What Does an RN to BSN Entail
There are two primary ways to earn your registered nurse license and move forward in your career in professional nursing. You could complete an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and then pass your licensing examination, or you could complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The former is perfectly adequate for pursuing a long and successful career in nursing. However, at some point, you might wish to improve your nursing practice and gain more opportunities in leadership and management. In that case, you may want to pursue a Nursing RN to BSN bridge program, which will end by providing you a full BSN degree.
Registered nurses (RNs) are healthcare professionals who play a large role in patient care. To achieve this status, RNs have a minimum of an associate degree in nursing from a nursing program approved by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and have also passed the required national licensure examination. Registered nurses can expand their knowledge and credentials with a full four-year, traditional or fully online BSN degree in nursing (with nursing courses designed for working nurses) or even a graduate diploma from your state university or a college of nursing.
When you become an RN, you are often the one that patients see the most. You will help doctors collect various tissue or fluid samples for the purposes of monitoring or diagnosis and registered nurses also monitor patients, organize medical record charts, and operate medical equipment, among other duties.
Most registered nurses tend to focus on a particular ward of the hospital such as maternity, cancer, or mental health. Others work in more high-intensity areas such as the Emergency Room or surgery. Those with the proper background and training can specialize in areas such as neurology, or assist in heart surgeries. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the RN credential are a baseline stepping stone to a long career in healthcare, which students can complete even more quickly with a Nursing-RN to BSN online or in-person program.
Having a BSN means that you will be an RN who has completed a full four-year degree. An ADN is the easiest route to becoming an RN and your baccalaureate degree will help you stand out in the pack. When you graduate with a typical BSN bachelor's degree, pass the national licensing examination, and start work, your professional nursing duties will be nearly identical to any other RN performing bedside care.
Your four-year degree necessarily means you have more knowledge and likely better skills than another RN with an ADN and equivalent experience. Your BSN degree in nursing also means that you can acquire more specialized skills that take you past bedside care and into deeper realms of clinical care and community health.
Completion of your Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, whether you choose from RN to BSN online programs or begin with a bachelor's degree, will also allow you to easily apply for a master's degree if you wish to pursue a specialty that requires graduate work, or you choose to move into other areas of healthcare. Your four-year degree could help you open a new career in hospital administration and policy creation, teaching evidence-based practice, community health nursing, or healthcare informatics.
Top 25 Best Online RN to BSN Programs
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Score: 83.29
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,205
- Out-of-State:$40,603
- Net Price: $13,376
- Acceptance Rate: 49%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Total Enrollment: 48,956
- Undergrad Students: 36,306
- Graduate Students: 12,650
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
Ohio State University
Score: 79.39
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,859
- Out-of-State:$38,365
- Net Price: $19,582
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
- Total Enrollment: 60,540
- Undergrad Students: 46,123
- Graduate Students: 14,417
- Grads Salary: $77,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Texas A&M University-College Station
Score: 78.93
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $13,099
- Out-of-State:$40,328
- Net Price: $20,375
- Acceptance Rate: 63%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
- Total Enrollment: 74,014
- Undergrad Students: 57,512
- Graduate Students: 16,502
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
University of Delaware
Score: 78.46
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $16,080
- Out-of-State:$39,720
- Net Price: $18,044
- Acceptance Rate: 74%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 80%
- Total Enrollment: 24,039
- Undergrad Students: 19,482
- Graduate Students: 4,557
- Grads Salary: $81,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
University of Rochester
Score: 78.19
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,348
- Out-of-State:$64,348
- Net Price: $39,775
- Acceptance Rate: 39%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 90%
- Total Enrollment: 12,197
- Undergrad Students: 6,767
- Graduate Students: 5,430
- Grads Salary: $86,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Clemson University
Score: 77.03
