Nursing Schools in Birmingham, AL

ADN and BSN graduates sit for the same NCLEX-RN and hold the same Alabama RN license, so choosing among nursing schools in Birmingham, AL comes down to time, cost and first job. A community college associate degree is commutable and cheaper. A university BSN takes longer but suits hospitals that favor bachelor's-prepared nurses.

The commuting radius runs from Hoover and Bessemer out to Tuscaloosa, Hanceville and Jasper. Rankings start with NCLEX-RN results, then weigh cost, LPN-to-RN and accelerated routes, and finish with the hospitals that do the hiring.

Either degree gets you licensed. The difference shows up later, in promotion and graduate-school eligibility.

Birmingham-Area Nursing Programs With the Strongest NCLEX-RN Results

Below is a ranked list of the nursing programs that serve Birmingham students, ordered by how consistently each program's graduates pass the NCLEX-RN on the first try. Programs with the strongest first-time pass records sit at the top, and accreditation status plus completion outcomes separate schools that post similar numbers. Associate and bachelor's pathways both appear here, because in Alabama both lead to the same RN license.

ADN vs. BSN for Birmingham Commuters: Time, Cost and Career Payoff

Alabama's nursing schools have pushed students toward the bachelor's degree for years, yet the associate route still holds its ground, and in Birmingham the two paths remain close on both time and money.

Two Degrees, One License

The credential that matters first is the license, and both routes arrive there the same way. ADN and BSN graduates sit the same NCLEX-RN and apply for the same Alabama RN license. Where the BSN separates itself is downstream: Magnet-designated hospitals and large health systems increasingly build new-graduate residency cohorts around BSN-prepared nurses, leadership and charge roles often carry a BSN expectation, and every graduate nursing degree assumes one.

Time, Cost and the Commute

• Length: Jefferson State's ADN runs five semesters across 66 credits¹; Lawson State's runs two years across 72 credits. UAB's BSN nursing sequence is also five semesters and 66 credits, but it sits on top of prerequisite coursework, which is where the extra time comes from.
• Tuition: Lawson State charges $133 per semester credit hour for 2026-2027²; UAB charges $471 per semester hour. That is more than three times Lawson State's per-credit rate.
• Prerequisites: community college ADN programs stack general education and science courses before or alongside nursing coursework, which is why a two-year degree often takes longer in practice.
• Schedule: community college cohorts are built around commuters, with clinical rotations scheduled across the metro. University cohorts follow a full-time daytime campus calendar.
• Hiring: both degrees are hireable in Birmingham. The BSN opens more doors at academic medical centers on day one.

Which Route Fits You

If you are a working adult who needs a license and an income as soon as possible, the ADN at Jefferson State or Lawson State is the practical answer. Add an RN-to-BSN completion later, often online and often with employer tuition support. If you are a recent high school graduate aiming at UAB Hospital, Children's of Alabama or the larger systems, go straight for the BSN; the extra tuition buys a shorter path to leadership and graduate school. Second-degree students should look at Samford's accelerated BSN, five semesters with more than 900 clinical hours.

Most Affordable Nursing Programs Near Birmingham

Average net price is what students paid per year at each school after grants and scholarships, based on 2024 federal data. It is a school-wide average, not a guaranteed bill, and the community college ADN programs at Bevill State, Lawson State, Jefferson State and Wallace State all come in below UAB's BSN. A high Pell grant share, such as Wallace State's 81.1 percent or Jefferson State's 78.2 percent, signals a school that enrolls and serves many lower-income students. To keep nursing school tuition in Birmingham, AL manageable, file the FAFSA as early as possible, then ask each program about uniforms, clinical fees and NCLEX review costs that tuition alone does not show.

Where Birmingham Nursing Graduates Get Hired

A first nursing job looks different at an academic medical center than at a community hospital. The first group runs structured training pipelines tied to nursing schools. The second tends to hire steadily across many units. Most graduates land at one or the other, and often at the hospital where they did clinicals.

Major Employers and Training Sites

The best-documented employer is UAB Medicine. UAB Hospital has held Magnet designation six times since 2002. UAB Medicine offers new-graduate residency programs, paid internships and specialty rotations, and it has a formal partnership with UAB School of Nursing.¹ Eligible employees who continue their education at that school can receive 100% tuition assistance through the system.

Two other employers have documented ties to UAB School of Nursing:

• Children's of Alabama: Runs a Student Nurse Intern Program that places students in clinical-extender roles. It is a pathway toward RN practice, not a formal new-graduate residency.
• Birmingham VA Health Care System: Takes part in student nurse technician and graduate nurse technician initiatives with the school. Its residencies are for nurse practitioners, not new RNs.²

Ascension St. Vincent's, Brookwood Baptist Health and Grandview Medical Center are also large local employers. Before you enroll, confirm which hospitals your program uses for rotations.

Hiring Beyond the City Limits

The job radius is wider than Birmingham proper. Commuters also find hospital and clinic employers in Hoover and Bessemer, in Tuscaloosa (including DCH), and in Gadsden. That gives graduates who live outside the city options close to home.

What Graduates Earn

College Scorecard reports median earnings for people who completed each school's nursing credential. Four years after finishing, the figures are:

• UAB (BSN): $78,224
• Bevill State Community College (ADN, Jasper): $76,234
• Jefferson State Community College (ADN): $74,975
• Lawson State Community College (ADN): $73,910
• Samford University (BSN): $72,517

These are medians for each school's nursing graduates, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise. Pay also depends on unit, shift and employer.

