Top Online Nursing Schools in Maine for RN to BSN Completion

Which Maine schools will actually let a licensed RN finish a BSN without stepping away from the floor? Fewer than you might expect. Maine employs roughly 16,540 registered nurses at a statewide median of $86,990, but only a small group of in-state institutions runs an RN to BSN completion track online or in hybrid form.

That scarcity matters when your week already includes 12-hour shifts, an hour of rural driving, and family obligations. The real decision is rarely about curriculum, since the coursework is broadly similar across even the Fastest RN to BSN Programs. It comes down to format, per-credit price, transfer credit policy, and whether a program is still actively enrolling Maine nurses in 2026.

Top Online RN to BSN Programs in Maine for 2027

Maine nurses who already hold an RN license have several in-state routes to a bachelor's degree, and most of them can be completed largely or entirely online. The Maine schools below are open to online or hybrid study, listed in order of overall program quality. Each entry covers what the school offers, who tends to thrive there, and any current enrollment caveats worth knowing before you apply.

Behind the List: What Our Composite Score Rewards

Every school in this ranking of best online rn to bsn programs first had to clear one bar: a BSN completion path a working Maine nurse can finish without relocating. After that, the list rewards two things a nurse comparing Best Nursing Schools in Maine is likely to notice quickly: how online or hybrid the format actually is, and how well students move through the program. That bar keeps the focus on options a nurse can realistically fit around shifts, not programs that would require moving or weekly commuting.

What the score favors

• Online or hybrid delivery: Programs get a boost when core BSN courses can be completed at a distance, with campus visits limited or optional.
• Student progress: The composite looks at graduation rate, retention, and net price from institution-wide data, plus published federal outcomes where available. In plain terms, schools where students tend to stay enrolled, finish, and pay a manageable net price score higher.

What this list cannot tell you

The graduation and net price figures are institution-wide, not specific to the RN to BSN cohort. This ranking does not measure per-credit RN to BSN tuition or accreditation status; the tuition table and application checklist later in the article cover those separately. A program that looks strong here still deserves a direct call about transfer credits, clinical requirements, and faculty support. Use this list as a shortlist to verify with each program, not as a final verdict.

Asynchronous, Self-Paced, or Hybrid? Maine Formats Side by Side

Maine's RN to BSN options differ less in content than in how you move through it, so match the format to your shift schedule before you compare anything else. Self-paced, competency-based models tend to reward self-directed nurses with a stable schedule who can set their own deadlines and keep momentum without weekly check-ins. If your hours rotate unpredictably or you do better with outside accountability, a structured term with weekly assignments or a fully asynchronous program with a set two-year path is usually the safer bet.

Husson, Beal, and MCHP: Where Maine's Other Options Stand

Husson University stands out as the most transparent online RN to BSN option among Maine's remaining programs, but availability depends on where you live.

Husson University

Husson's RN to BSN is delivered fully online and remains actively enrolling for 2025-2026, with the next term starting August 31, 2026. Since November 2022, the program has offered year-round rolling enrollment and a generous transfer credit policy aimed at working nurses. Husson's nursing pages describe the online delivery as 100% online for working nurses, and the RN to BSN specifically launched online in November 2022. However, Husson's admissions page currently lists a state-restriction notice: the program may not be available to nurses in every state due to state regulations. If you are licensed outside Maine, do not assume eligibility; confirm your state before applying.

Beal University and MCHP

• Beal University: Current public information does not confirm whether Beal offers an actively enrolling RN to BSN or what delivery format it uses. Beal University appears in the ranked program list, but the available public materials do not confirm its current delivery format or enrollment status.
• MCHP: Maine College of Health Professions describes a hybrid format and an on-campus residency requirement, but current enrollment status is not verifiable in the available materials. Any location-based restrictions should be verified directly.

The absence of a current program page does not mean a program is closed, but it does mean older search results should not be taken as current. Before applying to any program with ambiguous public information, call or email admissions and ask specifically about format, start dates, and any campus or clinical RN to BSN Requirements for your license.

Per-Credit Tuition and Real Cost After Transfer Credits

Published RN to BSN rates for Maine schools are uneven, so treat every estimate below as a planning figure and confirm current pricing, fees, and your transfer credit evaluation with each school before you enroll. The University of Maine at Augusta, Beal University, and Maine College of Health Professions do not publish program-specific RN to BSN per-credit rates, so they are left out of this table. Based on the rates cited here, the University of Maine at Fort Kent is likely the most affordable RN to BSN in Maine for in-state nurses: about $10,260 for its 30 nursing credits on the standard online track, and its YourPace flat rate can cost even less if you finish several courses in each 8-week session.

Application Checklist and Accreditation Status

Most Maine RN to BSN programs ask for the same core documents, but the details differ from school to school. Use this checklist to prepare, and confirm current requirements with each admissions office before you apply.

1. Active, unencumbered RN license

   Every program requires a current RN license without restrictions. UMFK asks for a current, unencumbered license, Saint Joseph's College requires an active, unrestricted license, and UMA requires an active license. If you hold a multistate compact license rather than a Maine license, ask each school whether it accepts it.
2. ADN or nursing diploma

   UMFK accepts an ADN/ASN or a nursing diploma from a state-approved program. UMA's RN to BSN admissions page specifies an associate degree in nursing, so diploma graduates should confirm eligibility directly. Saint Joseph's College does not clearly state this requirement in its available materials, so check with the school.
3. Minimum GPA

   UMA and UMFK both set a 2.5 cumulative GPA. UMA calculates it across all regionally accredited schools you attended. Saint Joseph's College does not publish an RN to BSN GPA minimum in its available materials.
4. Official transcripts

   Request official transcripts from every college you have attended. UMFK explicitly requires them from all institutions.
5. NCLEX timing for new graduates

   You may be able to start before you are licensed. At UMA, new associate-degree graduates must hold an RN license before their second semester. At UMFK, you must show you have passed the NCLEX by the end of your second class, or request an extension from the program's academic committee.
6. Accreditation status

   UMA is ACEN-accredited. UMFK and Saint Joseph's College are CCNE-accredited. MCHP's 2025-2026 RN-BSN handbook lists ACEN candidacy approved in December 2023, with initial accreditation still pending. We could not confirm Husson's current programmatic accreditation from available sources. Next scheduled review dates were not published for any of these programs.
7. Verify accreditation yourself

   Search the program by school name in the CCNE online directory of accredited programs or the ACEN online accreditation search. Each listing shows the current status and the date of the next scheduled review.

Nurses Licensed Outside Maine: Enrollment Eligibility

Registered Nurse Pay Across Maine Metro Areas

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish separate metro-area wage figures for registered nurses in Maine in its 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release, so the table below shows statewide data instead. Maine's 16,540 employed RNs earn a median annual wage of $86,990, with the middle half of earners falling between $79,890 and $101,460. Postsecondary nursing instructors are included for comparison, since a BSN is often the first step toward graduate study and a teaching role.

Maine's Statewide RN Wage Benchmark

Maine's 16,540 employed registered nurses earn a statewide median of $86,990 a year. Half earn between $79,890 and $101,460.

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