2024 Rankings: The 30 Best Nursing Schools in Washington

The WSU College of Nursing has educated more than 8,000 nursing professionals since 1968. The school offers programs at five campuses in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Walla Walla, and Yakima. Undergraduates may pursue a traditional BSN at three sites (Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Yakima) or a flexible RN-to-BSN program at all five. The college graduates approximately 250 prelicensure BSN students each year, with a solid 88% NCLEX pass rate over the past decade. In graduate study, WSU offers two MSN tracks (nurse leader, nurse educator), three DNP tracks (family nurse practitioner, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, population health nurse), and a nursing PhD program. All graduate programs support multiple entry points.

The Seattle University College of Nursing offers a unique nursing curriculum that combines local and international nursing education. Students may take single academic courses abroad or enroll in a short- or long-term study abroad experience. Locations run the gamut from South America to Africa to Australia. The college offers a four-year BSN program as well as traditional and non-nurse immersion pathways to a DNP degree. Prelicensure students perform well on the NCLEX exam: over the past decade, 87% of BSN students and 94% of graduate immersion students passed the exam on their first attempt. Graduate students can choose from several nurse practitioner specializations, nurse midwifery, or advanced community public health nursing.

Seattle Pacific University’s School of Health Sciences has educated thousands of nursing graduates over the past eighty years. SPU students have access to clinical rotations at premier local institutions like Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital. They can also engage in study abroad opportunities; past destinations have included Guatemala, Ireland, and Vietnam. The School of Health Sciences offers a traditional upper-division nursing major, an MSN program, and a recently launched DNP program. Undergraduates have enjoyed a solid NCLEX pass rate of 88% over the past decade. MSN students can choose from two specialty pathways (clinical leadership in practice, nurse educator), and DNP students can choose from three specialty pathways (clinical nurse specialist, adult-gerontology nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner).

The Mark and Huldah Buntain School of Nursing offers a unique program that sends every nursing major to another country for a month of experiential learning. Recent classes have traveled to India, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, and several countries in Africa. Each undergraduate cohort of 48 students is instructed with top-notch equipment in a robust network of local hospitals such as Providence, Swedish, Seattle Children’s, Evergreen, and Overlake. Over the past decade, these BSN students have achieved an excellent 91% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX licensure exam. In addition to the traditional undergraduate degree, Northwest University also offers online RN-to-BSN and MSN programs.

Walla Walla University offers a traditional undergraduate prelicensure program leading to a BSN degree. Students spend the first two years of the program at the university’s College Place campus, where they complete general studies, nursing cognates, and nursing courses. The final two years are centered at the Portland nursing campus, where students integrate advanced nursing coursework with clinical experience. Walla Walla University graduates a BSN class of approximately sixty students each year. These students have consistently outperformed state and national averages on their licensure exams, posting a 93% NCLEX pass rate over the past decade.

Saint Martin’s University is one of fourteen Benedictine colleges and universities in North America, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. The university enrolls 1,300 students across dozens of programs in four academic colleges. The College of Arts and Sciences offers a baccalaureate nursing program with two tracks: traditional prelicensure and RN-to-BSN degree completion. Students enjoy small class sizes, receive mentoring from faculty who are practicing nurses, and conduct clinical experiences in community and acute care settings. The nursing program at Saint Martin’s is CCNE-accredited.

Columbia Basin College has served the Tri-Cities and surrounding communities for over sixty years. The Health Sciences Division offers a prelicensure associate degree in nursing and a postlicensure RN-to-BSN completion program. Classroom instruction, laboratory exercises, and simulations are conducted at the college’s Health Science Center in Richland. These are complemented by clinical experiences through a range of local healthcare partners. The ADN program graduates approximately fifty students annually. These students have enjoyed phenomenal outcomes including a 90% graduation rate and a 94% employment rate over the past three years, as well as a 92% NCLEX pass rate over the past decade. Columbia Basin College’s RN-to-BSN program can be completed in just four quarters of study. Most coursework is delivered online, allowing professional nurses to balance work, academic, and family responsibilities. Some courses require an occasional face-to-face meeting for group projects.

Designed in consultation with industry professionals, Shoreline Community College’s nursing curriculum is widely recognized as one of the state’s best. Students may earn an associate of applied science-transfer (AAS-T) degree over six or ten quarters. The six-quarter program features a traditional college schedule, with flexible start dates in the fall, winter, or spring. The ten-quarter program offers a lower course load for students with significant time constraints; it admits a new fall cohort once every two years. Shoreline Community College graduates 80-100 nursing students annually, with an exceptional 93% first-time NCLEX pass rate over the past decade. Graduates have a number of BSN completion options in the surrounding metropolitan area, including Olympic College and the University of Washington Bothell.

