A Maryland RN with an associate degree who wants a BSN must satisfy RN to BSN Requirements, but usually hits a scheduling problem before a money problem: twelve-hour shifts, rotating weekends, and coursework that has to fit around both.
Only a small group of Maryland schools deliver the RN to BSN online in a way that suits that schedule, and we ranked all of them. Some finish in as little as 15 months, as at Stevenson University and Frostburg State University, while tuition differs sharply between public and private options.
"Online" rarely means fully remote, though. Frostburg requires 135 practicum hours, Towson an in-person practicum, and UMGC an in-person community health experience.
Top Online RN to BSN Programs in Maryland, Ranked for 2027
Maryland has a short list of RN to BSN paths that working nurses can complete fully or mostly online, and the four schools below are the ones this guide compares side by side. They separate in the details that shape a nurse's actual week: whether the format is fully online or includes an in-person practicum, how much credit a current license and prior coursework can erase, and whether an employer partnership trims the bill. Each entry notes the city, delivery type, net price after aid, and the school's overall graduation rate so you can judge fit before requesting transcripts.
How we ranked these
- Ten-year post-entry earnings
- Campus-wide graduation rates
- Online delivery availability
- Transfer credit and license credit
- Net price after aid
- Original research on individual programs
- NCES-IPEDS federal institutional data — nces.ed.gov
- College Scorecard post-completion earnings data — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- In-house program catalog data
Stevenson University
#1Owings Mills, MD · $27,000/yr
Best for: Employer-sponsored nurses at partner health systems
Stevenson University, in Owings Mills, designed its RN to BS in Nursing for nurses who are already on the floor: coursework is fully online and clinical hours can be completed on the job. The program can be finished in as little as 15 months, and Stevenson has built employer partnerships with health systems across Maryland that can lower tuition for eligible employees, along with preferred rates for graduates of selected community colleges. Roughly seven in ten Stevenson undergraduates finish a degree, a school-wide rate rather than a nursing program rate. It is a strong fit for nurses whose hospital or health system is already a Stevenson partner.
- Fully online, with clinical hours completed on the job
- CCNE accredited
- Can be completed in as little as 15 months
- $505 per credit with a $0 application fee
- 2.5 GPA minimum plus prerequisite courses
- 20% tuition discount for employees of partner health systems
- Preferred tuition rates for graduates of some Maryland community colleges
- Free transcript evaluation before applying
Towson University
#2Towson, MD · ~$17,000/yr (est.)
Best for: Working RNs easing back in part time
Towson University's RN to BS completion option runs primarily online with an in-person clinical practicum, and it leans on the statewide Maryland RN to BS Articulation Model to convert prior associate-degree coursework and an active license into transfer credit, potentially as many as 90 credits. Nurses can start in fall, spring, or summer and study part time, and Towson also offers a dual-enrollment route with partner Maryland community colleges for students still finishing an ADN. About seven in ten Towson undergraduates graduate, a figure for the whole university rather than the nursing program.
- Primarily online, with an in-person clinical practicum
- CCNE accredited
- Up to 60 transfer credits accepted, 120 units total
- 30 upper-level nursing credits awarded for an active RN license
- Accepts an active Maryland or Nurse Licensure Compact license
- Part-time study recommended, with fall, spring, or summer starts
- Individualized plan of study built with an academic adviser
- Dual enrollment option with partner Maryland community colleges
Frostburg State University
#3Frostburg, MD · $10,000 – $26,000/yr
Best for: Nurses building a foundation for graduate study
Frostburg State University runs a fully online RN to BSN that blends asynchronous and synchronous coursework with 135 practicum hours completed in the student's own community. Students can finish in about 15 months or slow down to one class at a time, and the curriculum leans into leadership, complex care coordination, and community health, which also lays groundwork for graduate nursing study. The university's all-undergraduate graduation rate is about 50 percent, a campus-wide number, so it is worth asking about completion specifically within the nursing program.
