Oregon's Best Nursing Schools for 2020

Lane Community College is located in Eugene, Oregon.  They offer an LPN certificate, an ADN degree and an LPN to RN bridge option.  The bridge option allows LPNs to enter the into the second year of the ADN program.

Rogue Community College is locate in Grants Pass, Oregon.  They offer an ADN degree; they also offer an advanced placement option for LPNs for the second year of the nursing program.  In order to be eligible for advanced placement, you must have worked at least 500 hours as an LPN.  The program reserves at least 4 spots for LPNs.

Chemeketa Community College is located in Salem, Oregon.  Their program is a ladder program, where first the student earns their LPN and then their RN degree.  They also have an LPN to RN entry option, should a spot open up in the program for an eligible LPN.  They also have inter-institutional agreements with Oregon Health Sciences University, University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and Linfield College for students seeking RN to BSN programs.

Clackamas Community College is located in Eugene, Oregon.  CCC offers an ADN degree.  CCC opened in 1966 and has evolved into a school with 3 campuses and more than 38,000 students, with over 1,300 classes taught each term.

Central Oregon Community College is located in Bend, Oregon.  COCC offers ADN program.  Their program is a career ladder program, with an exit point that at the Practical Nurse (PN) and Registered Nurse (RN) levels.  Their program is highly competitive.

Clatsop Community College is located in Astoria, Oregon.  They currently offer an ADN program.  Effective as of Fall 2016, they no longer offer an LPN program and are subsequently no longer offering advanced placement for their RN program.

Linn-Benton Community College is located in Albany, Oregon.  They have an ADN program.  LPNs may be accepted for advanced placement, on a space available basis.  Linn-Benton Community College does have articulation agreements with Oregon Health Sciences University and Linfield College for students to enroll in to complete their BSN after graduation.

Portland Community College is located in Portland, Oregon.  PCC offers an ADN program that is highly competitive; they receive anywhere from 500 to 800 applications per year, when they have approximately 80 spots in their program.  Entrance is based on a points system and students can earn more points based on prior healthcare experience, such as working as an LPN or a paramedic.

Mt. Hood Community College is located in Gresham, Oregon.  They offer an ADN program.  They also accept LPNs into the third quarter of the program, contingent on their being space available.  MTCC is a partner in the Oregon Corsortium for Nursing Education (OCNE), which means that students may have co-admission to MTCC and Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing.

Treasure Valley Community College is located in Ontario, Oregon.  Their offer an ADN  program.  Admission into their program is based on a points system; students with healthcare experience, such as LPNs, paramedics, and nurses aides, can earn more points based on the number of hours they have practiced nursing.

Columbia Gorge Community College is located in The Dalles, Oregon.  CGCC’s nursing program is a career ladder program, meaning that the student first earns their LPN and subsequently their RN.  The student may choose to opt out of the RN portion after they earn their LPN if they so choose.

Umpqua Community College is located in Roseburg, Oregon.  They offer an ADN degree.  Students may also elect to co-enroll inn Oregon Health Sciences University, meaning that they will attend both schools simultaneously, one for their ADN, the other for their BSN.

Concordia University is located in Portland, Oregon.  They have a BSN program.  Beginning in 2016, they began an accelerated BSN (ABSN) program, allowing students with prior college credits to earn their BSN in 16 months.  A CNA license is required prior to entrance into either BSN program.

Linfield College is located in Portland, Oregon.  The Good Samaritan School of Nursing has been providing nursing education since 1892.  It was originally a diploma program, and became a BSN program in 1982.  They offer a BSN program, an accelerated BSN program that can be completed in 15 months and an RN to BSN program, which is offered online.

George Fox University is located in Newberg, Oregon.  George Fox University is a nationally ranked Christian university.  George Fox offers a BSN program. At this time, they do not offer a separate RN to BSN option.

University of Portland is located in Portland, Oregon.  NursingSchoolAlmanac.com has rated University of Portland’s nursing program as #4 in the West and #46 nationally.  They offer a BSN program; at this time, they do not offer an RN to BSN option.