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $15,554
- Out-of-State:$39,498
- Net Price: $24,577
- Acceptance Rate: 43%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
- Total Enrollment: 28,466
- Undergrad Students: 22,566
- Graduate Students: 5,900
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
Kettering College
Score: 76.92
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $15,672
- Out-of-State:$15,672
- Net Price: $16,398
- Acceptance Rate: 34%
- Retention Rate: 73%
- Graduation Rate: 50%
- Total Enrollment: 832
- Undergrad Students: 645
- Graduate Students: 187
- Grads Salary: $91,000
- Student-to-faculty: 8:1
University of Florida-Online
Score: 76.5
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $3,876
- Out-of-State:$16,579
- Net Price: $10,791
- Acceptance Rate: 65%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 79%
- Total Enrollment: 5,356
- Undergrad Students: 5,356
- Graduate Students: N/A
- Grads Salary: $79,000
- Student-to-faculty: 54:1
University of Central Florida
Score: 75.53
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $6,368
- Out-of-State:$22,467
- Net Price: $13,108
- Acceptance Rate: 41%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 76%
- Total Enrollment: 68,346
- Undergrad Students: 58,662
- Graduate Students: 9,684
- Grads Salary: $71,000
- Student-to-faculty: 29:1
Auburn University
Score: 75.43
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,536
- Out-of-State:$33,944
- Net Price: $25,271
- Acceptance Rate: 44%
- Retention Rate: 93%
- Graduation Rate: 81%
- Total Enrollment: 31,764
- Undergrad Students: 25,379
- Graduate Students: 6,385
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 20:1
Michigan State University
Score: 75.27
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $15,988
- Out-of-State:$43,372
- Net Price: $22,803
- Acceptance Rate: 88%
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 82%
- Total Enrollment: 50,023
- Undergrad Students: 39,201
- Graduate Students: 10,822
- Grads Salary: $79,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
George Mason University
Score: 74.89
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $13,815
- Out-of-State:$39,397
- Net Price: $18,479
- Acceptance Rate: 90%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 71%
- Total Enrollment: 39,049
- Undergrad Students: 27,014
- Graduate Students: 12,035
- Grads Salary: $82,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
University of Utah
Score: 74.51
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,315
- Out-of-State:$29,837
- Net Price: $12,399
- Acceptance Rate: 89%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 65%
- Total Enrollment: 34,734
- Undergrad Students: 26,355
- Graduate Students: 8,379
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
George Washington University
Score: 74.43
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,990
- Out-of-State:$64,990
- Net Price: $42,723
- Acceptance Rate: 49%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
- Total Enrollment: 25,939
- Undergrad Students: 11,482
- Graduate Students: 14,457
- Grads Salary: $85,000
- Student-to-faculty: 12:1
Regis University
Score: 74.32
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $43,980
- Out-of-State:$43,980
- Net Price: $26,377
- Acceptance Rate: 76%
- Retention Rate: 72%
- Graduation Rate: 67%
- Total Enrollment: 4,668
- Undergrad Students: 2,398
- Graduate Students: 2,270
- Grads Salary: $89,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
University of Illinois Chicago
Score: 74.31
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $14,338
- Out-of-State:$29,360
- Net Price: $10,384
- Acceptance Rate: 79%
- Retention Rate: 78%
- Graduation Rate: 62%
- Total Enrollment: 33,747
- Undergrad Students: 21,807
- Graduate Students: 11,940
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
Stanbridge University
Score: 74.12
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $36,710
- Out-of-State:$36,710
- Net Price: $21,416
- Acceptance Rate: 10%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 62%
- Total Enrollment: 2,259
- Undergrad Students: 2,035
- Graduate Students: 224
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
Molloy University
Score: 73.96
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $37,840
- Out-of-State:$37,840
- Net Price: $27,243
- Acceptance Rate: 77%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
- Total Enrollment: 4,807
- Undergrad Students: 3,271
- Graduate Students: 1,536
- Grads Salary: $85,000
- Student-to-faculty: 10:1
Florida International University
Score: 73.93
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $6,565
- Out-of-State:$18,963
- Net Price: $9,881
- Acceptance Rate: 64%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 69%
- Total Enrollment: 55,609
- Undergrad Students: 45,688
- Graduate Students: 9,921
- Grads Salary: $71,000
- Student-to-faculty: 24:1
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Score: 73.57
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $8,578
- Out-of-State:$20,228
- Net Price: $13,799
- Acceptance Rate: 82%
- Retention Rate: 79%
- Graduation Rate: 62%
- Total Enrollment: 2,842
- Undergrad Students: 1,982
- Graduate Students: 860
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Score: 73.35
