Nurses are crucial to primary care and the conservation of patient resources in the state of Virginia. Many recent changes in Virginia healthcare have resulted in a nursing shortage in hospitals statewide while at the same time, nurses are filling higher roles in providing health care services across the state. Registered nurses are encouraged to expand their knowledge of their practice as the responsibilities of nurses increase. With increasing shortages in the nursing industry, now is a better time than ever to become a registered nurse or seek out higher education in the state of Virginia.
In our Virginia RN program guide, find rankings for both ADN and BSN Degree programs, tuition costs, NCLEX passing rates, and more. Research key Virginia 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 Virginia, 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.
Virginia RN Program Comparisons: ADN vs BSN
| Compare RN Programs | ADN | BSN |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Nursing Programs | 28 | 24 |
| Average NCLEX Passing Rate | 83.57% | 87.31% |
| NCLEX Passing Rate Range | 44.54% to 100.00% | 72.13% to 98.27% |
| Average Net Price | $10,017.22 | $19,114.09 |
| Average Net Price Range | $1,946.00 to $41,243.00 | $10,914.00 to $27,941.00 |
| Average Student Loan | $8,349.00 | $19,842.74 |
| Average Student Loan Range | $3,500.00 to $23,125.00 | $9,500.00 to $38,750.00 |
| See Additional Detail | ADN Rankings for Virginia State | BSN Rankings for Virginia State |
Best Ranked RN Programs in Virginia
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 Virginia and the country. Schools ranked on our list have proven their ability to educate highly competent nurses.
To create our rankings, we evaluated 25 ADN degree programs and 22 BSN degree programs in Virginia. 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 Virginia to provide our state rankings. View our methodology.
Grade | Degree | University | VA Rank | US Rank | City | Type: | Offered As: | Accreditor(s): | More: | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97.88 | ADN | Southside Virginia Community College | 1 | 38 | Alberta | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 96.91 | ADN | Tidewater Community College | 2 | 71 | Norfolk | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 95.98 | ADN | John Tyler Community College | 3 | 107 | Chester | John Tyler Community College is located in Chester, Virginia. They offer an ADN degree with two tracks. The traditional track has classroom time Monday through Friday, with clinical experiences that may be days, evenings and/or weekends. The Hybrid Distance Education Track (HDET) is delivered online, with occasional participation on-campus. Clinical experiences are still days, evenings and/or weekends. | Public | Campus, Online | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 95.17 | ADN | Germanna Community College | 4 | 143 | Locust Grove | Germanna Community College is located in Locust Grove, Virginia. They offer an ADN degree. They also offer an LPN advanced placement option. Programs must be completed on a full-time basis. They also offer a variety of other programs, such as an LPN program, a nurse’s aide program, and a surgical nurse program, which is a program for LPNs to learn how to be a surgical scrub nurse. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 95.06 | ADN | Danville Community College | 5 | 147 | Danville | Public | Campus | See School Details | |||
| 94.18 | ADN | Rappahannock Community College | 6 | 186 | Glenns | Rappahannock Community College is located in Glenns, Virginia. They offer an ADN program that is completed in five semesters. They also have recently offered an advanced placement option for LPNs. RCC broke ground in 1970 and opened its doors in 1971. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 94.13 | ADN | New River Community College | 7 | 189 | Dublin | New River Community College is located in Dublin, Virginia. NRCC offers an ADN program and an LPN to RN bridge program. The bridge program can be completed in 3 semesters. Botth programs can be extended and be completed on a part-time basis. | Public | Campus | See School Details | ||
| 94.07 | ADN | Dabney S. Lancaster Community College | 8 | 192 | Clifton Forge | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 93.87 | ADN | Bryant & Stratton College-Richmond | 9 | 203 | North Chesterfield | Private For-Profit | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 92.92 | ADN | Northern Virginia CC Online | 10 | 246 | Annandale | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 92.65 | ADN | Virginia Western Community College | 11 | 261 | Roanoke | Public | Campus | See School Details | |||
