There is a wide variety of challenges in the healthcare industry that come from the fact that nurses are being called to provide complex healthcare to service a large amount of patients. The patients are experiencing acute illnesses. An Associate’s Degree in Nursing is a nice head start. However, nurses who pursue their bachelor’s degree will be opened up to new career opportunities. They will also be able to provide better care to their patients. There are RN and BSN programs across the state that allow nurses to achieve an advanced education. A bachelor’s degree in nursing in the state of Maryland builds on knowledge gained in the nursing industry such as leadership and management of healthcare systems.
In our Maryland RN program guide, find rankings for both ADN and BSN Degree programs, tuition costs, NCLEX passing rates, and more. Research key Maryland RN Program information to help you compare program metrics and to apply to best RN program for your career in nursing.
In the State of Maryland, nurses are helping to change the face of healthcare. To ensure that they have the best education and preparation for future health care challenges, registered nurses need to graduate from a state-approved associate's degree in nursing program or a BSN degree program.
Nurses who graduate from an RN program can obtain certification in over 100 nursing specialties, go on to earn an RN to BSN or RN to MSN degree.
BSN degree holders have options to earn an Advance Practice Register Nursing (APRN) degree and become a Nurse Practitioner (NP), or earn an advanced degree for a career in any number of nursing leadership roles such Nurse Educator or Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Maryland RN Program Comparisons: ADN vs BSN
| Compare RN Programs | ADN | BSN |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Nursing Programs | 15 | 12 |
| Average NCLEX Passing Rate | 86.57% | 77.35% |
| NCLEX Passing Rate Range | 70.03% to 94.88% | 54.20% to 92.73% |
| Average Net Price | $7,345.53 | $16,989.45 |
| Average Net Price Range | $3,990.00 to $13,363.00 | $9,667.00 to $25,394.00 |
| Average Student Loan | $6,106.15 | $21,461.09 |
| Average Student Loan Range | $4,500.00 to $9,500.00 | $12,250.00 to $30,000.00 |
| See Additional Detail | ADN Rankings for Maryland State | BSN Rankings for Maryland State |
Best Ranked RN Programs in Maryland
To help nursing students in their search for a top RN program, the education experts at RNCareers.org publish their annual findings of the best nursing schools for both Maryland and the country. Schools ranked on our list have proven their ability to educate highly competent nurses.
To create our rankings, we evaluated 15 ADN degree programs and 10 BSN degree programs in Maryland. We obtained each institution’s first-time NCLEX-RN passing rates, the number of students taking the test, the program nursing accreditation and more. We then compared the results against other nursing programs in Maryland to provide our state rankings. View our methodology.
Grade | Degree | University | MD Rank | US Rank | City | Type: | Offered As: | Accreditor(s): | More: | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97.51 | ADN | Anne Arundel Community College | 1 | 53 | Arnold | Anne Arundel Community College is located in Arnold, Maryland. The school of nursing offers an RN program, an an LPN to RN Advanced Placement option, which allows LPNs to enter the program at a later time, and a Veterans to RN Advanced Placement option, which also allows the veteran to enter the program at a later time. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 97.00 | ADN | Hagerstown Community College | 2 | 67 | Hagerstown | Hagerstown Community College is located in Hagerstown, Maryland. They offer an ASN program, an LPN to RN transition program and a paramedic to RN transition program. They also offer an ATB (associate-to-bachelor’s) program inn conjunction with Frostburg University ad Towson University. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 95.89 | ADN | Cecil Community College | 3 | 113 | North East | Cecil College is located in North East, Maryland. They offer a RN program and an LPN program. On their website, Cecil College publishes certain statistics that they have collected, and they are proud to boast that over the past 5 years, their graduates have an overall 92.93% job placement rate. They also have a 98.6% student satisfaction rate with their nursing programs. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 91.96 | ADN | Harford Community College | 4 | 284 | Bel Air | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 91.72 | ADN | Allegany College | 5 | 293 | Cumberland | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 91.49 | ADN | Frederick Community College | 6 | 302 | Frederick | Frederick Community College is located in Frederick, Maryland. They offer an ADN program. Unique to their program is that they offer a day program and an evening/weekend program, which allows students to pick a program that best fits their needs. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 90.59 | ADN | Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville/Essex | 7 | 337 | Baltimore | Community College of Baltimore County is located in Baltimore, Maryland. They offer an ADN, LPN to ADN and an RN (ATB) Option. The ATB Option allows the student to be enrolled in the ADN program while beginning coursework for their BSN – this option is available at Frostburg University, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Stevenson University and Towson University. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 89.94 | ADN | Montgomery College | 8 | 365 | Rockville | Public | Campus | See School Details | |||
| 87.75 | ADN | Chesapeake College | 9 | 446 | Wye Mills | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 87.00 | ADN | Carroll Community College | 10 | 475 | Westminster | Carroll Community College is located in Westminster, Maryland. They offer an ADN program and an LPN to RN program. Carroll Community College has over 12,000 credit and non-credit students. | Public | Campus | See School Details | ||
| 86.70 | ADN | Howard Community College | 11 | 486 | Columbia | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 84.15 | ADN | College of Southern Maryland | 12 | 550 | La Plata | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 82.28 | ADN | Wor-Wic Community College | 13 | 595 | Salisbury | Public | Campus | See School Details | |||
