Best RN Programs in Colorado for 2024

Nursing instructors at Front Range Community College prepare students to provide safe, quality, and patient-centered nursing care in a variety of healthcare settings. The nursing program is ideal for students who want to provide quality nursing care to patients while adhering to evidence-based practices.

The nursing program at Front Range Community College is available at the Larimer Nursing Department and Westminster Nursing Department. Different programs are available according to the campus. Both the colleges have classrooms and labs equipped with the most advanced technology in the state. Students gain clinical experience in some of the most prominent acute care centers, long-term care, home health, and community agencies of the state. The nursing course is designed to meet the needs of the rapidly changing global healthcare delivery system. Students here learn to promote and practice the culture of caring to provide support, compassion, and culturally competent holistic care. 

Undergraduate Programs: The Practical Nursing course is a three-semester-long program available at the Larimer campus. It prepares students to take their NCLEX-PN exam and practice in long-term care facilities, clinics, or other healthcare facilities. Similarly, there is an LPN to ADN course available at Westminster campus for LPNs practicing in Colorado who wish to complete their associate degree.

Both the Larimer and Westminster Campuses have an AAS in nursing degree that prepares nurses for their NCLEX-RN and embark on a Registered Nurse career. There is also an online RN to BSN Completion Program designed for graduates of ADN degrees or those who wish to complete both their ADN and BSN degrees simultaneously.

Arapahoe Community College is located in Littleton, Colorado.  Arapahoe Community College offers an LPN program, an ADN program, and an LPN to ADN program.  They also have partnerships with three neighboring universities, which allows their graduates to easily gain entrance into a BSN program after completion of the ADN program.

The nursing program at Arapahoe Community College is an award-winning program that is a recognized leader in nursing education. The college ranks as one of the nation's and state's best when it comes to the quality of nursing education. 

The program boasts high professional standards, a superior reputation in the community, and accessible faculty and staff. The graduates have had excellent rates of hire in some of the most reputed healthcare facilities in the state and the nation. Students participate in active learning in classrooms, high-quality simulation labs, and supervised clinical experiences in multiple healthcare facilities.

The college itself is committed to affordability by providing low tuition and multiple financial aids and scholarship opportunities. Also, to ensure that the students never feel alone and confused about their career, Arapahoe Community College provides supports like advising, career/transfer counseling, tutoring, counseling, and more, all of which are completely free of cost.

Undergraduate Programs: The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree in Arapahoe Community College paves the way for students to become professional RNs who are qualified to work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation units, and other clinical settings.

For licensed RNs who want to advance their career further, the RN to BSN program offers online classes so that they can further build their skills, enhance their leadership skills, and open doors for further education.

Similarly, the students who successfully complete the first two semesters of the AAS Nursing program are eligible to earn their Practical Nursing Certificate. Arapahoe Community College also accepts admissions from LPNs who wish to complete their ADN.

Pikes Peak Community College is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  They offer an RN program and a dual enrollment RN to BSN program.  Their RN program is unique in that students enrolled may exit with their LPN at a designated point in the program rather than continuing for the full program if they so choose.  The dual enrollment program allows the RN student to also take classes towards their BSN while working towards their ADN.  This would allow the student to first obtain their ADN but still have credits for their BSN after completion of the program.

The nursing program at Pikes Peak Community College prepares the students with the skills, technical competence, and the skills they need for a successful nursing career. The college is diverse both in terms of its students and the programs offered. At PPCC, the average class size is 16, allowing for personal mentorship and guidance by experienced faculty.

Pikes Peak Community College leaves no stone unturned when it comes to taking care of the students. About $1 million scholarships are awarded annually along with affordable tuition, and the college's nationally accredited Child Development Center provides quality care and educational services to children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. 

Similarly, nursing graduates receive a quality education that prepares them to be leaders and care providers to a diverse population. The course work is designed to provide a better life to the students by understanding them physically, educationally, and financially.

Undergraduate Programs: The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program provides the students with core competence in caring intervention, health-illness, holistic care, teaching/learning, nursing process, professionalism, communication, and leadership.

Similarly, the LPN to RN bridge program and the RN to BSN program allow nursing professionals to obtain a bachelor's degree, thereby opening new doors in terms of nursing education, research skills, and leadership. Students of these programs take the classes on campus and have clinical rotations in some of the best healthcare facilities in the community.

University of Colorado Denver is located in Denver, Colorado.  They offer a few different options for their BSN students.  They offer a traditional BSN program.  They also offer an RN to BSN program, which is an online program.  This online program is also available to non-Colorado residents.  They also offer their "integrated nursing pathway" program, which is a collaboration with various local community colleges.  This allows students with an ADN to take their first two semesters of their BSN program at their local college, finishing up at the main campus.

