For our 2024 rankings of prelicensure BSN programs, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac compiled an extensive database of student performance on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Aspiring registered nurses in the United States must pass this examination before they may commence practice. Thus, student performance on the NCLEX-RN exam provides an excellent benchmark for comparing the relative quality of bachelor’s degree programs.
We used our database to calculate each program’s NCLEX-RN pass rate among first-time test-takers. This is the standard program assessment metric reported by the Washington State Department of Health’s Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and the test’s administrator, Pearson Vue. Whenever possible, we calculated this first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate over an extensive period of time, typically the past decade of student performance. We then used this metric to rank all of Washington’s prelicensure BSN programs accordingly.
#1: Gonzaga University
502 East Boone Avenue
Spokane, WA 99258
https://www.gonzaga.edu
93.6% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 65 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#2: Pacific Lutheran University
1010 122nd Street South
Tacoma, WA 98447
https://www.plu.edu
92.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 78 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#3: Walla Walla University
204 South College Avenue
College Place, WA 99324
https://www.wallawalla.edu
92.6% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 61 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#4: University of Washington
1400 NE Campus Parkway
Seattle, WA 98195
https://www.washington.edu
92.6% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 139 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#5: Northwest University
5520 108th Avenue NE
Kirkland, WA 98083
https://www.northwestu.edu
91.0% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 41 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#6: Seattle Pacific University
3307 Third Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119
https://www.spu.edu
88.0% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 54 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#7: Washington State University
103 East Spokane Falls Boulevard
Spokane, WA 99202
https://www.wsu.edu
87.7% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 255 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#8: Seattle University
900 Broadway
Seattle, WA 98122
https://www.seattleu.edu
86.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 153 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011 through 2020
#9: Heritage University
3240 Fort Road
Toppenish, WA 98948
https://www.heritage.edu
80.0% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Average of 8 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2018 through 2020