| 80.78 | ADN | Baltimore City Community College | 14 | 616 | Baltimore | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 78.32 | ADN | Prince Georges Community College | 15 | 645 | Largo | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 95.34 | BSN | Salisbury University | 1 | 127 | Salisbury | Salisbury University is located in Salisbury, Maryland. They offer a traditional BSN program. They also offer a 2nd degree BS in nursing and an RN to BSN program. They are proud to have clinical experiences with an eight to one, student to preceptor ratio. Classroom teachers also supervise corresponding clinicals, so concepts are reinforced. | Public | Campus, Hybrid | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | |
| 89.52 | BSN | Towson University | 2 | 341 | Towson | Towson University is located in Towson, Maryland. They offer a basic BSN program. They also offer an RN Completion Program (an RN to BSN program). Towson University also offers an ATB (associates-to-bachelor’s) program in conjunction with various community colleges, where students can attend both the community college and the university at the same time. | Public | Campus | CCNE | See School Details | |
| 88.26 | BSN | Morgan State University | 3 | 369 | Baltimore | Public | Campus | CCNE | See School Details | ||
| 87.80 | BSN | Stevenson University | 4 | 384 | Stevenson | Stevenson University is located in Stevenson, Maryland. They offer a BSN program. They also offer a transfer and second degree program; this allows students with prior college credits or a prior bachelor’s degree to earn their BSN degree in two years. | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Online | ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | |
| 84.25 | BSN | Notre Dame of Maryland University | 5 | 452 | Baltimore | Notre Dame of Maryland University is located in Baltimore, Maryland. They offer a four-year, traditional BSN program. They also offer an accelerated RN to BSN program. The RN to BSN program can be completed in 12 months for RNs who also have a prior bachelor’s degree and 16 months for RNs with an associate’s degree. | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus | CCNE | See School Details | |
| 82.00 | BSN | Hood College | 6 | 472 | Frederick | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus | CCNE | See School Details | ||
| 80.91 | BSN | Coppin State University | 7 | 483 | Baltimore | Public | Campus | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 74.04 | BSN | Washington Adventist University | 8 | 517 | Takoma Park | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus | CCNE | See School Details | ||
| 66.07 | BSN | Bowie State University | 9 | 529 | Bowie | Public | Campus | ACME, COA | See School Details |
Become an Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in Maryland
RNs who wish to become advanced practice registered nurses will want to pursue any number of avenues to earn Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Earning a Master of Science in Nursing consists of graduate-level coursework and clinical practice for those nurses who wish to direct patient roles such as a nurse practitioner. You can also pursue indirect patient roles such as teaching or leadership roles, or become involved in policy, state-wide health initiatives or community engagement. There are many clinical and non-clinical avenues that an RN with MSN can pursue.Become a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in Maryland
Learn how to become a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and research schools in Maryland offering the following high paying nurse practitioner specialties:- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
Maryland RN Licensing Requirements
Maryland State Board of Nursing 4140 Patterson Avenue Baltimore, MD 21215 Phone: (410) 585-1900 Website: http://www.mbon.org/ Fees: Initial licensing fee, RN: $100 License renewal (annual), RN: $73 Continuing Education Requirements: NoneRN Licensure by Exam
Before a candidate can register and complete the NCLEX exam, he/she must obtain permission from the Board to test. Background checks are required for candidates who completed one during lower levels of education. Candidates should register for the NCLEX exam through the Pearson VUE website. There is a $200 fee to register for the exam. Exams are constantly scheduled but it is important for candidates to schedule their exam in the time frame noted in the Authorization to Test. If a candidate fails to pass the NCLEX, he/she will need to wait 45 days before attempting it again.RN Licensure by Endorsement
Programs completed out-of-state will be accepted as long as they are equivalent. Not all programs are equivalent and may need a mentor. Additionally, RNs who are licensed in one of the other 50 states will be able to gain licensure by endorsement. There is an application fee of $100 and an additional fee of $40 in order for the candidate to obtain a temporary license. Fingerprinting is required for candidates to be granted a temporary license.RN License for Nurses Educated Abroad
There are additional requirements for nurses who were trained in a foreign country. First of all the candidate must apply to the Maryland Board. The candidate should also apply for a CES Professional Report and complete an oral proficiency exam before registering to take the NCLEX. There are several exams that will be accepted in order to prove English proficiency such as: TOEFL, IELTS, and ILA. The proficiency exam may be waived if the program was completed for three years or longer in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, or Canada (with the exception of Quebec). There is a $100 fee attached to the application.RN Salaries in Maryland
Employers in Maryland highly value nurses who have obtained a BSN because it shows initiation. A BSN degree will help nurses to advance their knowledge and show dedication to the career. Opportunities that are available to nurses who have obtained a BSN may include:- Occupational nursing
- Medical oncology
- Nursing administration
- Corporate nursing
- Wound and ostomy
- Psychiatric
Maryland Registered Nursing Salaries
While there are more registered nurses in Baltimore by a large margin, it is not the highest paying area. The Bethesda metropolitan area has both the highest hourly mean wage and annual median wage.| Area name | Employment | Hourly median wage | Annual median wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Towson, MD | 29,740 | $34.52 | $71,800 |
| Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division | 8,040 | $36.34 | $75,580 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 970 | $29.49 | $61,340 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 2,040 | $33.02 | $68,670 |
| Salisbury, MD | 1,250 | (8)- | (8)- |
| Upper Eastern Shore nonmetropolitan area | 1,420 | $31.09 | $64,660 |
| Garrett County, Maryland nonmetropolitan area | 180 | $27.15 | $56,470 |
| St. Mary's County, Maryland nonmetropolitan area | 490 | $33.76 | $70,220 |