| 90.26 | ADN | J. Sargeant Reynolds CC LPN to ADN (Evening) | 12 | 351 | Richmond | Reynolds Community College is located in Richmond, Virginia. They offer a practical nursing program, an ADN program and an LPN to ADN program. The LPN to ADN program can be completed full-time or part-time; they also have traditional classtimes or evening/weekend options, which makes it ideal for the working nurse. | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | |
| 88.38 | ADN | Centra College of Nursing | 13 | 420 | Lynchburg | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Online | See School Details | |||
| 87.61 | ADN | Thomas Nelson Comm College - Historic Triangle Campus | 14 | 454 | Hampton | Public | Campus, Online | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 87.15 | ADN | Piedmont Virginia Community College | 15 | 471 | Charlottesville | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 85.50 | ADN | Paul D Camp Community College | 16 | 518 | Franklin | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 85.18 | ADN | Wytheville Community College | 17 | 523 | Wytheville | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 80.40 | ADN | Patrick Henry Community College | 18 | 624 | Martinsville | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 79.04 | ADN | Blue Ridge Community College | 19 | 639 | Weyers Cave | Public | Campus | ACEN | See School Details | ||
| 65.85 | ADN | Global Health College | 20 | 702 | Alexandria | Private For-Profit | Campus | See School Details | |||
| 99.33 | BSN | Longwood University | 1 | 5 | Farmville | Public | Campus | CCNE | See School Details | ||
| 98.36 | BSN | University of Virginia-MSN | 2 | 27 | Charlottesville | Public | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 98.15 | BSN | South University | 3 | 33 | Glen Allen | Private For-Profit | Campus | ACME, COA | See School Details | ||
| 96.89 | BSN | Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing | 4 | 74 | Richmond | Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing is located in Richmond, Virginia. They offer a traditional BSN degree and an online RN to BSN degree. The online program can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis and is designed with the working nurse in mind. The college has a Clinical Simulator Center, which offers an 8-bed Med/Surg unit, an adult critical care unit, a pediatric unit and a maternal/child unit. | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Online | CCNE | See School Details | |
| 96.74 | BSN | Geo. Mason Univ. Acc 2nd Deg | 5 | 78 | Fairfax | Public | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 96.44 | BSN | Sentara College of Health Sciences | 6 | 88 | Chesapeake | Sentara College of Health Sciences is located in Chesapeake, Virginia. Sentara College is a division of Sentara Healthcare; it seeks to educate healthcare professionals in a variety of careers, but especially nursing. Not only do they offer a BSN program, but they offer an online RN to BSN program, an option for LPNs to join their BSN program and they also allow for early entrance into the program for college freshman. | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Online | CCNE | See School Details | |
| 96.39 | BSN | Radford University (Roanoke) | 7 | 91 | Radford | Public | Campus, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 96.18 | BSN | James Madison University | 8 | 102 | Harrisonburg | James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, Viriginia. JMU offers a tradtional BSN degree and an online RN to BSN degree. The RN to BSN program can also be utilized for students looking to earn a second bachelor’s degree. The program can be done full-time, in one year, or part-time, in two years. | Public | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | |
| 95.76 | BSN | Hampton University | 9 | 114 | Hampton | Hampton University offers Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Accelerated LPN to BSN and RN to BSN, MS and PhD | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | |
| 95.31 | BSN | Liberty University | 10 | 129 | Lynchburg | Liberty University is located in Lynchburg, Virginia. They offer a BSN program, which is available to residential students, and an online RN to BSN program. Most students complete the program in 2 years. | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | |
| 94.12 | BSN | Marymount University-Accelerated | 11 | 184 | Arlington | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Hybrid | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 93.67 | BSN | Jefferson College of Health Sciences US28507100 | 12 | 209 | Roanoke | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 93.53 | BSN | Norfolk State University Traditional | 13 | 213 | Norfolk | Public | Campus | See School Details | |||
| 93.38 | BSN | Virginia Commonwealth University | 14 | 221 | Richmond | Public | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 91.80 | BSN | University of Lynchburg | 15 | 274 | Lynchburg | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Online | ACME, COA | See School Details | ||