- Fully online, with both asynchronous and synchronous coursework
- CCNE accredited
- 135 practicum hours completed in the local community
- Finish in as little as 15 months, or take one class at a time
- Coursework in leadership, care coordination, and community health
- Prepares graduates for management roles and graduate study
- Personalized advising with a supportive online cohort
- No ACT or SAT entrance exam required
University of Maryland Global Campus
#4Adelphi, MD · $22,000/yr (net price)
University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is the state's dedicated online institution, and its RN to BSN is built for working adults who need flexibility and predictable costs. The CCNE-accredited curriculum follows the AACN Essentials, with coursework in leadership, health equity, advocacy, and evidence-based practice, plus a required in-person community health practice experience. UMGC's undergraduate graduation rate is roughly one in three, a university-wide figure that reflects its large population of part-time adult learners rather than this program alone, so ask directly about RN to BSN completion.
- Fully online, plus a required in-person community health practice experience
- CCNE accredited and aligned with AACN Essentials
- Coursework in leadership, health equity, advocacy, and evidence-based practice
- Gaming and simulation components in the online curriculum
- Built for working adults returning to school
- No ACT or SAT scores required for admission
- Requires an active, unencumbered RN license and an associate degree or diploma
- Develops clinical decision-making and interdisciplinary collaboration
Behind the List: What Our Scoring Actually Rewards
Online delivery has become so routine among Maryland nursing schools that the word "online" alone no longer separates one program from another. So every school here first had to clear a delivery test: genuine online RN to BSN programs, including options that pair web coursework with an in-person practicum. Quality signals then set the order.
What Went Into the Order
- Online availability: Whether the RN to BSN can be completed mostly or entirely from home.
- Net price after aid: What students typically pay once grants and scholarships are subtracted, not the sticker price.
- Graduation and retention: How many students finish and how many return after the first year.
- Earnings and debt: College Scorecard program-level figures, used only where they have been published.
Where the Numbers Fall Short
These inputs are useful, but they are blunt. Net price is an institution-wide average, so it blends undergraduates of every kind and may not match what a working RN with transfer credits pays. Graduation and retention rates describe the whole school, not the RN to BSN cohort specifically. Program-level earnings and debt are not yet available for the Maryland programs on this list, so that input could not separate them. Treat the order as a starting point for your shortlist, not a verdict.
What You Should Weigh Yourself
Some of the factors that matter most to a working nurse never show up in a national dataset. Per-credit tuition varies widely across these schools and drives your real total, a key figure when comparing affordable RN to BSN programs. Practicum rules differ too: the required hours, whether they can be completed at your current job, and whether any in-person sessions are mandatory. Start dates decide how soon you can begin. The school profiles that follow break down these factors program by program.
Which Maryland RN to BSN Programs Are 100% Online? Format Checked School by School
We sorted each program into one of three labels: fully online (no campus visits), online with synchronous sessions (scheduled live virtual classes), or hybrid (some in-person days), and we list overall program length because the program pages we reviewed did not publish individual course term lengths, such as 7-week versus 15-week courses. Two programs deserve a closer look before you plan around your shifts: Frostburg State is mostly online but uses a synchronous virtual classroom as one of its delivery methods, and Salisbury lists its RN to BSN as hybrid, so confirm any required live class times or in-person days with admissions. Coppin State's official program page did not state a delivery format, so it is not shown here, and we recommend asking each school directly about term length and pacing, since shorter terms move faster but can be harder to balance with full-time nursing work.
| School | Delivery Format | Campus Visits Required | Live/Synchronous Sessions | Course Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) | Fully online (full-time or part-time) | None stated; the public health course and practicum can be completed near your home | Not stated | As little as 2 semesters |
| Stevenson University | Fully online | None stated | Not stated | As little as 15 months |
| Frostburg State University | Online with synchronous sessions (most of the program is online) | None stated; 135 practicum hours completed in your own community | Yes, a synchronous virtual classroom is one delivery method, alongside asynchronous discussion boards | As little as 15 months, up to a maximum of 60 months |
| Salisbury University | Hybrid | Not stated; hybrid format suggests some in-person component | Not stated | Two years |
What Do Maryland's Online RN to BSN Schools Cost After Financial Aid?
Each bar shows the average annual net price a school reports after grants and scholarships. It is an institution-wide figure across aided undergraduates, not a price specific to RN to BSN students, so use it to compare affordability rather than as your actual bill. It also differs from the per-credit sticker tuition listed earlier, because online degree-completion students often pay a set per-credit rate and may be able to lower it further with employer tuition benefits or partner discounts. Frostburg State University is the lowest at $16,715 and Stevenson University the highest at $26,505, a gap of $9,790 per year.
