Nursing Schools in Albuquerque, NM

An ADN and a BSN lead to the same NCLEX-RN, yet one takes about two years and the other four, and that gap shapes cost, starting pay, and which employers hire you first. For Albuquerque commuters the practical question is narrower: which nearby programs reliably get graduates through the exam.

Pre-licensure programs here are based in Albuquerque and Los Lunas. Many students drive in from Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, and Belen, while Santa Fe is a longer haul north.

The larger hospital systems hire both ADN and BSN graduates, though BSN preference varies by employer and by unit.

Top NCLEX-RN Pass Rates Among Albuquerque-Area Nursing Programs

Below is a ranked look at the pre-licensure nursing programs serving Albuquerque, New Mexico, ordered by first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates. Each entry says whether the credential is an ADN or a BSN, how long the program runs, and what the school looks like beyond the exam. Pass rates are the headline signal, but class format, clinical sites, and admission requirements often decide whether a program actually fits your life.

ADN or BSN? Cost, Program Length, and the Lowest-Cost Options Near Albuquerque

The two community college ADNs, CNM in Albuquerque and UNM-Valencia in Los Lunas, carry the lowest average net prices here. The BSN programs cost more but showed higher median earnings one year after finishing: $82,216 at UNM and $78,980 at Brookline, compared with $74,923 at CNM and $71,767 at UNM-Valencia. Are there 2-year nursing programs in Albuquerque? CNM lists its ADN as a 4-semester program, but prerequisite courses usually come before nursing coursework begins, so the total time often runs past two calendar years. By comparison, UNM's BSN spans 8 semesters: 3 prerequisite semesters followed by 5 nursing terms.

The NMNEC Route: Starting at CNM and Finishing a UNM BSN

The CNM-UNM Nursing Dual Degree Program, part of the New Mexico Nursing Education Consortium, keeps you based at CNM in Albuquerque while you are also enrolled at UNM. The nursing portion runs five semesters, roughly two and a half academic years once prerequisites are done, and ends with both an associate degree and a BSN. For cost-conscious commuters, the appeal is taking much of the coursework at community college rates and still finishing with a bachelor's degree, without relocating to UNM's main campus for the whole program.

Getting in: Prerequisites, GPA, and Entrance Exams at CNM and UNM

Getting into a pre-licensure nursing program means clearing three gates before you ever touch clinical coursework: finishing the required science and general-education nursing school prerequisites, meeting a minimum GPA, and scoring high enough on a nursing school entrance exam. At the University of New Mexico College of Nursing, one of the best nursing schools in New Mexico, those gates look slightly different depending on which pathway you apply through.

UNM Nursing Program Requirements

UNM offers a Freshman Direct-Entry BSN for current high school seniors and a Sophomore Entry Albuquerque BSN for non-RN students applying later or transferring in. Both use the HESI A2 exam (not the TEAS), and both set a minimum score of 75% overall, with Freshman Direct-Entry also requiring 75% on each required subtest. Applicants who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field may be able to skip the HESI.

The prerequisite course list is substantial: two semesters of English, general and organic chemistry, two biology sequences plus anatomy, psychology, nutrition, statistics, and an introductory nursing course. Prerequisites must be completed at a minimum 2.75 GPA. Freshman Direct-Entry applicants also need at least a 3.0 unweighted high-school GPA and high-school math plus biology or chemistry. Students admitted through the Direct-Entry progression model must hold a 3.2 GPA across pre-nursing terms and earn no prerequisite grade below a C.

Applications go through NursingCAS. The Freshman Direct-Entry window opens August 15, with a December 1 priority deadline and an April 1 final deadline. The Sophomore Entry pathway uses two review periods: August 1 to October 15 and November 1 to March 1. Once admitted, the Sophomore Entry program runs 20 months across five terms.

CNM Admission and Competitiveness

Central New Mexico Community College's ADN admission requirements were not available in current published sources, so confirm the prerequisites, GPA threshold, and selection process directly with CNM before building your plan around a specific deadline or points system. UNM likewise does not publish an official acceptance rate for either BSN pathway, so treat admission as competitive and plan accordingly.