| 91.60 | BSN | The University of Virginia's College at Wise | 16 | 282 | Wise | Public | Campus | CCNE | See School Details | ||
| 89.45 | BSN | Shenandoah University -Eleanor Wade Custer | 17 | 342 | Winchester | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Hybrid, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | ||
| 88.53 | BSN | Eastern Mennonite University | 18 | 361 | Harrisonburg | Private Not-For-Profit | Campus, Online | CCNE | See School Details | ||
| 88.46 | BSN | Old Dominion University | 19 | 364 | Norfolk | Old Dominion University is located in Norfolk, Virginia. They offer a pre-licensure BSN program (designed for new college students) and a post-licensure program (for RNs seeking a BSN degree). They also offer several graduate options, some of which are offered online. ODU originated in 1930 as a division of The College of William and Mary; it became a separate institution in 1962 and gained university status in 1969. | Public | Campus, Online | ACEN, ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details | |
| 86.39 | BSN | Chamberlain College of Nursing | 20 | 420 | Arlington | Private For-Profit | Campus | ACME, COA | See School Details | ||
| 83.39 | BSN | South University - Virginia Beach | 21 | 459 | Virginia Beach | Private For-Profit | Campus | ACME, COA | See School Details | ||
| 77.87 | BSN | Stratford University | 22 | 502 | Fairfax | Private For-Profit | Campus | ACME, CCNE, COA | See School Details |
Become an Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in Virginia
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 Virginia
Learn how to become a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and research schools in Virginia 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 Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
Virginia RN Licensing Requirements
Virginia State Board of Nursing Perimeter Center 9960 Maryland Drive, Suite 300 Henrico, VA 23233-1463 (804) 367-4400 Fees: Initial licensing fee, RN: $190 License renewal: Not listed on web site Continuing Education Requirements: NoneRN Licensure by Exams
After completing an approved nursing program in Virginia, the candidate will fill out an application online and register for the NCLEX exam through the Pearson VUE website. There is a $200 fee that the candidate will pay to register. When the candidate will be able to schedule the exam only when he/she has received the authorization to test. Candidates who are unsuccessful in passing the exam will be able to retake it after filling out an application for re-examination and paying a $50 fee to the Virginia Board.RN License by Endorsement
Registered nurses who have obtained licensure in one of the other 50 states will be able to gain licensure in Virginia by endorsement. Candidates must submit verification of licensure.RN License for Nurses Educated Abroad
Canadian registered nurses are eligible for licensure by endorsement as long as the nursing education was completed in English and they passed the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination. Other internationally educated applicants will be required to take the CGFNS exam prior to the NCLEX. Foreign nursing candidates should call the Board as well as Puerto Rican nurses who have not taken the NCLEX exam.RN Salaries in Virginia
It is predicted that there will be a 12.6% growth in the population of Virginia by the year 2020. Health care delivery and resources may be stretched to the limit in Virginia with a large age growth in the state. In order to cope with the growing need for services, a majority of the health care workforce growth is anticipated to be in nursing. Now is a better time than ever to pursue higher education to help nurses be prepared to take advantage of new opportunities that may arise.Virginia Registered Nursing Salaries
The Richmond metropolitan area has the highest number of registered nurses employed along with the highest hourly mean wage and annual median wage.| Area name | Employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual median wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 1,020 | $26.51 | $54,090 |
| Charlottesville, VA | 2,890 | $30.86 | $63,590 |
| Danville, VA | 530 | $26.71 | $54,140 |
| Harrisonburg, VA | Estimate not released | $25.82 | $51,870 |
| Lynchburg, VA | 2,030 | $27.02 | $54,770 |
| Richmond, VA | 14,350 | $30.66 | $63,770 |
| Roanoke, VA | 4,150 | $28.45 | $58,670 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 13,650 | $28.99 | $60,540 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 1,230 | $25.12 | $50,620 |
| Southwestern Virginia nonmetropolitan area | 1,890 | $24.50 | $50,180 |
| Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area | 1,250 | $26.33 | $54,040 |
| Northeastern Virginia nonmetropolitan area | 530 | $25.64 | $52,090 |
| Northwestern Virginia nonmetropolitan area | 1,880 | $29.66 | $60,550 |
