For our 2024 rankings of direct entry MSN 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 prelicensure 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 California Board of Registered Nursing 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 California’s direct entry MSN programs accordingly.
#1: University of California, San Francisco
94.0% first-time NCLEX pass rateTwo Koret Way
San Francisco, California 94143
https://www.ucsf.edu94.0% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 66 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21
#2: University of San Diego
92.4% first-time NCLEX pass rate5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, California 92110
https://www.sandiego.edu92.4% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 46 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21
#3: Western University of Health Sciences
91.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate309 East Second Street
Pomona, California 91766
https://www.westernu.edu91.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 55 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2019-20
#4: University of San Francisco
89.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, California 94117
https://www.usfca.edu89.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 84 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21
#5: San Francisco State University
89.6% first-time NCLEX pass rate1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, California 94132
https://www.sfsu.edu89.6% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 31 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21
#6: University of California, Los Angeles
89.1% first-time NCLEX pass rate700 Tiverton Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90095
https://www.ucla.edu89.1% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 66 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21
#7: Samuel Merritt University
88.1% first-time NCLEX pass rate3100 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, California 94609
https://www.samuelmerritt.edu88.1% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 89 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21
#8: California Baptist University
85.1% first-time NCLEX pass rate8432 Magnolia Avenue
Riverside, California 92504
https://www.calbaptist.edu85.1% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 32 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21
#9: University of California, Davis
83.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate2570 48th Street
Sacramento, California 95817
https://www.ucdavis.edu83.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Direct Entry MSN
Average of 37 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2017-18 through 2020-21
#10: Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
71.4% first-time NCLEX pass rate1748 East 118th Street
Los Angeles, California 90059
https://www.cdrewu.edu71.4% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Entry Level MSN
Average of 45 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2011-12 through 2020-21