Best Online RN to BSN Schools in Virginia, Compared by Cost and Speed

Night-shift schedules and a campus lecture calendar rarely coexist, yet Virginia hospital systems, particularly those pursuing or holding Magnet designation, increasingly prefer or require a BSN for advancement. Working RNs end up weighing a degree they need against a timetable they cannot rearrange.

Every program in the ranked list is 100% online. Hybrid formats that require recurring campus attendance are excluded, so the schools here fit around rotating shifts.

Cost, time to degree, admissions, accreditation and practicum rules differ enough between schools that each gets its own comparison below. We close with whether the credential pays off in Virginia. Practicum placement and accreditation status vary more between schools than tuition does.

Virginia's Top 100% Online RN to BSN Programs, Ranked

Only programs a licensed RN can finish entirely from home made the cut: every entry below delivers its coursework online, with no campus attendance required. Two caveats are worth carrying into the cards. Graduation rates are reported for the whole institution rather than for the RN to BSN program, and average net price reflects aid across all undergraduates, so your own cost will depend on transfer credits and any employer tuition benefit you can claim.

RN to BSN Program Cost in Virginia: Per-Credit Rates at Public and Private Schools

The lowest per-credit rate does not always produce the lowest bill: the number of credits required and the mandatory fees change the total. The rates below come from each school's official pages for 2025-26 or 2026-27; confirm them before you apply.

Published Rates and Estimated Totals

• Radford University: $382 per credit for in-state and out-of-state students alike, with a 30-credit core. That rate already includes a $5 technology fee and a $60 online comprehensive fee. Radford's own page totals the program at $11,460.
• Old Dominion University: $443 per credit in-state and $453 out-of-state for Fall 2026. The program lists 66 credits, but licensed RNs receive 33 experiential-learning credits at no cost and must complete at least 30 credits with ODU. If you take the remaining 33 credits, that works out to roughly $14,600 in-state and $14,900 out-of-state. Treat that as a rough estimate, not a quote.
• James Madison University: $490 per credit in-state and $510 out-of-state at 2025-26 estimated rates, which JMU says will change when new rates post. Its cost page estimates about $15,500 in tuition and fees, with textbooks (about $718) and small screening and record-tracking charges on top.
• George Mason University: The 2026-27 catalog confirms a fully online RN to BSN for U.S.-based RN license holders.¹ It does not list per-credit tuition or a core-credit total, so check the bursar's current schedule. The nursing expenses it mentions, such as testing, health forms, and background checks, are separate from tuition.

For other schools here, including Liberty, Regent, and Chamberlain, I could not verify current official per-credit figures, so request a written cost sheet from each admissions office.

Why Public and Private Prices Differ

Public universities receive state funding, which is why Radford, ODU, and JMU post lower sticker prices than most private schools. Private schools often make up some of the gap through institutional scholarships, transfer-credit policies, or discounts for military and employer partners, so compare what you would actually pay, not the published rate. Residency also matters at some publics: ODU and JMU charge out-of-state online students more, while Radford charges one rate to everyone.

Net Price Is Not a Program Quote

The average net price figures in the next section are institution-wide averages after grants and scholarships. They reflect mostly traditional undergraduates, not RNs finishing a 30-credit completion track, so use them for rough comparison only.

One Practical Tip

Before you choose a pace, ask HR about tuition reimbursement caps. Many employers limit benefits per calendar year, and a pace that spreads tuition across two benefit years may leave more of it covered than a fast pace that exceeds the cap in one.

Which Virginia Online BSN Schools Have the Lowest Average Net Price?

UVA Wise has the lowest average net price here at $9,210 a year after grants and scholarships, followed by Mary Baldwin University at $12,756. These are institution-wide average net prices from federal data, measured on the public or private basis that fits each school's sector, so treat them as a guide rather than an exact RN to BSN quote. Net price reflects aid for typical undergraduates, while the per-credit rates above show the sticker cost a working RN will see.

How Fast Can You Finish? Testing the 'Accelerated' Claims

"Finish in 12 months" is achievable at some Virginia schools, but that figure assumes a full-time load few bedside nurses carry. A better question: how many credits still stand between you and the degree once your license and associate degree are counted?

What the Published Timelines Say

• George Mason University: The online pathway is 10 courses (30 credit hours), taken full time or part time. Mason advertises finishing in as little as two full-time semesters, or one year. Nurses who already hold a bachelor's in another field still need at least 30 credit hours at Mason.
• University of Virginia: UVA's program centers on 30 UVA nursing credits and is advertised as a two-year, part-time track. No separate full-time timeline is published.
• Liberty University: Liberty awards 39 credits for an RN license and accepts transfer credit for up to 50% of the degree, based on its published materials for an RN-to-BSN-to-MSN pathway. Confirm the standalone RN to BSN works the same way.

Mason runs on semesters. Many online programs use 7- or 8-week terms instead, which feel faster but pack the same reading and writing into fewer weeks. Ask each school for its term length before comparing timelines.

How Your License and ADN Shrink the Degree

UVA shows the math clearly. Its 120-credit BSN combines 48 general education prerequisite credits, 42 prior-learning credits from your associate or diploma nursing program, and the 30 UVA credits. In practice, a nurse with prerequisites complete faces only that final 30-credit block. Missing prerequisites, not nursing courses, are what usually stretch a timeline.

