Colorado's Best Nursing Schools for 2020

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.

Colorado Mountain College is located in various locations throughout Colorado.  They offer both an ADN and a BSN program at their Breckenridge and Spring Valley locations.  Having the BSN program on-campus allows their students to continue for their BSN degree immediately after obtaining their ADN degree.

School Template Short-Codes:

School Averages:

• School: ADN Average Score:
• School: BSN Average Score:

School State Rank:

• State: School ADN Rank:
• State: School BSN Rank:

School National Rank

• National: School ADN Rank:
• National: School BSN Rank:

Current Codes:

• State Average ADN NCLEX Passing Rate: : N/A” format=”inline_normal”]%
• State Average BSN NCLEX Passing Rate: : N/A” format=”inline_normal”]%
• National NCLEX passing rate for ADN programs: 85.48%
• National NCLEX passing rate for BSN programs is 87.22%

• School Name:  [school]
• Control (Public, Private. . . ): n/r*
• City: [city_name]
• State Full Name: [state_full_name]
• Program Accreditation(s) (ACEN and/or CCNE): neither ACEN or CCNE
• Degree:
• Type (online, campus, hybrid):
• Levels offered by school:

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.

Pueblo Community College is located in Pueblo, Colorado, although they have multiple campuses.  Their nursing program is located in three out of four of their campuses.  They offer an RN program and an LPN to RN program.  Their programs are offered once yearly and they admit 36 students into their program.

Morgan Community College is located in Fort Morgan, Colorado.  They offer an RN program and an advanced placement option, which allows LPNs to apply for entrance into the RN program, skipping the initial semester.  They also offer an exit option, allowing the student to exit at a designated point in the program with a licensed practical nursing certificate.

University of Northern Colorado is located in Greeley, Colorado.  UNC has a diverse student population; 87% of its population is from Colorado, with 58 of its 64 counties represented.  47 out of 50 states currently have students studying there.  In addition, 34 countries are represented at UNC.  In addition, their nursing program is over 50 years old.  Their nursing program offers a BSN option and an RN to BSN option.

Colorado Christian University is located in Lakewood, Colorado.  They offer a pre-license BSN program (designed for students without a nursing degree) and an RN to BSN program, which is offered online.  This program is offered online as a courtesy to its students, so that they do not have to travel to class as these students often have busy lives.

School Template Short-Codes:

School Averages:

• School: ADN Average Score:
• School: BSN Average Score:

School State Rank:

• State: School ADN Rank:
• State: School BSN Rank:

School National Rank

• National: School ADN Rank:
• National: School BSN Rank:

Current Codes:

• State Average ADN NCLEX Passing Rate: : N/A” format=”inline_normal”]%
• State Average BSN NCLEX Passing Rate: : N/A” format=”inline_normal”]%
• National NCLEX passing rate for ADN programs: 85.48%
• National NCLEX passing rate for BSN programs is 87.22%

• School Name:  [school]
• Control (Public, Private. . . ): n/r*
• City: [city_name]
• State Full Name: [state_full_name]
• Program Accreditation(s) (ACEN and/or CCNE): neither ACEN or CCNE
• Degree:
• Type (online, campus, hybrid):
• Levels offered by school:

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.

Colorado State University – Pueblo is located in Pueblo, Colorado.  This university offers various options for their BSN students – they offer a traditional option and an ADN to BSN option.  However, they also have an LPN to BSN program, a Degree Plus to BSN option (allows students with prior degrees to obtain a BSN degree) and a paramedic to BSN option.

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.

University of Colorado – Colorado Springs is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The Beth-El College of Nursing offers a traditional BSN program, an RN to BSN option and an Allied Health Completion Program, which allows those who hold a degree in an Allied Health to enroll for a BSN degree.