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.
This list brings together accredited nursing programs in the Las Vegas area, from accelerated BSN and direct-entry MSN tracks to ADN-to-BSN pathways. We compared schools on affordability, flexibility, clinical placement strength, and post-completion outcomes. The cards below highlight what makes each program distinct for students preparing for RN licensure in Southern Nevada.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | ~$7,000/yr (est.) | Las Vegas students wanting public university options | |
UNLV's School of Nursing offers a traditional 16-month BSN and a direct-entry MSN for students who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field. The curriculum emphasizes patient-centered care, health equity, and interprofessional collaboration, with clinical connections across the Las Vegas valley. As a public university, it provides a lower in-state tuition path for Nevada residents. CCNE accredited
ACEN accredited
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| #2 | Nevada State University | Henderson, NV | ~$14,000/yr (est.) | Working adults needing part-time BSN enrollment | |
Nevada State University in Henderson offers a CCNE-accredited BSN with both full-time and part-time tracks, built around a caring-science curriculum. Small class sizes and clinical experiences across the Las Vegas-Henderson region support students preparing for the NCLEX-RN and entry-level nursing roles. CCNE accredited
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| #3 | Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | $31,000/yr (est. net price) | Career changers needing multiple annual starts | |
Arizona College of Nursing-Las Vegas offers a three-year campus-based BSN with clinical rotations beginning in the first semester. The program combines evening general education courses with nursing core classes and includes structured NCLEX-RN preparation. Multiple start dates each year and transfer credit options help students fit the program around other commitments. CCNE accredited
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| #4 | Roseman University of Health Sciences | Henderson, NV | |||
Roseman University's Henderson campus offers an accelerated BSN that can be completed in under 18 months, with on-campus or hybrid-online formats. The program starts four times per year and uses rolling admissions. Its Southern Nevada location provides access to diverse clinical sites, and strong recent NCLEX and employment outcomes support the accelerated path. Rolling admissions
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| #5 | Chamberlain University-Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | ~$27,000/yr (est.) | ||
Chamberlain University's Las Vegas campus offers a three-year hybrid BSN that combines online coursework with in-person labs and clinicals. Students train in the SIMCARE CENTER and can add a specialty focus in their third year. The program has no application fee and offers multiple scholarship opportunities. Military benefits
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| #6 | Touro University Nevada | Henderson, NV | |||
Touro University Nevada offers a one-year online RN-to-BSN for registered nurses who already hold an associate degree. The program has no travel requirements and starts three times a year. A Valley Health System affiliation may provide a tuition discount for eligible employees. Employer tuition reimbursementFully online option
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| #7 | Carrington College-Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | $44,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
Carrington College's Las Vegas campus offers an ADN that can be completed in about 23 months and an online RN-to-BSN for working registered nurses. The ADN includes supervised clinical rotations and simulation labs across acute, long-term, and community settings. The campus holds Nevada Board of Nursing approval and prepares graduates for the NCLEX-RN. Military benefits
Fully online option
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| #8 | University of Nevada-Reno | Reno, NV | $16,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
University of Nevada, Reno offers multiple BSN pathways through the Orvis School of Nursing, including a 16-month accelerated BSN and a fully online RN-to-BSN. Clinical placements are coordinated for all BSN students. The accelerated tracks serve students with prior college coursework or a bachelor's degree.
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| #9 | Western Nevada College | Carson City, NV | $13,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
Western Nevada College offers an associate degree in nursing that prepares students for the NCLEX-RN through classroom and clinical coursework. The program emphasizes small class sizes and strong licensure outcomes, with campuses in Carson City and Fallon. ACEN accredited
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| #10 | Carrington College-Reno | Reno, NV | $52,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
Carrington College's Reno campus offers a campus-based ADN that can be completed in as few as 23 months. The program combines classroom, simulation lab, and supervised clinical training across acute, long-term, and community settings. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN. ACEN accredited
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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.
