Compare tuition, NCLEX outcomes, and clinical options across Las Vegas-area nursing programs side by side.
Hiring in Las Vegas healthcare now clearly favors BSN-prepared registered nurses. The city’s medical infrastructure is expanding rapidly: new towers at Sunrise Hospital, an enlarged UNLV medical campus, and steady population growth are meeting rising patient volumes. Nevada RNs earned a median of $89,750 in 2023 (BLS), and employers routinely screen for a four-year degree over an associate’s.
The 2026 ranking compares tuition, net price, NCLEX pass rates, and clinical partnerships across UNLV’s 16-month accelerated BSN, the three-year BSN at Arizona College of Nursing, and other Las Vegas-area programs. Traditional, accelerated, and three-year formats each carry different timelines and prerequisite loads.
In a market where a few hospital systems run large nurse residency programs, a school’s clinical rotation sites at facilities like UMC or Sunrise can directly shape early job offers.
Our 2026 rankings identify the strongest nursing programs in the Las Vegas area, considering factors such as institutional graduation rates, net price, and program quality. These schools represent a range of degree levels and formats, from campus-based BSNs to online RN-to-BSN options, all within commutable distance of Las Vegas.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | Working adults needing flexible scheduling | ||
Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas offers a three-year, campus-based BSN program that combines classroom theory with hands-on simulation labs and clinical rotations starting day one. The program emphasizes NCLEX-RN preparation with a dedicated exam prep course and virtual practice tests, and small class sizes provide personalized support. The school reports an institution-wide graduation rate of about 82%.
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| #2 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | $7,000/yr | In-state students seeking a 16-month BSN | |
The University of Nevada-Las Vegas provides a traditional 16-month BSN built on a patient-centered curriculum, preparing graduates for entry-level nursing roles across diverse settings. An accelerated Direct Entry MSN is also available for career changers with a bachelor's degree. UNLV emphasizes community engagement in Southern Nevada and maintains an institution-wide graduation rate of about 51%.
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| #3 | Mohave Community College | Kingman, AZ | Aspiring RNs preferring a community college | ||
Mohave Community College in Kingman, Arizona, offers an associate degree in nursing that prepares students for RN licensure with clinical experiences that include rotations in Las Vegas. The program is NLNAC accredited and approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. The college reports an institution-wide graduation rate of about 38%.
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| #4 | Nevada State University | Henderson, NV | $5,000/yr | ||
Nevada State University in Henderson delivers a CCNE-accredited BSN grounded in a caring science philosophy, with full-time (5-semester) and part-time (10-semester) tracks to accommodate working students. The curriculum emphasizes compassionate, evidence-based care, and graduates are prepared for the NCLEX-RN. The institution-wide graduation rate is approximately 34%.
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| #5 | Carrington College-Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | |||
Carrington College-Las Vegas offers an online RN-to-BSN completion program for licensed registered nurses, designed to be completed in 15 months. The program focuses on leadership, evidence-based practice, and advanced clinical decision-making. The institution reports an overall graduation rate of about 59%.
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| #6 | College of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | |||
The College of Southern Nevada's associate degree in nursing program is known for its high NCLEX pass rates, consistently above 90%, and a 98% job placement rate. Accredited by ACEN and the Nevada State Board of Nursing, the limited-entry program serves students across multiple Las Vegas-area campuses. CSN's institution-wide graduation rate is about 19%.
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| #7 | Chamberlain University-Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | |||
Chamberlain University-Nevada in Las Vegas provides a three-year hybrid BSN that blends online coursework with on-campus labs and clinicals. The program features a SIMCARE CENTER for realistic training and allows students to specialize in the third year with tracks such as Emergency or Oncology Nursing at no extra cost. The Las Vegas campus reported a 96% NCLEX pass rate, and the institution-wide graduation rate is 20%.
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Below is a side-by-side cost comparison of BSN programs in the Las Vegas area. Published tuition is often reduced by financial aid, so the net price offers a better gauge of what students actually pay. Median graduate debt and future earnings add context for return on investment.
| School | Program Type | In-State Tuition | Out-of-State Tuition | Net Price | Median Graduate Debt | Median Earnings (10yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada State University | BSN | $6,765 | $21,833 | $14,068 | $19,691 | $53,166 |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas | BSN | $9,748 | $27,411 | $10,359 | $19,450 | $55,037 |
| Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas | BSN | $23,531 | $23,531 | $30,921 | $9,500 | $34,657 |
| Carrington College-Las Vegas | Online RN to BSN | N/A | N/A | $43,570 | $9,500 | $36,718 |
That’s the question on every prospective student’s mind, and for good reason. NCLEX-RN performance is the clearest public indicator of how well a program prepares graduates for licensure. According to the Nevada State Board of Nursing, the school with the highest recent pass rate is Brightwood College’s RN program, which reported a 100% pass rate in 2025.1 However, this figure is based on a single test-taker, so treat it as a data point rather than a definitive signal.