Maryland by City
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How Long an Online RN to BSN Takes in Maryland, and Whether 6-Month Programs Are Real
Working nurses weighing an RN to BSN often face the same tension: finish as fast as possible without letting an accelerated pace crowd out work, family, and patient care. In Maryland, the realistic timeline usually falls into two buckets, and the fastest advertised option is about 12 months, not six.
Full-time vs. part-time in practice
UMSON's full-time pathway is about 12 months. The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) publishes a two-semester full-time pathway once prerequisites and your RN license credits are satisfied, requiring 31 credits in UMSON's upper-division nursing courses. That 12-month plan assumes your prerequisite coursework and RN license are already in place. Part-time students at UMSON may take one course per semester, with up to five years allowed to finish. Many working nurses choose a part-time pace and finish in roughly 18 to 24 months, although some need the longer window. Other schools, including several Best Nursing Schools in Maryland, advertise a range: Frostburg State University says completion can run from as little as 15 months to as long as 60 months, depending on your pace. Coppin State lists a 120-credit bachelor's, while Stevenson notes completion depends on your existing credits, credits per term, and terms enrolled.2
Why transfer caps and residency minimums set the floor
You cannot simply transfer every ADN credit and finish in one short burst. UMGC accepts up to 90 transfer credits toward its 120-credit bachelor's and awards 30 credits for an active, unencumbered RN license, but you still need to fill remaining general education or prior-learning gaps through UMGC coursework. Salisbury University awards up to 60 associate transfer credits and requires at least 30 upper-division credits at Salisbury, meaning even a full transfer leaves at least 60 additional credits before the 120-credit degree is done.1 Those residence and upper-division rules are the real floor on speed.
Is a 6-month RN to BSN real in Maryland?
No accredited Maryland RN to BSN program in our research advertises a legitimate six-month completion. A six-month finish could only happen in unusual circumstances, such as entering with extensive transfer and prior-learning credit plus taking a very heavy accelerated load, and even then it is not a standard advertised pathway. Be skeptical of any Maryland program promising a routine six-month RN to BSN. The most sensible fast benchmark is UMSON's 12-month full-time plan. For a fuller comparison, see our Fastest RN to BSN Programs and most affordable program guides.
What You Need to Apply: GPA, RN License, and Start Dates
Detailed 2026 admission requirements were confirmed only for the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON). Confirm current rules directly with UMGC, Salisbury, Towson, Frostburg, Coppin State, and Stevenson, because one school's policies don't transfer to another.
- Minimum GPAUMSON requires a 2.5 overall GPA and prefers a 2.75 science GPA across anatomy and physiology and microbiology.
- RN licenseUMSON admits licensed RNs, but it's unconfirmed whether a compact multistate license can substitute for a Maryland license, so ask before applying.
- Nursing educationUMSON accepts RNs who hold either a nursing diploma or an associate degree in nursing.
- Prerequisite creditsUMSON requires 59 prerequisite credits from an accredited institution.
- Prerequisite coursesUMSON lists A&P I and II with lab or microbiology with lab, plus one of human growth and development, statistics, or nutrition.
- Courses in progressYou may have no more than four courses in progress at UMSON, and all must be finished before enrollment.
- 2026 application deadlinesUMSON opened February 19, set a July 15 priority deadline and a September 1 regular deadline, and now reviews applications only as space allows.
- ScholarshipsOnly UMSON applicants who applied by September 1 qualified for merit scholarship consideration.
- Final transcriptsUMSON's documents give conflicting transcript deadlines, so verify yours with admissions.
- Start dates per yearNeither UMSON nor the other schools have confirmed how many start dates they offer in 2026.
- Before passing the NCLEXProvisional admission policies for applicants who haven't passed the NCLEX weren't confirmed at any school, so ask each admissions office directly.
Maryland Board of Nursing, Compact Licenses, and Out-Of-State Enrollment
What Maryland RNs Earn
Earning a BSN can open doors to leadership and specialty roles, but it helps to know the baseline pay for the profession in Maryland.