Top Nursing Schools in Georgia for 2-Year ADN and 4-Year BSN Paths

Georgia's top NCLEX-RN pass rates do not track price. Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Atlanta Technical College, and Berry College all report 100%, yet published in-state tuition is about $3,300 at the first and roughly $41,700 at Berry.

That ADN vs BSN gap is the real tension. A 2-year ADN or ASN gets you licensed faster and cheaper, while a BSN, traditional or accelerated, costs more and takes longer but carries wider hiring reach and more nursing career paths and opportunities. Prerequisite GPAs and limited cohort seats keep both routes competitive.

Many Georgia hospitals still hire from both pipelines, so a program's licensure record matters more than its label.

Georgia Nursing Schools Ranked by NCLEX-RN Pass Rate for 2027

The order below follows one question: how often do a school's graduates pass the NCLEX-RN on their first try? The rates come from first-time candidate results reported to the Georgia Board of Nursing across its most recent multi-year window, and the field is close at the top. Statewide, associate degree programs posted a median first-time rate of 87.1% in the latest compilation, baccalaureate programs 89.1%, and 92 of Georgia's 101 RN programs had a published first-time rate at all.

Why NCLEX-RN Results Drive This List

Every graduate must pass the NCLEX-RN before working as a registered nurse in Georgia, which makes the first-time NCLEX pass rate the most direct measure of how well a program prepares its students for practice.

Look at Several Years, Not One

A single year can mislead. In a small cohort, a handful of failed exams can drop a school's rate sharply, and one strong class can inflate it just as fast. A multi-year average, weighted by how many graduates actually tested, smooths out those swings and shows whether a program performs consistently. When you compare schools on your own, ask for at least three years of results and review How to Read NCLEX-RN Pass Rate Data.

Board Approval vs. National Accreditation

The Georgia Board of Nursing must approve a program before its graduates can sit for the NCLEX. National accreditation from ACEN, CCNE, or NLN CNEA is voluntary, but it matters later. Accredited coursework transfers more smoothly into RN to BSN programs in Georgia, many graduate schools require an accredited prior degree, and some employers screen for it. Note that CCNE accredits only baccalaureate and higher programs, so ADN and ASN programs rely on ACEN or NLN CNEA.

• ACEN: Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (with full Board approval) and College of Coastal Georgia (continuing accreditation for associate and baccalaureate programs).
• CCNE: Mercer University's BSN, accredited since October 2016 with its next review in fall 2026, plus RN-to-BSN programs at Kennesaw State, Georgia State, and the University of West Georgia.
• NLN CNEA: Andrew College's associate program in Cuthbert holds continuing accreditation.

No complete, verified list currently identifies which Georgia programs are Board-approved but not nationally accredited, so confirm status directly with any school you consider. Tuition and earnings data appear later for context, but they do not set the order.

4-Year Nursing Programs in Georgia: ADN and ASN Options and Their Real Timelines

The appeal of a 2 year nursing degree is obvious: a faster, cheaper path to RN licensure than a four-year BSN. The catch is that "two years" usually describes the nursing sequence alone, not the full path from application to pinning.

Where the Programs Live

Georgia offers associate-degree nursing through two public systems plus a handful of private options. The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) runs ASN programs at schools like Atlanta Technical College, Athens Technical College, North Georgia Technical College, and Southern Regional Technical College. The University System of Georgia (USG) adds state-college ADN/ASN options at institutions such as Georgia Highlands College, Gordon State College, and South Georgia State College. For the metro searcher, Atlanta Technical College and nearby Gwinnett Technical College keep an associate pathway within commuting distance.

Advertised vs. Actual Length

Most of these programs run their nursing core in roughly two years. Atlanta Technical College's ASN spans six semesters and 69 credits; North Georgia Technical College lists five semesters and 72 credits; Athens Technical College runs four semesters with about 80 students admitted each year. USG describes its ASN track as 3 to 4 years once general education and prerequisites are counted, which is the honest total for many applicants. A "2-year" ADN often stretches to 2.5 or 3 years once you finish anatomy, microbiology, and other prerequisites before the nursing sequence even begins. A few accelerated ADN programs can run as short as 14 months.

Faster Routes for Working Healthcare Pros

If you already hold an LPN license or work as a paramedic, bridge programs can shave real time off. These generally run 4 to 6 semesters and may grant advanced placement. Atlanta Technical College's LPN-to-RN bridge takes three semesters. North Georgia Technical College's LPN-to-RN bridge is 65 credits across four semesters. Gordon State College's LPN/paramedic bridge runs three concurrent hybrid semesters and requires a year of clinical practice. Gwinnett, Athens, and Georgia Highlands also offer both LPN and paramedic pathways. Statewide, LPN-to-RN routes range from 18 months to four years depending on the credential.

