Best Online Registered Nurse (RN) Programs

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $129
Out-of-State | $553

Credits to Graduate: 120 (including 60 transfer credits)

The University of Florida's RN-to-BSN program admits students with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and an unencumbered Florida RN license or Nurse Licensure Compact enhanced (eNLC) licensing. Additional admissions criteria include a 2.8 GPA in ADN nursing coursework and a C in science, social science, and statistics prerequisites. 

Designed for working nurses, the primarily part-time program offers entirely online courses students can complete in five semesters. The program requires 90 clinical hours, half gained through virtual simulations and half from clinical projects in the student's local communities.

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $179
Out-of-State | $716

Credits to Graduate: 30

The RN-to-BSN track at the University of Central Florida (UCF) allows RNs to complete their nursing bachelor's degree in as soon as three semesters, depending on their course loads. Online courses cover healthcare issues, policy, economics, leadership, management, and role development. Distance learners complete a clinical practicum in their home communities.

In addition to an RN license, admission requires an associate degree from a Florida public college earned in 2014 or later or a bachelor's degree or completion (or near completion) of UCF's general education requirements.

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $567
Out-of-State | $567

Credits to Graduate: 25

The online RN-to-BSN at the Ohio State University offers asynchronous coursework students can complete in 12 or 15 months. Topics include concepts in community health nursing; evolving concepts in leadership and management; and foundations and contemporary issues for RNs. Enrollees complete clinical projects in their local areas.

Admission does not require prerequisite coursework. Applicants qualify with an associate degree or a diploma in nursing, a 2.0 GPA, and an unrestricted RN license. The program is open to residents of all U.S. states, except Tennessee.

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $236
Out-of-State | $649

Credits to Graduate: 120 (including 60 transfer credits)

Licensed RNs can earn their nursing bachelor's degree online at Florida International University. The RN-to-BSN curriculum emphasizes community health; cross-cultural health, wellness, and care; and leadership in global healthcare. Distance learners can graduate in one year, including student-arranged practicums and clinical proficiency evaluations.

Admission requirements include an unencumbered Florida RN license or a Nurse Licensure Compact enhanced license; a 2.75 GPA from an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing-accredited associate degree in nursing program; and nursing prerequisites. 

Programmatic Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $281
Out-of-State | $794

Credits to Graduate: 120 (including transfer credits)

The accelerated online RN-to-BSN program at Texas A&M International University can take just one year to finish, even for working nurses. The curriculum includes 32 credits of core nursing courses and 53 credits of general education credits. Admitted students can transfer credits toward the general education requirement.

Courses with on-site clinical practicum components include transition to professional nursing, health assessment, nursing leadership and management, and community nursing.

Admission requires an unencumbered Texas RN license, a 2.5 GPA, and a criminal background check.

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $542-$692
Out-of-State | $952-$1,102

Credits to Graduate: 30

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley offers an online RN-to-BSN in an accelerated format. Structured for working RNs, the program allows full-time enrollees to finish in less than one year, and part-time students can complete their degree in fewer than 18 months. Seven-week course modules include topics in professional mobility, pathophysiology, community health, and client assessment.

Program applicants need 63 transferable general education credits, proof of an RN license and an associate degree in nursing, a 2.5 GPA, and criminal background check clearance.

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $219
Out-of-State | $342-$648

Credits to Graduate: 32

The University of West Florida's RN-to-BSN program features eight-week online courses and a 12-month completion time. Geared for working RNs, the curriculum builds on prior nursing education to increase professional skills in a broader scope of practice. Learners complete direct care experiences at healthcare settings in their local areas.

Admission requires an associate degree in nursing, an unencumbered RN license, and a C in prerequisite courses, including anatomy and physiology, human development across the lifespan, fundamentals of human nutrition, fundamentals of microbiology, and elements of statistics.

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Six-month Term:
In-State | $4,885 (RN-to-BSN); $6,430-$8,755 (pre-licensure BSN)
Out-of-State | $4,885 (RN-to-BSN); $6,430-$8,755 (pre-licensure BSN)

Western Governors University's online programs include a pre-licensure BSN and an RN-to-BSN. The pre-licensure BSN is available to students in select states and features two years of pre-licensure coursework and two years of clinical courses. 

The RN-to-BSN track admits RNs and ADN-holders interested in advancing their careers. More than 60% of students complete the program in 20 months or less. The accelerated curriculum, designed for working nurses, allows learners to move quickly through the material they know and transfer up to 90 credits toward their degrees. 

Both tracks include field experiences in learners' home states. 

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $330
Out-of-State | $330

Credits to Graduate: 30

The University of Illinois Chicago offers an entirely online RN-to-BSN program that explores continuity and safety of care, population-based healthcare, and evidence-based research. Students can graduate in one year, and enrollees pay the same affordable tuition rate regardless of residency. The accelerated course delivery format is tailored to working nurses, with several start dates per year.

The program admits applicants without RN licenses if they provide proof of passing the NCLEX by the end of the first semester. Applicants submit undergraduate transcripts showing a 2.5 GPA and transferable general education credits.

Programmatic Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Cost per Credit:
In-State | $452
Out-of-State | $452

Credits to Graduate: 24-30

Working RNs can earn their BSNs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 18-30 months. The curriculum features seven-week, primarily online courses and one 60-hour student-arranged clinical capstone experience near their homes. Course topics include chronic care management, community health nursing, and information and health technology.

Candidates need an associate degree or diploma in nursing with a 2.5 GPA and at least 24 transferable general education credits. They must also hold an RN license and show completion of high school or college math and foreign language prerequisites.