Nursing Schools in Atlanta, GA

Atlanta students weighing a 2-year ADN against a 4-year BSN are really weighing speed against long-term reach, and the choice often comes down to which campus is realistic from home, whether that is Atlanta, Marietta, Kennesaw, Morrow, or Lawrenceville. Both routes end at the same NCLEX-RN and the same Georgia license.

Programs here are ordered by how well graduates do on that exam the first time they sit it, which says more about a school's teaching than its name recognition does. A program with a strong first-attempt record gets you licensed sooner and into a paid residency faster.

Metro Atlanta's large hospital systems hire both degree levels, though many now prefer a BSN for long-term advancement.

Where Atlanta Nursing Graduates Work: Emory, Grady, Piedmont and Beyond

A new-graduate nurse residency is a structured transition program that supports first-year RNs as they move from student to practicing nurse. In metro Atlanta, the big employers are Emory Healthcare (with hospitals including Emory University Hospital Midtown), Grady Health System downtown, Piedmont Healthcare, Northside Hospital (Sandy Springs among its campuses), Wellstar Health System (with hospitals in Marietta and Austell), and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Two questions matter when you choose a school: where will I train, and who will hire me?

Residency Programs With Published Details

Emory and Northside have the clearest 2026 information, so those are the ones to plan around.

• Emory Healthcare: The New Graduate RN Residency is a 12-month Vizient/AACN program with monthly sessions in year one.¹ Cohorts follow your graduation date: Summer for February to May graduates, Fall for June to September graduates, and Spring for October to January graduates. The standard Resident RN Clinician role requires a BSN from an accredited prelicensure program.²
• Northside Hospital: The Atlanta Acute Care residency runs 12 to 16 weeks, and the Atlanta ICU residency runs 20 weeks. Schedules vary, BSN is preferred for both, and an ICU senior practicum is a plus. Fall 2026 postings have included acute care, neuroscience and women's surgical positions, while the ICU new-grad cohort is listed as Summer 2026.

For Grady, Piedmont, Wellstar and Children's, check each system's current new-graduate postings for residency length, start dates and degree requirements before you apply. Timing also shifts from year to year, so confirm dates directly with the hiring system.

Why Clinical Placements Matter

Students often complete clinical rotations inside these same systems. A rotation lets a unit manager see how you work long before you apply, and it lets you judge whether the culture suits you. Ask any program you are considering which hospitals host its clinical groups.

Magnet Status and the BSN

Emory's system page cites eight Magnet-designated hospitals. Magnet recognition reflects nursing excellence, and organizations that hold it often favor or require a bachelor's degree. Emory's BSN requirement and Northside's BSN preference are the practical version of that trend. That BSN preference runs through the ADN vs. BSN comparison that follows.

Atlanta ADN and BSN Programs Ranked by NCLEX-RN Pass Rate

Below are the Atlanta-area ADN and BSN programs ranked by first-attempt NCLEX-RN performance, with each card noting the credential, typical length, accreditation and net price. The order tracks how reliably each program's graduates pass the licensure exam on the first try across the Georgia Board of Nursing's three most recent reporting years. Read it alongside commute distance and total cost, because a program that fits your schedule often matters as much as a few points of pass rate.

What Registered Nurses Earn in Metro Atlanta

Metro Atlanta employs about 51,820 registered nurses, and the average RN earns $45.67 an hour.

4-Year ADN vs. 4-Year BSN in Atlanta: Cost, Length and Admissions

An associate degree still leads to the same NCLEX-RN and the same Georgia RN license as a bachelor's, even as more hospital employers state a preference for BSN-prepared nurses. That tension shapes the choice most Atlanta students face.

Are There 2-Year Nursing Programs in Atlanta?

Yes. Georgia State University does offer an associate route: its Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) runs through Perimeter College, Georgia State's two-year division, rather than the main downtown campus. Atlanta Technical College and Georgia Piedmont Technical College both offer ADN paths. Technical and state colleges generally charge less than four-year universities, which is much of their appeal. Georgia Tech offers no pre-licensure nursing degree, so there is no program to look for there.

Keep in mind that "two-year" describes the nursing sequence, not the full timeline to licensure. Prerequisites in English, math and lab science come first, and competitive seats can add a semester of waiting.