Multi-year trend data (2023-2025) is not yet fully published for all Las Vegas nursing schools, but the board’s second-quarter 2024 report gives a useful snapshot for the area’s two largest providers:
These percentages reflect a single quarter, so they should be viewed alongside longer-term averages once available. Still, the data highlights a clear gap: Arizona College’s first-time pass rate is nearly 18 points higher than Carrington’s.
Program-level earnings and job-placement data are not yet reported for these schools through federal scorecard databases. That said, the BSN pathway typically leads to higher lifetime earnings and broader career mobility than the ADN route. Nationally, registered nurses earned a median salary of $86,070 per year as of May 2023 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). While local figures may differ, employers in the Las Vegas hospital systems often favor BSN-prepared nurses for magnet-designated facilities and leadership tracks.
For students weighing cost versus outcomes, the NCLEX first-time pass rate remains the most actionable quality signal. A high pass rate means you are more likely to enter the workforce quickly and start earning. As more data becomes available, resources like TopNursing.org will update these comparisons, but for now, Arizona College’s strong first-time pass rate and BSN curriculum give it an edge for career-focused students.
Traditional four-year BSN programs build broad nursing competencies over eight semesters, while accelerated and three-year tracks compress the same material into a shorter window for students who are ready to move faster. In Las Vegas, several nursing schools offer these streamlined options, each tailored to different backgrounds.
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree or have completed at least 60 college credits, an accelerated BSN (ABSN) lets you transition into nursing in roughly 16 to 18 months. Grand Canyon University’s Henderson site runs a 16-month ABSN designed explicitly for career changers. Roseman University offers an 18-month ABSN on its Summerlin campus, also built for students with a prior degree. Both programs condense nursing theory, skills labs, and clinical rotations into a full-time schedule. The University of Nevada, Reno also operates a 16-month ABSN, though travel to the Reno area is required if you are based in Las Vegas.
Three-year BSN programs serve new nursing students who can sustain a year-round pace but prefer a less compressed alternative to an ABSN. Chamberlain University’s Las Vegas campus provides a Fast Track 3-Year BSN, and Galen College of Nursing offers a three-year BSN program that follows a continuous, no-summer-break calendar. Both are well suited for students without a prior degree who want to enter the workforce sooner than a traditional four-year timeline allows.
For pre-licensure students who prefer a full-time but not accelerated pace, Nevada State University’s School of Nursing delivers a pre-licensure BSN track that spans five semesters, including summers. While slightly longer than a three-year program, it still avoids the leisurely spread of a traditional fall-spring-only schedule and can be completed in under three calendar years. Check each school’s current start dates and prerequisite requirements to align with your timeline.
Clinical placements are the supervised, hands-on rotations where nursing students work directly with patients in real healthcare settings. In Las Vegas, BSN and accelerated programs rely on formal agreements with major hospital systems to provide these essential experiences.
Each nursing school in the area has built relationships with different hospital networks. UNLV’s BSN and accelerated BSN students complete most of their clinical hours at University Medical Center (UMC), the region’s only Level I trauma center and a primary teaching hospital. Roseman University’s accelerated BSN program and Nevada State University’s traditional BSN draw on a broader set of affiliates, including UMC, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center (an HCA facility), Dignity Health’s Rose Dominican Hospital, and Valley Health System’s Valley and Centennial Hills hospitals. Galen College of Nursing, located on the campus of Southern Hills Hospital, integrates students directly into the HCA/Sunrise Health system for both its ADN and BSN tracks.
Rotating through multiple hospitals exposes students to different patient populations, unit cultures, and specialty areas, from cardiac care at Sunrise to labor and delivery at Rose Dominican. This breadth sharpens clinical judgment and helps graduates identify the work environments that fit them best. Strong hospital partnerships also function as informal hiring pipelines; many students receive job offers from units where they rotated. Even during school, having several affiliated sites can mean more flexible shift options that accommodate class schedules and life obligations.
Las Vegas’s concentration of acute-care facilities, including two Level II trauma centers and the state’s only Level I center at UMC, gives nursing students exposure to high-acuity cases that many smaller or rural markets cannot offer. Proximity to these hospitals means students spend less time commuting and more time at the bedside, building competence in a fast-paced, real-world environment.
How do I sort through Las Vegas nursing schools and pick one that matches my career goals and budget? With multiple options, a consistent four-part framework helps you compare what matters.
Spending a morning on campus talking to current students and faculty often reveals more than any brochure: schedule a visit and come with a list of questions.
Prospective nursing students in Las Vegas often have similar questions about program quality, cost, and timelines. Below you will find straightforward answers to the most common inquiries, grounded in current data.