Strengthening Your Application

• Finish sciences strong: Anatomy, chemistry, and the biology sequence carry weight, so prioritize solid grades there over simply passing.
• Time the HESI well: Sit the exam after your science coursework, while the material is fresh, and leave room to retest before your deadline.
• Apply early: Submit well ahead of the priority date rather than the final cutoff.

New Mexico Board of Nursing Licensure at a Glance

Already Have a Bachelor's? Accelerated BSN and Entry-Level MSN Options Near Albuquerque

Can I get an accelerated BSN in Albuquerque if I already have a bachelor's degree? Yes. The two second career nursing programs available locally differ mainly in format: one is hybrid and one is campus-based.

Grand Canyon University ABSN (Hybrid)

GCU's Albuquerque accelerated BSN combines online coursework with in-person skills labs, simulations, and clinical rotations in the Albuquerque area. The program is designed to be completed in as few as 16 months, and GCU lists three start-date options per year. Published sources do not specify the 2026 dates, so confirm the next start with the program. In-person labs and clinicals are arranged through Albuquerque-area sites, so students need reliable local attendance for those components. A prior bachelor's degree is required.

University of New Mexico Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN (Campus)

UNM's accelerated BSN is a pre-licensure, campus-based program at the UNM Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque. It runs four consecutive terms including summers and takes about 16 months of nursing courses to graduation. For an upcoming cohort, the 2026 application period for the Accelerated BSN option is November 1 through March 15. Labs and clinical training are based at UNM's Albuquerque health sciences campus and affiliated clinical locations, so students should plan for a regular in-person schedule. Because the program includes summer terms, it moves continuously, letting second-degree students finish without long gaps.

Common Prerequisites for Second-Degree Students

Both the GCU and UNM accelerated BSN options require a bachelor's degree for entry. Nursing prerequisites vary by prior transcript, but second-degree applicants should typically plan for: - Anatomy and physiology - Microbiology - Statistics A prior science major may satisfy some requirements directly, while a non-science degree often requires completing these courses before the accelerated nursing sequence begins.

Entry-Level MSN Options Nearby

No direct entry MSN within commuting distance of Albuquerque is confirmed in current sources. Students with a bachelor's degree who want a graduate-level entry route may need to look beyond the Albuquerque area, while the accelerated BSN remains the direct-to-RN path locally.

From LPN to RN: Bridge Pathways at Albuquerque-Area Colleges

Starting an ADN from the first prerequisite and entering as an LPN with advanced placement are two different routes to the same RN license. The second skips repeated fundamentals and puts your existing license and bedside experience to work.

CNM's LPN-to-RN Mobility Option

Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) runs the main established LPN to RN Bridge route in Albuquerque. Entry requirements:

• License: a current, unrestricted New Mexico LPN license, or eligibility for one. Other-state licenses may be considered.
• GPA: 2.0 cumulative and 2.75 in the prerequisites.
• Prerequisites: AAS-level math, BIOL 2310 and its lab, and ENGL 1110.
• Entrance exam: none.

The program is described as 72 credits over four semesters, with about eight seats per term, so expect competition. Confirm the current curriculum and any work-experience expectation with CNM advisement before you plan around those details.

Private College Options

Brookline College Albuquerque offers a BSN that takes three years for direct-entry students. Advanced placement through transcript evaluation can shorten that, but the transfer-credit rules and the resulting length are not published in detail, so ask admissions for a written evaluation. No separate LPN-to-RN associate bridge is confirmed at Brookline or Carrington College in Albuquerque.

Starting as an LPN First

If you are not yet licensed, three local options exist:

• CNM: a limited-entry, 48-credit Practical Nursing Certificate.
• Brookline: a blended practical nursing diploma of about 48 weeks to 12 months. It requires a high school diploma or GED and a background check.
• Carrington: a 12-month certificate. It requires a TEAS score of at least 53%, plus background and drug screening. Its ACEN accreditation is initial, effective September 2024.

Pass the NCLEX-PN, work for a year or two, and the CNM mobility option is your next step.