Marketing Pace vs. Real Pace

An RN working three 12-hour shifts usually manages one and a half to two courses per term without burning out. Apply that to Mason: one year means five courses per semester. At two per semester, those 10 courses take roughly five semesters. Neither pace is wrong, but plan around the one your schedule can sustain.

Start Dates Can Cost You Months

UVA admits RN to BSN students only in the fall, with a March 1 deadline, so missing it means waiting a full year. Mason admits in fall and spring. Liberty lists three starts in early 2027 (January 18, February 15, and March 22), and frequent starts are the quickest way to begin.

The takeaway: the fastest program is usually the one that accepts the most transfer credit, not the one with the shortest terms. Get an unofficial transcript evaluation from your top choices before you apply.

Before You Apply: Online BSN Admission Checklist for Virginia RNs

Most online RN to BSN programs in Virginia keep admission simple, but each school sets its own rules for licensure, prior coursework and start dates. Use this checklist to gather what you need before the next intake.

1. Active RN license

   Radford requires an active, unencumbered RN license at admission, and George Mason accepts any U.S.-based RN license.
2. Accredited ADN or diploma

   Liberty requires a diploma or ADN from an NLN/ACEN- or CCNE-accredited program, and Radford also expects an associate degree or nursing diploma.
3. GPA expectations

   Radford, Old Dominion, George Mason and Liberty list no minimum GPA for standard RN to BSN entry, though Radford's co-enrollment route requires a 2.5.
4. Prerequisite courses

   At Radford, nursing prerequisites must carry a grade of C or better.
5. Official transcripts

   Liberty asks for official high school or GED transcripts plus all college transcripts.
6. New ADN grads and the NCLEX

   Radford's co-enrollment option lets Virginia Community College System nursing students start after one year with a 2.5 GPA, while most other routes expect a current license first.
7. Radford start dates

   Apply by December 14, 2026 (documents by December 16) for the January 11, 2027 start, with later seven-week sessions beginning March 8 and May 10, 2027.
8. George Mason deadlines

   The application window runs December 15, 2026, to January 15, 2027, but the program page also lists October 1 (spring) and January 15 (fall), so confirm with admissions.
9. Liberty and Old Dominion starts

   Liberty charges no application fee and starts classes January 18, February 15 and March 22, 2027, while Old Dominion's next start is January 11, 2027.

What You'll Study Online, Plus the Community Health Practicum Question

The Course Sequence You Can Expect

Coursework in Virginia's RN to BSN programs follows a fairly predictable arc. Early terms cover evidence-based practice and nursing research, then leadership and management, population and community health, health policy and informatics, and a capstone that pulls the threads together. Most of it is asynchronous: you read, post to discussion boards, and submit papers on your own schedule, with weekly deadlines rather than a fixed class hour.

The Practicum Question, Answered Directly

"No clinicals" usually means no traditional bedside hospital rotation, not zero supervised hours. Many Virginia programs fold a community health or leadership practicum into the final terms, and the hour requirements vary enough by school that it pays to check before you apply rather than after.

At Radford University, the leadership practicum course pairs two didactic credits with one practicum credit and carries 45 in-person clinical hours with a BSN-prepared nurse leader serving as preceptor. The capstone project centers on patient safety and quality of care. You may use a facility of your choice close to home, but a Radford affiliation agreement must already be in place, so start that conversation early.

Liberty University's online RN to BSN does not require a traditional practicum, but one course includes community-based observation hours at an approved location near you.

Who Finds the Site

Who finds the site differs by school, so put it on your list of questions for an info session. Because Radford requires an existing affiliation agreement, the site discussion starts with the clinical placement office, not the first day of class. The University of Virginia's RN to BSN is hybrid rather than fully online: mostly online coursework over 24 months, part-time, with monthly in-person class meetings in Charlottesville, Fairfax, or Richmond. Liberty's on-campus intensive sessions are optional. Some programs let you use your current employer as the practicum site, so ask for that approval in writing before you enroll.

A Bridge to Your MSN

Several Virginia schools let BSN students take graduate-level courses that later count toward an MSN, which shortens the master's pathway. If an advanced degree is already on your radar, ask whether graduate credits can double count before you register for your final term.

What Virginia Registered Nurses Earn

A BSN won't change your license, but it can open doors to roles and employers that pay more. Here is where Virginia RN pay stands today.

Quick Answers for Virginia Nurses Weighing an Online BSN

These answers go a step past the program profiles and cost tables above. Employer benefits and state rules change, so confirm specifics with your HR office and the school's admissions team before you commit.

More Online Nursing Programs in Virginia Worth a Look

The schools below pick up where the ranked list leaves off. Some are smaller regional campuses, some are private universities with year-round starts, and every one of them delivers BSN coursework online for licensed Virginia RNs. Treat the average net price and school-wide graduation rate on each card as a starting point, then confirm transfer credit and practicum rules with the program directly.

Southwest Virginia

Shenandoah Valley

Southside Virginia

Central Virginia

Hampton Roads

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