Admissions: What the Schools Spell Out

• Georgia State Perimeter College ASN: Requires the TEAS with a minimum total score of 63 and at least 68 on both reading and math. GPA floors are layered: 2.8 in nursing general education courses, 3.0 in biology and 2.0 overall. Prerequisites include English, math and biology with lab, and biology must be under six years old when you begin the first nursing course (LPN, paramedic and military medic track applicants are exempt). Nursing deadlines are separate from college admission and have been listed as Jan. 31 for fall and July 31 for spring, so confirm the current cycle.¹
• Atlanta Technical College ADN: The college is open-access, but its 2026-2027 catalog notes that limited-seat programs can use competitive entry because clinical placements are capped. Ask the nursing department for its current exam, GPA and deadline details.
• Kennesaw State Accelerated BSN: Built for applicants with a bachelor's in another field. It requires a 3.0 GPA, the ATI TEAS and 11 prerequisites, with at least seven finished by the deadline (five of them in math or science). Applications run Feb. 1 through Aug. 10 for January starts and Aug. 15 through Jan. 31 for August starts.

Traditional BSN requirements at Georgia State and Kennesaw State are set by each nursing department, so check their admissions pages before mapping out coursework.

How Long Is Nursing School in Atlanta?

• ADN/ASN: Roughly two and a half to three years from first prerequisite to NCLEX eligibility.
• Traditional BSN: About four years for a first-time college student.
• Accelerated BSN: Commonly 12 to 18 months of nursing coursework once prerequisites and a prior degree are in place.

Which Route Fits You

The ADN suits career changers and budget-conscious students who want to work as an RN sooner. The BSN fits students targeting hospital roles at large systems that prefer the bachelor's. Many Atlanta nurses do both: they license with an ADN, get hired, then complete an RN to BSN while working.

ADN or BSN? the Trade-Offs Side by Side

An associate degree (ADN or ASN) and a bachelor's degree (BSN) both prepare you to sit for the NCLEX-RN, and passing that exam earns you the same Georgia RN license either way. The real differences are time, cost, where you study, how employers view the degree and what comes next in your career. Compare the two routes below, then use the most affordable schools table further down for actual tuition figures.

Most Affordable Nursing Schools Near Atlanta

If nursing school tuition in Atlanta is your main concern, this table sorts schools by average annual net price after grants and scholarships, using 2024 IPEDS and College Scorecard data. Net price is an institution-wide average, so treat it as a rough guide, not a personal quote. The associate-degree (ADN/ASN) routes at the technical colleges sit at the low end, and the earnings and debt columns show nursing graduates specifically, with earnings measured one year after finishing. The best value comes from a low net price paired with a strong NCLEX-RN result in the ranking above. Chattahoochee Technical College has the lowest net price here and a 98.9% pass rate, and Clayton State University is the lowest-cost BSN option, with a 92.6% pass rate.

LPN to RN Programs Near Atlanta

If you already hold an LPN license, the directory below covers bridge options within commuting range of Atlanta. Each entry shows the format the program is delivered in and whether it finishes at the associate or bachelor's level, so you can weigh a faster ADN route against a BSN that opens graduate study later.

Accelerated BSN and Entry-Level MSN Programs Near Atlanta

Career changers who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field do not have to start over to become a nurse. The programs below compress pre-licensure training into an accelerated BSN or a direct entry MSN, with start dates, formats and admission requirements built for people coming from another career.

RN to BSN/MSN Programs in Atlanta, GA

If you already hold an active Georgia RN license, this page's pre-licensure programs are not built for you. Your next stop is the directory below, followed by the APRN and nurse practitioner directory further down for graduate study. RN to BSN programs are also where online and hybrid formats are most common in Atlanta, so working nurses can keep their current job while finishing the bachelor's.

APRN & Nurse Practitioner Programs in Atlanta, GA

Nurses who already hold a BSN and want prescriptive authority or a clinical leadership role in Georgia can choose between MSN and DNP entry points offered across the Atlanta area. The programs below span primary care and acute care nurse practitioner tracks, population health study, and online options that let working RNs keep their current schedules while they advance.

Georgia RN Licensure at a Glance

Comprehensive List of Nursing Schools Near Atlanta, GA

13 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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