Top Nursing Schools in New Hampshire for Online RN to BSN Degrees

At Southern New Hampshire University, an active RN license alone counts for 45 of the 120 credits a BSN requires, and the remaining coursework runs in 8-week online terms at $354 per credit.

That structure matters to a New Hampshire nurse with an ADN or hospital diploma who can't trade 12-hour shifts for classroom seats. Every school ranked here is in-state, so SNHU, UNH, Rivier, Colby-Sawyer, and Franklin Pierce can be compared side by side, CCSNH transfer pathways and practicum rules included.

As for the "6-month" promise, finish time depends less on marketing than on how many credits a school accepts and how many it requires on its own transcript.

How We Weighed Online Delivery, Cost, and Outcomes

Before any other factor counted, an RN to BSN online program had to be deliverable online or through a hybrid model flexible enough for a working New Hampshire RN. From that qualifying pool, the programs below are ordered using a balanced quality composite rather than a single headline metric. The order is not a ranking by cheapest tuition, fastest completion, or highest reported earnings.

What Shaped the Order

The composite weighs average cost of RN to BSN programs after financial aid, the institution's overall graduation rate, nursing-specific earnings after completing the degree where those figures are reported, median debt at graduation, and program-level accreditation. That mix is meant to surface programs that combine realistic affordability with evidence of student follow-through and later labor-market return, without pretending any one number tells the whole story.

Where the Data Needs a Disclaimer

Two caveats matter for your own comparison. Graduation rates are collected at the institutional level, so they describe the whole school, not just RN to BSN students. Net price is also an average after aid across all undergraduate students, not a quote for what a specific RN to BSN enrollee will pay. Use both as screening signals, not personal predictions.

We disclose this because competing New Hampshire rankings rarely explain their criteria. Once you know the factors, you can apply the same lens to any other accredited program you are considering, even one not listed below.

Best Online RN to BSN Nursing Schools in New Hampshire

Below are the online and hybrid RN to BSN programs open to New Hampshire nurses, ordered by a mix of cost, completion, earnings, and debt. Each entry covers what the program asks of you, how the coursework runs, and the kind of nurse it tends to suit.

Per-Credit Tuition and True Total Cost at Each School

At SNHU, the RN to BSN costs $354 per credit, so the 30-credit minimum you must complete there comes to about $10,620, while SNHU's estimated program tuition of $26,550 reflects a student who transfers in fewer credits. UNH's per-credit rate could not be confirmed, but its estimated program tuition sits near $12,000, the same as Plymouth State's. In the Phoenix vs SNHU comparison, Phoenix charges a nearly identical $350 per credit but typically requires 33 credits plus a $170 resource fee per course, landing near $14,000, while its competency-based track at $300 per credit drops to about $9,900. These figures cover program tuition only, which is why they differ from the institution-level net price in the ranking above: net price averages costs after grants for full-time, first-time undergraduates and includes housing and other expenses, not the part-time, transfer-heavy path most working RNs follow.

Transfer Credits, Residency Rules, and Realistic Finish Times

The more credit a school gives you for what you already know, the faster you finish, but every school sets a floor on how much you must earn with them. That floor, not your license, decides how short your path can get.

How Credits Stack

Most RN to BSN pathways build your 120-credit degree from three pieces: block credit for an unencumbered RN license, transferred ADN coursework, and general education. The remainder is what you take at the receiving school. Minimum residency credits set the ceiling on everything else in RN to BSN requirements.

• SNHU: An unencumbered RN license awards 45 credits. SNHU accepts up to 90 transfer credits in total, so the license plus up to 45 more academic credits can count. At least 30 credits must be completed at SNHU.
• UNH: Requires an earned associate degree in nursing and an active RN license. UNH also permits up to 90 transferred credits and requires 30 at UNH. The sources reviewed do not state a separate block award for the license, so ask for a transcript evaluation.

For Rivier, Plymouth State, and Colby-Sawyer, the policies on license credit, transfer caps, and residency were not confirmed for 2026. Get those figures in writing from admissions before you compare them with SNHU or UNH.

So, How Many Credits Is an RN License Worth?

At SNHU, 45. Elsewhere, the answer varies by school and by how your ADN transcript is evaluated, so treat any single number as a starting estimate rather than a promise.

Realistic Finish Times

A working RN taking one or two courses per term should plan on roughly 12 to 24 months. Shift work, clinical schedules, and prerequisite gaps are what stretch it. UNH lists its completion time as varying, which fits that reality.

The best case looks different: maximum transfer leaves 30 credits to earn, and a full-time load on accelerated terms can compress them into a timeline matching the fastest RN to BSN programs. SNHU advertises completion in as little as one year for nurses with a license and enough prior credit, and one 2026 listing describes three full-time semesters.

The 6-Month Question

No source reviewed establishes a 6-month RN to BSN at any New Hampshire school. To get there, you would need all of the following:

• Your ADN, license, and general education credits maxing out the 90-credit transfer cap.
• No missing prerequisites after your transcript review.
• A full-time course load, with no work conflicts.
• Accelerated terms with courses available when you need them.

Most NH RNs working full or part time won't meet every condition. Plan for a year as an ambitious target and two years as a comfortable one.

Getting From a CCSNH Associate Degree to a UNH or SNHU BSN

Both pathways let a nurse with an Associate Degree in Nursing from one of New Hampshire's community colleges carry most of that coursework into an online bachelor's degree. They work differently, so the details matter.

