Nursing Schools in Knoxville, TN

Can you become a registered nurse in Knoxville with two years of school, or does the job now require a four-year degree?

Knoxville nursing schools offer both routes, and both end at the same NCLEX-RN license. An ADN at Pellissippi State or Roane State runs about two years. The direct-admit BSN at UT Knoxville takes four and costs more. Programs at both levels are ranked here by first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates.

Cost and commute time decide more searches than prestige does. Local systems hire ADN graduates, but many bedside postings list the BSN as preferred, which puts RN-to-BSN coursework on the table within a few years of licensure.

Where Knoxville Nursing Graduates Work: The Region's Major Hospital Systems

A large multi-hospital system and a single specialty hospital both hire new graduates in East Tennessee, and which one you choose shapes your first year more than most students expect. Covenant Health is described in available sources as the largest system in the Knoxville area, while East Tennessee Children's Hospital and Blount Memorial are smaller, tightly focused employers. University of Tennessee Medical Center and Tennova Healthcare round out the main pool of RN employers near the city.

Residency programs for new graduates

The clearest documented new-graduate pathway belongs to Covenant Health, whose 12-month Nurse Residency Program spans eight acute-care hospitals and is accredited with distinction as a practice transition program by the ANCC. It is built for newly licensed RNs and those with less than a year of acute-care experience. Cohorts start in February, May, August, and November, and group sessions run monthly through the first six months.¹ Covenant enrolls new graduate hires automatically, so there is no separate application.² Other area systems may run their own transition programs; confirm details directly with each recruiter rather than assuming.

The hiring map stretches well past downtown

A January 2026 state report lists UT Medical Center at 740 licensed beds and East Tennessee Children's Hospital at 152, including 60 pediatric intensive care beds. Beyond the city, Knoxville-area nurses commonly work in Maryville, Oak Ridge, Sevierville, Morristown, and north into the Tri-Cities. Tennova's North Knoxville Medical Center sits in Powell, an easy drive from much of the northern suburbs.³

What to ask before you enroll

• Placement partners: Ask which systems the program contracts with, and how often students rotate at each.
• Commute radius: Clinical sites can sit 45 minutes from campus; get the actual list.
• Shift scheduling: Confirm whether rotations include nights and weekends.
• Hiring history: Ask where recent graduates were hired, since clinical placements frequently become first jobs.

Top NCLEX-RN Pass Rates Among Knoxville-Area ADN and BSN Programs

First-time NCLEX-RN pass rates set the order of these five Knoxville-area programs, with accreditation and completion outcomes deciding close calls. Two are community college ADN programs, two are university BSN programs, and one private college offers both an associate and a bachelor's route. All five sit within commuting distance of Knoxville and hold ACEN or CCNE accreditation.

ADN or BSN in Knoxville: Which Path Fits Your Timeline and Hiring Goals?

Both degrees lead to the same NCLEX-RN exam. A 2-year RN program at Pellissippi State or Roane State typically runs 18-24 months after prerequisites, while a traditional BSN at UT Knoxville is a four-year direct-admit program. At UT Medical Center the BSN is preferred for new graduates, but ASN hires are accepted if they agree to finish a BSN within 3 years, which is why many Knoxville nurses start with an ADN and finish an RN to BSN while working.

Cheapest Nursing Programs in Knoxville, TN

These are the lowest-cost routes to RN licensure in the Knoxville area, sorted by average annual net price from IPEDS and College Scorecard (2024) data, which is an approximate average after grants and scholarships, not a quote, so your own cost will depend on your aid package. Credential length drives total cost: the two community college ADNs run about two years at roughly a quarter of South College's annual price, while South College's BSN adds a bachelor's credential, and the debt and 10-year monthly payment figures are Scorecard medians for each program's graduates. If you plan to commute to a public community college, check whether you qualify for TN Promise (recent high school graduates) or TN Reconnect (adults without a degree), since either can change the math considerably.

What Registered Nurses Earn in the Knoxville Metro

Local RN pay shifts with each federal release, so check the current Knoxville numbers yourself before comparing programs or job offers.

LPN to RN Pathways at Pellissippi State and Other Area Community Colleges

An LPN in Knoxville can become an RN without starting over, and Pellissippi State Community College is the confirmed route. The LPN/Paramedic-to-R.N. pathway sits inside the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing and runs in a hybrid format: lectures online, with lab, clinical and testing work on site.¹

What Pellissippi State Requires

• Length: The current catalog lists three semesters.¹ An earlier catalog described the Bridge-to-RN pathway as 12 months.² Confirm the current calendar with the nursing office before you plan around either figure.
• License: You need an LPN diploma or certification and an active, unencumbered LPN license eligible for Tennessee practice.¹
• Coursework: Designated general-education prerequisites must be finished before admission.¹ The catalog excerpt does not list every course, so check the full prerequisite list.
• Timing: The earlier catalog shows bridge students starting nursing courses in spring.² The traditional pathway starts in fall and spring.² Current deadlines and any entrance exam requirement should be verified with the college.

How Bridge Credit Shortens the Path

The traditional A.A.S. route is the standard two-year RN program.² The bridge pathway recognizes your LPN education, so you skip part of that sequence and finish in about three semesters rather than the full traditional timeline.

Commute Geography

Pellissippi State is in the Knoxville area. Roane State (Harriman and Oak Ridge side) and Walters State (Morristown side) also serve the region, but current 2026 bridge details for those two colleges could not be confirmed here, so check their nursing pages directly.

The directory below lists the full set of LPN to RN options near Knoxville.

LPN to RN Programs Near Knoxville

Licensed practical nurses in the Knoxville area have more than one bridge route to an RN license, from a 12-month hybrid associate degree to bachelor's-level tracks that build on existing clinical experience. The options below differ mainly in credential earned, time to completion, and whether coursework runs on campus, online, or on nights and weekends. Each entry names the school, the city where the program is based, and its delivery format.

Accelerated BSN and Entry-Level MSN Programs Near Knoxville

If you already hold a bachelor's degree in another field, an accelerated program lets you move into nursing without repeating general education coursework. The options near Knoxville range from a 12-month ABSN at a large public research university to a quarter-based accelerated option at a private college, and South College's out-of-state accelerated campuses appear here too for readers comparing formats and locations.

RN to BSN/MSN Programs in Knoxville, TN

Licensed registered nurses in the Knoxville area who hold an associate degree or diploma can complete a bachelor's degree without leaving their jobs. The programs below are built for working RNs, with fully online coursework and clinical hours arranged close to home.

APRN & Nurse Practitioner Programs in Knoxville, TN

Nurses in the Knoxville area who already hold a BSN and want prescriptive authority or a clinical leadership role can choose between master's and doctoral routes. The programs below cover family, acute care, pediatric, psychiatric mental health and nurse anesthesia practice, and most combine online coursework with clinical rotations placed at Knoxville-area sites. Each entry notes the degree level, the concentration where one is listed, and whether the format is on-campus, hybrid or online.

Tennessee RN Licensure at a Glance

Comprehensive List of Nursing Schools Near Knoxville, TN

8 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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