting point. Use it to shortlist programs, then verify approval with the state board, accreditation with the accreditor's directory and outcomes with the board's published data. Our methodology explains how we describe programs.