Becoming a registered nurse (RN) requires completing an approved nursing education program, passing the national licensing exam (NCLEX-RN), and applying for a state license. The fastest route takes about two years through a community college, while a four-year bachelor’s degree opens more career doors. Here’s what each step involves and how to choose the right path.
Choose Your Education Path
Two main degrees qualify you to sit for the RN licensing exam: an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Both produce licensed registered nurses, but they differ in time, cost, and long-term opportunity.
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
An ADN is a two-year program typically offered at community colleges, though some accelerated versions finish in 18 months. The curriculum covers core nursing skills: fundamentals of patient care, medical-surgical nursing, pediatric nursing, psychiatric nursing, and community health. It’s the most affordable entry point. Community college tuition varies by state, but annual costs often fall between $3,000 and $10,000 for in-state students.
The trade-off is career flexibility. Many hospitals and health systems now prefer or require a bachelor’s degree when hiring. If you start with an ADN, you can work as an RN while completing an online RN-to-BSN bridge program later, but that adds time and tuition down the road.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
A BSN is a four-year undergraduate degree at a college or university. It covers everything in an ADN plus deeper coursework in nursing theory, public health, ethics, and pathophysiology, along with more extensive clinical training. In-state tuition at a public university runs roughly $12,000 to $15,000 per year. Out-of-state students can expect significantly more, sometimes exceeding $30,000 annually.
The investment pays off in several ways. BSN holders have a higher first-attempt pass rate on the licensing exam: 82.3% compared to 77.9% for ADN graduates, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. They also earn higher salaries on average and qualify for graduate programs if you ever want to become a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist.
Accelerated BSN for Career Changers
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, an accelerated BSN (ABSN) lets you complete nursing school in about 16 months of intensive, full-time study. The University of Florida’s program, for example, runs four consecutive semesters starting each May and finishing the following August. You’ll need a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and completed prerequisites in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, statistics, developmental psychology, and nutrition. These programs are demanding, with little room for outside work, but they’re the fastest path to a BSN for someone with prior college credit.
Complete Your Prerequisites
Before entering any nursing program, you’ll need to finish a set of prerequisite courses. Programs vary, but the common requirements include:
- Sciences: human anatomy and physiology (with labs), microbiology, chemistry, and biology
- Math: college algebra or precalculus, plus statistics
- Behavioral sciences: general psychology, developmental psychology, and introductory sociology
- English: composition courses
- Other: nutrition, cultural studies, and sometimes liberal arts electives
Each prerequisite typically needs a grade of C or higher, but competitive programs look for a B or above across the board. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is the standard threshold for most nursing schools. Programs with more applicants than seats often rank candidates by GPA and entrance exam scores, so stronger grades genuinely improve your chances of getting in.
Pick an Accredited Program
This step matters more than many applicants realize. Nursing programs are accredited by one of two bodies: the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Both are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Attending an accredited program makes you eligible for federal financial aid and ensures employers will recognize your degree. In some states, graduates of unaccredited programs cannot even sit for the licensing exam. Before you enroll anywhere, confirm the program’s accreditation status on the CCNE or ACEN website.
Pass the NCLEX-RN Exam
After graduation, you’ll take the NCLEX-RN, the national licensing exam administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The test is computerized and adaptive, meaning it adjusts difficulty based on your answers. You’ll receive between 75 and 145 questions, and the exam shuts off once the computer has enough data to determine whether you’ve met the passing standard. The maximum time allowed is five hours.
Questions cover four broad areas: safe and effective care environments, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity, and physiological integrity. Most questions are multiple choice, but you’ll also encounter select-all-that-apply items, drag-and-drop ordering, and other interactive formats. Your nursing program’s curriculum is designed to prepare you for this exam, and many students also use commercial review courses or practice question banks in the weeks before testing.
Apply for Your State License
Passing the NCLEX-RN doesn’t automatically make you licensed. You need to apply through your state’s board of nursing. The general process looks like this:
- Submit your application and fee. Initial licensing fees vary by state. In Washington, for example, an RN license costs $138 for a single-state license or $203 for a multistate license.
- Complete a background check. Every state runs a criminal background check. Many require FBI fingerprinting through a Live Scan facility or ink-on-card process. Your state board will send instructions after receiving your application.
- Wait for verification. The board confirms your nursing program completion and NCLEX results. If anything is missing, they’ll notify you.
- Receive a temporary practice permit. Some states issue a temporary permit while your FBI background check processes, allowing you to start working under supervision.
- Get your active license. Once all requirements clear, your full license is issued. In states with efficient processing, this can happen within one to two weeks of completing your background check.
Multistate Licensing
Currently, 43 states and jurisdictions participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). If you live in a compact state and meet the requirements, you can apply for a multistate license that lets you practice in any other compact state without obtaining a separate license. This is especially useful if you live near a state border, want to do travel nursing, or plan to provide telehealth services across state lines. If you move from one compact state to another, you need to apply for a new license in your new home state within 60 days.
LPN-to-RN Bridge Programs
If you’re already a licensed practical nurse (LPN), bridge programs offer a shortcut. These programs give you credit for clinical knowledge you’ve already demonstrated and focus on the additional skills needed for RN practice. A typical LPN-to-RN program takes about three semesters to complete. You’ll need an active, unrestricted LPN license, roughly 20 hours of prerequisite general education coursework, and you’ll likely take an admission exam. Your prior nursing coursework is evaluated individually for transfer credit, though most schools require that nursing courses were completed recently, usually within a few years.
What the Timeline Actually Looks Like
For someone starting from scratch with no college credits, the realistic timeline breaks down like this. Prerequisites take one to two semesters if you’re attending full-time. An ADN program adds two years after that, putting you at roughly two and a half to three years total. A BSN takes four years including prerequisites, since many universities integrate them into the first two years of the degree. After graduation, most students take the NCLEX within one to three months, and state licensing follows within a few weeks of passing.
If you already have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, an accelerated BSN can get you from application to licensed RN in about two years, including time for prerequisites you may still need. LPNs with an active license can bridge to RN status in roughly 12 to 18 months through a dedicated program. Every path has trade-offs in cost, speed, and flexibility, but all of them lead to the same license and the same title: registered nurse.