LPN to RN Programs Near Albuquerque

Working LPNs around Albuquerque who want to move up to RN status, or straight on to a BSN, have both campus-based and online routes that can be worked around a full-time schedule. The cards below are a directory rather than a ranking: each one lists the school's own program format and the details it publishes, so you can weigh commute, credit for prior learning, and entrance requirements side by side. Confirm application deadlines and seat availability with each school directly, because entry points vary by term and space is limited.

Where Albuquerque Nurses Get Hired: UNMH, Presbyterian, Lovelace, and the VA

New graduates in the Albuquerque area are increasingly hired through structured residencies, and whether a BSN is expected depends on the employer and the unit, not on one metro-wide rule.

UNM Hospital

UNM Hospital is the state's only Level 1 Trauma Center. Every new-graduate nurse it hires enters the Nurse Residency Program, which runs three cohorts a year, typically starting in January, June, and September. It accepts nurses with six months or less of experience. Applicants need a New Mexico license or a Graduate Nurse Permit, must work full time (36 to 40 hours a week), and must sit the NCLEX within 60 days of hire.¹ Specialty tracks include the emergency department, ICU, labor and delivery, interventional radiology, the cardiac cath lab, and GI.

A 2026 Graduate Nurse posting listed $32.18 an hour, required graduation by December 2026, and pointed to a January 18, 2027 cohort start. It did not require a BSN.

Presbyterian, Lovelace, and the VA

• Presbyterian Healthcare Services: Its 12-month residency places new RNs across Presbyterian Hospital, Kaseman, Rust, PRESNow, and Santa Fe. Eligibility generally means a New Mexico RN license, graduation within the past year, and at least an associate degree, with a BSN preferred. Requirements vary by department.
• Lovelace Health System: Its Albuquerque hospitals reportedly accept ADN graduates into the nurse residency, with a BSN preferred. Staff ICU and med-surg roles list an ADN as the minimum, while charge-nurse and OR roles ask for a BSN or equivalent.
• Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center: The New Mexico VA Health Care System partners with UNM for student clinical placements. A specific new-graduate residency or BSN requirement there is not confirmed, so check current postings.

Early-Career Outcomes

Federal program-level data on nursing completers gives a rough picture. Median earnings about one year after completion were roughly $82,200 for UNM's BSN, $74,900 for CNM's associate degree, $78,980 for Brookline College's BSN, and $76,500 for Carrington's associate degree. The share employed one year out was about 91 percent for UNM, 92 percent for CNM, 97 percent for Brookline, and 96 percent for Carrington.

Treat these as early snapshots from past graduating classes, not guarantees. They also say nothing about 10-year earnings, which are reported for the whole institution rather than for nursing alone.

Early-Career Earnings for Albuquerque Nursing Graduates

Federal outcomes data tracks what nursing graduates earn soon after finishing their programs.

Already an RN? Next Steps Toward a BSN, MSN, or NP in New Mexico

If you already hold an active RN license, your choices look different from those of a first-time nursing student. That is why registerednursing.org covers them on dedicated pages rather than folding them into this pre-licensure guide.

For a bachelor's or master's completion degree, start with the site's RN to BSN and MSN degree programs page for New Mexico. It focuses on bridge programs built for working nurses, including formats that fit around shift schedules.

If your goal is advanced practice, turn to the site's APRN and nurse practitioner program page for New Mexico. It covers graduate routes into roles such as family nurse practitioner or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, along with what each path requires.

Why finish the BSN first? Large Albuquerque hospital systems often favor bachelor's-prepared nurses for residencies, specialty units, and leadership roles. Nearly every MSN or NP program also expects a BSN (or an RN-to-MSN bridge) for admission.

Before applying anywhere, confirm CCNE or ACEN accreditation. Also ask whether the program can arrange clinical placements in New Mexico, since out-of-state online programs do not always secure local preceptors.

Comprehensive List of Nursing Schools Near Albuquerque, NM

6 schools within 40 miles, grouped by city. Select a program to see its highlights, and use the Website link for the school's own program page.

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