Let Your Clinical Site Guide Your Choice

Clinical rotations work like a long interview. Preceptors and unit managers see how you handle a full patient load, and hospitals know that nurses who trained on their units need less orientation. A student who rotates at UAB Hospital or interns at Children's has a head start on a residency application there. Look at where a program places its students, then weigh that against tuition and commute.

What Registered Nurses Earn Across the Birmingham Metro

The Birmingham-Hoover metro employed 17,330 registered nurses in May 2022, which makes it one of Alabama's largest nursing job markets.

LPN to RN Bridge Routes at Area Community Colleges

An LPN bridge cuts the time to an RN license, but it rewards students who plan around narrow application windows. Alabama Community College System schools design mobility tracks to credit your LPN training, so you generally complete fewer semesters than a traditional ADN student. Exact length varies by college, so confirm it on the program page before you plan your finances.

Lawson State: Birmingham

Lawson State Community College offers an LPN-to-RN Mobility pathway.¹ Requirements listed on its nursing pages include:

• License: A current LPN license is required.
• GPA and test: A minimum 2.5 GPA and an ACT score of at least 18.¹
• Prerequisites: ORI101, ENG101, MTH100 or higher, BIO103, and BIO201 with lab.¹ Read the full page for any additional courses.
• Paperwork: Unofficial transcripts and ACT documentation.

Listed deadlines are January 15 for summer admission and May 15 for fall, both at 11:59 p.m.¹ Prerequisites need to be finished or well underway before you apply, so start them a full term early.

Bevill State: Jasper and Hamilton

Bevill State Community College runs an LPN/Paramedic-to-Nursing Mobility Program at its Jasper and Hamilton locations.² For Spring 2027 entry, applications opened July 1 and closed September 15, 2026.² That window has passed, so aim for the next cycle and watch for the opening date next summer.

Other Area Colleges

Wallace State in Hanceville and Jefferson State also serve Birmingham-area nurses. Check each college's nursing page for current bridge requirements, deadlines, and any work-experience expectations before you apply.

Commute and Timing

Hanceville and Jasper are each roughly 40 miles from downtown Birmingham, or about 45 minutes to an hour of driving depending on traffic. That is workable for a few days a week of class but harder when clinical shifts start early. Bridge programs often admit only once a year, and Lawson lists separate summer and fall deadlines. Missing one can cost you a year, so keep your LPN license unencumbered and your transcripts ready.

LPN to RN Programs Near Birmingham

LPNs in the Birmingham area who want to move up to RN have a few routes worth comparing, from evening and hybrid formats built around shift work to programs that award credit for prior practical nursing coursework. Each entry below names the school, the city where it is located and the delivery format so you can weigh drive time against schedule flexibility.

Accelerated BSN and Entry-Level MSN Programs Near Birmingham

Accelerated and direct-entry routes are built for people who already hold a bachelor's degree in a field other than nursing. They compress the pre-licensure coursework into a shorter sequence and prepare graduates to sit for the NCLEX-RN. Expect admission to hinge on your undergraduate GPA, entrance testing, and completed science prerequisites rather than on a nursing-specific degree.

UAB Nursing Program Requirements and Community College Admission Basics

Admission figures below are minimum thresholds, not guarantees. UAB's traditional BSN is competitive and depends on available seats, and community college ADN criteria change from cycle to cycle, so confirm details in each school's current admission packet before you apply.

1. UAB overall GPA

   A 2.75 minimum that counts all transfer coursework.
2. UAB pre-nursing GPA

   A separate 2.75 minimum calculated on the pre-nursing foundation courses.
3. UAB course grades

   C or better in all core, pre-nursing and nursing-major courses.
4. UAB credit threshold

   Apply after 41 semester hours. Prerequisites may still be in progress but must finish at C or better before entry.
5. UAB GRE option

   Spring 2027 instructions allow applicants below a 2.75 overall GPA to submit a GRE with a combined verbal and quantitative score of 297.
6. UAB resume

   Required. It should cover healthcare interest or experience, involvement, leadership and employment.
7. UAB deadlines

   Summer 2027 entry opens January 11, 2027 and closes February 12, 2027. University admission must be complete one month earlier.
8. Community college test scores

   Alabama Community College System ADN programs typically weigh an ACT or TEAS score, depending on the college's current rules.
9. Points-based selection

   ADN applicants are usually ranked on points from test scores and grades in required general education courses.
10. ADN prerequisites

    These commonly include English composition, college-level math and anatomy and physiology. Check Jefferson State's and Lawson State's current nursing packets for exact requirements.
11. Background check and drug screen

    Clinical sites routinely require both before placement, at UAB and at community college programs alike.

RN to BSN/MSN Programs in Birmingham, AL

If you already hold an unencumbered Alabama RN license, the next step is often a bachelor's completion program, and both options here are built for nurses who are already working. Each is CCNE accredited at the baccalaureate level and delivers coursework online or distance-accessible, so shifts and classwork can coexist. Many Birmingham hospital systems offer tuition assistance for RN to BSN completion, which is worth asking about before you apply.

APRN & Nurse Practitioner Programs in Birmingham, AL

Licensed RNs who want prescriptive authority and advanced practice preparation will find Birmingham options built around a working schedule. Coursework is largely online, with campus intensives for skills and simulation, and clinical placements arranged in the community where programs allow.

How Birmingham Graduates Earn an Alabama RN License

Comprehensive List of Nursing Schools Near Birmingham, AL

7 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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