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 Ohio Board of 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 Ohio’s direct entry MSN programs accordingly.

  1. #1: Xavier University
    93.2% first-time NCLEX pass rate

    3800 Victory Parkway
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
    https://www.xavier.edu

    93.2% first-time NCLEX pass rate
    Direct Entry MSN
    Average of 26 students graduated per year
    Data analyzed from 2012 through 2021

  2. #2: Case Western Reserve University
    92.9% first-time NCLEX pass rate

    10900 Euclid Avenue
    Cleveland, Ohio 44106
    https://www.case.edu

    92.9% first-time NCLEX pass rate
    Direct Entry MSN
    Average of 31 students graduated per year
    Data analyzed from 2012 through 2021

  3. #3: Mount St. Joseph University
    87.7% first-time NCLEX pass rate

    5701 Delhi Road
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45233
    https://www.msj.edu

    87.7% first-time NCLEX pass rate
    Direct Entry MSN
    Average of 52 students graduated per year
    Data analyzed from 2012 through 2021

  4. #4: University of Toledo
    85.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate

    3000 Arlington Avenue
    Toledo, Ohio 43614
    https://www.utoledo.edu

    85.8% first-time NCLEX pass rate
    Direct Entry MSN
    Average of 32 students graduated per year
    Data analyzed from 2012 through 2021

  5. #5: University of Cincinnati
    84.5% first-time NCLEX pass rate

    3110 Vine Street
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45221
    https://www.uc.edu

    84.5% first-time NCLEX pass rate
    Direct Entry MSN
    Average of 24 students graduated per year
    Data analyzed from 2019 through 2021