The Trade-Off

An ADN is the fastest, most affordable way into RN licensure in Georgia. The caveat: many Georgia hospitals prefer or require a BSN, so plan on RN to BSN programs later if you want the widest range of employers.

ADN vs. BSN vs. ABSN in Georgia: Which Route Fits Your Goals?

Is it better to get an ADN or a BSN in Georgia? Choose an ADN for the fastest, lowest-cost path to RN licensure. Choose a BSN for long-term advancement, leadership roles, and Magnet hospital jobs. Many Georgia nurses combine both: they earn an ADN, start working as RNs, and then complete an RN-to-BSN program while employed. If you already hold a bachelor's degree in another field, an accelerated BSN (ABSN) is usually the quickest way to a BSN.

Lowest-Cost Routes to an RN Among Ranked Georgia Schools

For most students, the cheapest way to become an RN in Georgia is a public associate degree in nursing (ADN or ASN) from a technical college, followed later by an RN-to-BSN if you want a bachelor's degree, and the most affordable options among the schools ranked here are exactly that kind of public, campus-based program. Net price is the federal average cost after grants and scholarships, not a quote for every student, and public colleges like these typically cost far less than private nursing schools. The debt figures are school-wide medians for all graduates, not outcomes for nursing graduates specifically, and NCLEX-RN pass rates are three-year figures.

Getting Admitted: TEAS vs. HESI A2, Prerequisite GPA, and Seat Limits

Published minimums only get your application reviewed. Because Georgia nursing programs are selective, treat each figure below as a starting line and confirm current requirements with the school before you apply.

1. Know which entrance exam your school uses

   Albany State (65), Dalton State (60), Georgia State (63), and Chattahoochee Technical (70) use the ATI TEAS. College of Coastal Georgia and South Georgia State use the HESI A2 and require at least 75 in each required section. For the January 2026 and January 2027 cycles only, Coastal Pines accepts either exam: 68% overall on the TEAS, or 75 in each HESI section (Math, Science, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Thinking). Coastal Pines allows only two attempts.
2. Aim above the minimum GPA

   Published floors run from 2.0 to 2.8. Georgia Southwestern requires 2.5 in its nursing prerequisites but states that meeting that number does not guarantee a seat. At least one Georgia program ranks applicants by combined GPA and exam score, so higher numbers improve your odds.
3. Finish prerequisites with strong grades

   Course lists vary by school. Nursing prerequisites commonly include anatomy and physiology, microbiology, English, and math. South Georgia State requires a C or better in every required general education course.
4. Plan around start terms and limited seats

   Most schools publish their start terms but not their seat counts. Albany State admits in fall, spring, and summer. South Georgia State admits in fall only. Ask each program about cohort size and whether it keeps a waitlist.
5. Prepare for clinical clearance

   Before clinical rotations, programs commonly require a background check, a drug screen, up-to-date immunizations, and CPR certification. Check each school's deadlines so these steps don't delay your start.

Georgia Board of Nursing Licensure at a Glance

Registered Nurse Pay and Job Outlook in Georgia

These are statewide occupational wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. They cover working nurses at every experience level, so they will run higher than the program-level first-year graduate earnings cited earlier and should not be compared one-to-one. Georgia's roughly 100,950 RNs earn a median of $93,550, and nurse practitioners, a role that requires graduate study, reach a median of $129,430. Demand looks steady: the Georgia Department of Labor's 2020-2030 projections call for 1.7% RN job growth and about 5,470 total openings a year (1,330 from new positions, the rest from retirements, transfers, and other departures), following its earlier estimate of more than 13,500 added RN jobs over 2016-2026.

More Georgia Nursing Programs Worth a Look

Not every strong Georgia nursing program sits at the top of a pass rate table. The directory below groups additional schools by region so you can see what is within commuting distance, along with the degree level each one offers, whether the format is on campus, hybrid, or online, and the average net price students pay. Pass rates and accreditation status do change, so verify a program's current NCLEX-RN history with the Georgia Board of Nursing and its accreditor before you apply.

Atlanta Metro

North Georgia

West Georgia

Columbus Area

Central Georgia

Augusta Area

Coastal Georgia

South Georgia

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