The UNH Pathway

The University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies offers New Hampshire residents with an Associate of Science in Nursing from any NH community college a route to its online RN to BSN. Past graduates qualify as well as current students, and no recent-graduation cutoff is stated. Acceptance requires a completed ASN, a passing NCLEX-RN result, and good standing.

The degree totals 120 credits, and UNH accepts up to 90 transfer credits. Students pay the same per-credit rate as community-college courses. Published figures differ by source: Manchester Community College cites $215 per credit¹, while CCSNH's 2026-27 schedule lists $238 in-state. Confirm the current rate with UNH before budgeting.

Co-enrolling in UNH classes before you finish the ADN is not something UNH's public materials establish. The closest option is NHTI's dual admission nursing program, which places 90 credits at the community college and 30 at UNH CPS.²

The SNHU Partnership

SNHU's nursing partnership covers all seven CCSNH colleges. It offers joint admission and advising, guided transfer, and discounted tuition for community-college transfer students. SNHU does not publish the discounted per-credit amount, so ask an advisor for it in writing. The standard RN to BSN rate is $354 per credit. SNHU awards 45 credits for an unencumbered RN license and accepts up to 45 more, for 90 total. A student who transfers all 90 needs 30 credits, about $10,620 before aid and before any partner discount.

Some students can take SNHU courses while still in the associate program. At Manchester Community College this dual enrollment is optional and covers non-nursing courses only, not NUR courses.¹

Which One Fits

Choose UNH if keeping the per-credit price near community-college tuition matters most and you are a New Hampshire resident. Choose SNHU if you want to start early through dual enrollment, prefer 8-week online courses, or may continue toward an MSN.

Accreditation and Admission Checks Before You Apply

Work through these checks before submitting an application. Requirements change, so confirm each one with the school's admissions office.

1. RN license status and timing

   SNHU requires an active, unencumbered RN license but may admit new graduates who meet its other requirements. One SNHU document asks for license proof before your second nursing-term course, and its 2026 pathway guide says within three months, so confirm which rule applies to you. UNH grants full acceptance with an active RN license in your state of practice and may allow a conditional start with advisor approval. Rivier expects an active RN license.
2. Minimum GPA

   SNHU sets a 2.5 cumulative minimum. Applicants between 2.0 and 2.49 may still qualify after completing at least nine more credits that bring the average to 2.5. UNH lists a 2.0 for degree conferral and no higher admission threshold. Rivier does not publish a minimum. Colby-Sawyer's traditional BSN asks for 2.7 overall and 3.0 for transfers.
3. Accreditation of your ADN or diploma

   SNHU accepts nursing credentials from ACEN-, CCNE-, or CNEA-accredited programs, or from a State Board-approved NCLEX-RN program. UNH requires a regionally or nationally accredited program. If your ADN program lacked nursing accreditation, ask the school before you apply whether you will need added review or coursework.
4. Accreditation of the BSN track itself

   Rivier's nursing programs hold ACEN accreditation, and Colby-Sawyer's baccalaureate program holds CCNE accreditation. The sources we reviewed did not confirm the nursing accreditor for the SNHU, UNH, or Plymouth State RN to BSN tracks. Verify CCNE or ACEN status directly with each school or accreditor before you enroll.
5. Start dates and deadlines

   SNHU lists multiple 2026 starts, with the next on October 26, and has no fixed application deadline. Rivier accepts applications on a rolling basis. Colby-Sawyer uses a December 15 priority deadline, then rolling review, with a May 1 deposit date. UNH has not published current dates, so ask its admissions office.

Your New Hampshire RN License and the BSN

Courses, Practicum Hours, and Weekly Workload Online

SNHU's RN to BSN capstone includes 90 practicum hours focused on community health, which is the clearest hour requirement among the New Hampshire programs here. Details for other schools are thinner, so confirm specifics with an admissions advisor before you enroll.

Core Courses You Can Expect

RN to BSN curricula in New Hampshire generally build on your existing license with upper-level work in community or population health, nursing research and evidence-based practice, leadership and health systems, and nursing informatics, finishing with a capstone. Published course lists are not complete for every school. UNH's online major, for example, requires 54 credits and includes NUR 740, Nursing Care of Vulnerable Populations (4 credits), plus an integrative capstone. UNH expects general education to be finished before the capstone, though advisors may approve exceptions.

Do Online Programs Require Clinical Hours?

At SNHU, yes, in a limited form. The 90 hours are completed in a community setting or your workplace, not a traditional hospital rotation. Employer sites may be allowed when approved, but SNHU's exact approval process and who secures the site are not clearly published, so ask. For UNH, practicum requirements may vary by student, and local field experiences near home may be possible. Whether UNH arranges placements or accepts employer sites should be verified directly. For Rivier, Plymouth State, and Colby-Sawyer, practicum policies were not confirmed, so request them in writing.

Pace and Weekly Study Time

SNHU runs 8-week terms. A common rule of thumb is roughly 6 to 8 hours per week per course for a working nurse, so one course at a time is manageable alongside full-time shifts. Two at once can push 12 to 16 hours. Semester-length courses spread the same material over about 15 weeks, which usually means lighter weekly demands but a slower finish. UNH's term length was not confirmed, so check its calendar. These hours are estimates, not school-published figures.

In-Person Requirements

UNH reports no required campus visits. SNHU coursework is fully online, though the practicum itself happens physically at an approved site.

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