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,770
- Out-of-State:$24,662
- Net Price: $18,588
- Acceptance Rate: 78%
- Retention Rate: 80%
- Graduation Rate: 63%
- Total Enrollment: 9,237
- Undergrad Students: 7,169
- Graduate Students: 2,068
- Grads Salary: $83,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Arizona State University
Score: 72.74
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,051
- Out-of-State:$32,193
- Net Price: $14,808
- Acceptance Rate: 90%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 67%
- Total Enrollment: 80,065
- Undergrad Students: 65,492
- Graduate Students: 14,573
- Grads Salary: $77,000
- Student-to-faculty: 19:1
University of Houston
Score: 72.7
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,711
- Out-of-State:$22,191
- Net Price: $14,056
- Acceptance Rate: 66%
- Retention Rate: 85%
- Graduation Rate: 63%
- Total Enrollment: 46,700
- Undergrad Students: 37,943
- Graduate Students: 8,757
- Grads Salary: $76,000
- Student-to-faculty: 21:1
Rutgers University-Camden
Score: 72.35
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $17,079
- Out-of-State:$35,841
- Net Price: $14,151
- Acceptance Rate: 77%
- Retention Rate: 79%
- Graduation Rate: 65%
- Total Enrollment: 5,966
- Undergrad Students: 4,185
- Graduate Students: 1,781
- Grads Salary: $75,000
- Student-to-faculty: 13:1
University of Iowa
Score: 72.05
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,964
- Out-of-State:$32,927
- Net Price: $19,587
- Acceptance Rate: 86%
- Retention Rate: 89%
- Graduation Rate: 74%
- Total Enrollment: 30,015
- Undergrad Students: 21,973
- Graduate Students: 8,042
- Grads Salary: $73,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
Important Questions to Ask (FAQ)
How much does an online RN to BSN Program cost?
The cost of your RN to BSN online program will depend on the school you choose. Private schools can often charge many times what you can find at public colleges and universities. Further, there are many online RN to BSN degree programs offered. These programs frequently allow you to work as an RN while not paying any extra out-of-state fees and they are designed for working nurses who already have an associate degree and want to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
What types of schools offer these online programs?
A wide range of schools offer online RN to BSN transition programs. Thus, you can choose between a large state university, smaller nursing colleges, and some fully online RN to BSN degree in nursing programs offered through all sorts of institutions. The main thing is to make sure that whatever institution you choose is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
How many students graduate “on time”, in about 2 years?
It's very difficult to determine how many students complete their RN to BSN program in the prescribed two years. However, in the case of four-year degrees, it has been shown that women and students at highly competitive colleges tend to graduate within a six-year window.
If you have your RN and are seeking a more advanced degree, do your best to attend your BSN program on a full-time basis. If you wish to work while completing an online RN to BSN degree but find it difficult to make enough time for your studies, consider cutting your work hours before reducing your course load to part-time. After all, your education is something you'll have forever. A minor financial setback will be forgotten as soon as you graduate from your university and your nursing career reaches the next level.
What kind of accreditation should the program have?
Your RN to BSN nursing program should be accredited by a national accrediting agency. That is, your program should meet the standards of the US Department of Education and be nationally recognized. National accreditation will serve you very well as your degree will be recognized by graduate schools nationwide, and online. Employers will also need to see that your coursework was approved by an independent accrediting body. Make sure you thoroughly research your program's accreditation. Here are the primary national accrediting bodies for online nursing programs:
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (formerly National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission) (ACEN)
Professional Organizations
ANA
American Nurses Association
This association has chapters nationwide. As a member, you will have access to free webinars, discounted continuing education units, a career center, and leadership opportunities, among other benefits. The association also offers periodicals and networking opportunities that will benefit your career for a lifetime.
ENA
Emergency Nurses Association
If you work on the front lines of the healthcare industry, the Emergency Room, you will want to join your colleagues in this association. Members enjoy free continuing education units every month, online courses, publications, discounts, and career development, among many other benefits.
NBNA
National Black Nurses Association
Black nurses who join this association receive fantastic benefits including leadership opportunities, continuing education hours, access to a career center, and instructive webinars. The association also supports a range of scholarships to support the future of nursing.