The Aspen Institute has recognized Whatcom Community College as one of the top nine community and technical colleges in the state, as well as one of the leading community colleges in the nation. The school offers a two-year associate degree in nursing that prepares students for initial licensure and immediate employment in the field. ADN graduates can also complete a BSN degree in just one additional academic year at any accepting university in Washington. Whatcom Community College enrolls a new cohort of thirty nursing students each fall. These students have consistently enjoyed exceptional outcomes. The five most recent ADN classes have averaged a 95% program completion rate and a 96% job placement rate within six months of graduation, while the program boasts a 97% first-time NCLEX pass rate over the past decade.

Heritage University is a private institution with a flagship 23-acre rural campus located on the Yakama Indian Reservation. The university also conducts upper-division classes on the campuses of Columbia Basin College and Yakima Valley College, providing students in each community a convenient baccalaureate pathway. In the fall of 2015, Heritage University enrolled its first cohort of nine students in a prelicensure BSN program. The curriculum emphasizes advancing the health of multicultural communities in rural environments through excellence in nursing education, service, practice, and community-based research. Graduates are prepared to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination. In the fall of 2018, Heritage University admitted a larger BSN cohort of 24 students to address the worsening nursing shortage in rural hospitals, community health centers, primary care settings, and schools.

Seattle Colleges provide workforce education, technical training, transfer degree pathways, and career-focused baccalaureate degrees to nearly 50,000 students annually. The colleges’ nursing programs are administered by Seattle Central College but conducted at all three campuses, including North Seattle College and South Seattle College. Aspiring nurses can pursue either an associate degree in nursing or a nursing assistant certificate. The CNA program takes just one quarter to complete. It prepares graduates for entry-level positions in a variety of healthcare settings. The ADN is a traditional two-year curriculum that combines nursing theory, general education, laboratory exercises, and clinical practice. Across the three campuses, Seattle Colleges graduate approximately 80-100 ADN students annually. Over the past decade, these RN candidates have scored an 87% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX licensure examination.

Skagit Valley College was founded in 1926 as Mount Vernon Junior College, an adjunct to the city’s Union High School. Today the college serves more than 4,000 students at its main campus in Mount Vernon and its auxiliary campus on Whidbey Island. The school’s nursing program has a presence on both campuses. Skagit Valley College offers several prelicensure pathways including a two-year fulltime associate degree in nursing, a two-year part-time LPN-to-RN bridge program, and a unique nursing assistant education certificate with an AIDS focus. Across both associate degree tracks, the college typically graduates 50-70 students annually. These candidates for RN licensure have averaged a 91% NCLEX pass rate over the past decade. ADN graduates enjoy seamless transfer into the BSN completion program at many local institutions, including Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle Pacific University, University of Washington, and Washington State University.

Olympic College serves more than 13,000 students each year across campuses in Bremerton, Poulsbo, and Shelton. The Nursing Division offers an impressive six distinct nursing pathways: nursing assistant certificate, practical nursing certificate, two associate in technical arts (ATA) options (generic and LPN-to-RN), and two BSN options (Veteran/LPN-to-BSN and RN-to-BSN). The BSN curriculum is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, while the ATA curriculum is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Graduates of the LPN and ATA pathways are prepared to sit for their respective NCLEX licensure examinations. They have a solid track record on both exams, posting a 95% first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate and a 91% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate over the past decade.

South Puget Sound Community College serves more than 6,000 students annually, including degree-seekers, veterans, and underemployed workers. Certificate and associate degree programs are available in areas ranging from accounting and business to healthcare and software development. Aspiring registered nurses can enroll in the college’s ADN program, which incorporates 138 credits over twelve quarters. Coursework covers key topics like integrated nursing care, healthcare ethics and policy, and nursing transition into practice. ADN students complete clinical exercises in the simulation lab and clinical rotations at area hospitals. The program culminates with a capstone project and extensive preparation for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination. South Puget Sound Community College graduates approximately 30 students annually from the ADN program. They have achieved a 90% first-time NCLEX pass rate over the past decade.

The career and technical training programs at Green River College incorporate hands-on work experience and networking opportunities. For aspiring practical nurses, the college offers four options: fulltime face-to-face, part-time hybrid, fulltime medical assistant (MA)-to-LPN, and part-time MA-to-LPN. The practical nursing curriculum combines rigorous coursework, training in a state-of-the-art SIM lab, and clinical rotations at local healthcare facilities. The fulltime programs require as little as one year of study to complete. Graduates may bridge into an ADN or BSN program at a partner school. Alternatively, after passing the NCLEX-PN licensure examination, they can begin work immediately. Over the past decade, Green River College’s LPN students have averaged an impressive 94% first-time NCLEX pass rate.