In the University of Colorado College of Nursing, students get to choose from 17 programs, four nurse-led practices in nine locations, and two major Colorado hospitals in the region's largest academic medical campus. The university prides itself in its reputation as a leader and pioneer in nursing education.

The University of Colorado has a history as rich as its student body is diverse. The university was the first one to start a Nurse Practitioner program and created the very first Nurse Practitioner and School Nurse in the US. The learning environment here is innovative and both classes and labs are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Students learn classes integrated with high-quality research in an environment that is designed to foster innovation and interdisciplinary education. To facilitate this innovation and research, the University of Colorado has provided over $654 million in research grants alone. 

Undergraduate Programs: University of Colorado offers multiple undergraduate degrees for aspiring nurses who wish to build a career in healthcare, research, and leadership. They include the Traditional BSN pathway, Integrated Nursing Pathway, Accelerated Nursing Bachelor's pathway, Online RN to BSN pathway, and Online Dual Enrollment ADN and BSN pathways. Students enrolling in these pathways enjoy the benefit of being taught by a distinguished faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and innovative programs.

Graduate Programs: The Master's Degree in Nursing program prepares nurses for direct and indirect care roles, administrative duties, health promotion activities, and managing and evaluating care within communities and healthcare systems.

The college also offers one of the nationally top ranked DNP programs which is a clinical practice-oriented leadership curriculum focusing on evidence-based practice that aims to improve clinical care delivery, health system leadership and management, and so on. Students can enroll in the BS to DNP pathway directly or advance to the Post-Graduate DNP pathway with a Master's degree.

For students who hold a MSN degree and want to become nurse scientists, the University of Colorado offers a Nursing Ph.D degree which is a research degree taught with a combination of online and in-person classes.

Metropolitan State University of Denver is located in Denver, Colorado.  They offer various BSN choices: a traditional nursing option (TNO), an accelerated nursing option (ANO) and baccalaureate registered nurse completion option (BRNCO).  The ANO option is designed for students with a previous bachelor's degree (non-nursing) and the BRNCO option is designed or students already holding an ADN degree and RN license.

Nursing students at Aims Community College learn the scientific and practical hands-on skills required to become a registered nurse and successfully practice as one. The graduates from the college have gone on to work in different hospitals, medical offices, home healthcare facilities, dialysis centers, healthcare agencies, and more. 

In their years in Aims Community College, nursing students learn theory in classrooms taught by specialized faculty, and apply that knowledge practically in simulation labs. They also practice their critical thinking skills, quality patient care delivery, and multitasking during their internship in various healthcare facilities in the community. 

The college offers small class sizes with one-on-one instruction and guided practice at an affordable price. Students can also apply for and benefit from the various scholarship opportunities that the college offers.

Undergraduate Programs: Aims Community College offers a two year long Nursing Associate Degree that teaches the students the basics of pharmacology, nursing fundamentals, medical and surgical nursing concepts, and nursing specialities like maternal-child and psychiatry.

In addition to the associate degree, students can also enroll in a dual degree program with University of Northern Colorado School of Nursing to simultaneously earn their BSN degree along with an associate degree at Aims.

Similarly, for students who want to become a LPN or nurse aide, the college offers nursing certificates to ensure they acquire the necessary skills to practice as such. The certificates provided include the Healthcare Readiness and Professionalism Certificate and Practical Nursing Certificate.

The School of Nursing at Colorado State University-Pueblo is a regional nursing school for Southern Colorado. It provides its students with quality learning experiences, multiple degree entry paths, educational excellence, and a supportive and caring learning environment. The students here are capable of maintaining competencies throughout their practice, and hence are capable of bringing a positive change in the healthcare environment.

Being a diverse and inclusive institution, Colorado State University offers its students a variety of social, educational, and cultural opportunities that help them develop as competent human beings, in addition to apt professionals. Students enjoy personal mentorship and individualized education in small class sizes and a student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1. The University also offers CARES funding to help students pay for their food, housing, healthcare, course materials, technology, and other needs in addition to their tuition.

In Colorado State University School of Nursing, students enjoy the benefits of online, in-person, or hybrid learning formats, student organizations, high-quality simulation labs, and networking opportunities.

Undergraduate Programs: The BSN program at Colorado State University teaches students the holistic synthesis of person, health, and environment. There are also courses designed especially for working RNs who want to complete their degrees. The RN (ADN) to BSN and RN (ADN) to MS programs are online courses that the students can take without letting their work schedule affect education and vice-versa.

Graduate Programs: The MS-Nurse Practitioner, Nurse manager, and Leader, and MS-Nurse Educator are online courses with in-person clinical postings that help students master evidence-based practice, ethical decision making, and use of technology as they provide advanced nursing care. 

Similarly, the DNP program exists for those seeking a terminal degree in nursing. This is an innovative, inter/intra-professional education that focuses on evidence-based healthcare.