Top Nursing Schools in Washington, DC for ADN and BSN Students

Washington, DC has a compact nursing education market, and most of it is bachelor's-level. Associate degree options are scarce, so most applicants end up weighing BSN programs against one another.

These schools are ranked by first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, because passing the licensing exam is what turns a degree into a nursing job. The spread is wide: recent rates run from roughly 71% to 100%.

With so few programs in the city, those differences are easy to compare and hard to ignore. A degree without a license leads nowhere, and DC employers hire licensed RNs.

Top NCLEX-RN Pass Rates: Best Nursing Schools in Washington, DC for 2027

This ranking reads from licensing outcomes rather than reputation alone: each school is placed by its first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates, weighted with graduation and retention strength. The District's field is small but varied, spanning a direct-entry BSN at a research university, a 24-month associate degree with evening classes, and several completion tracks built for working nurses.

How We Ranked DC Nursing Schools

First-time NCLEX-RN pass rates carry roughly three-quarters of a school's ranking weight. The ranking averages each program's NCLEX-RN pass rate over the DC Board of Nursing's most recent three years, giving more weight to larger cohorts. A larger cohort with steady performance carries more weight than a small cohort with one unusually strong or weak year, which keeps a handful of graduates from distorting the programs below.

What Else Counts

Accreditation and completion/retention make up the remaining weight and are used mostly as tie-breakers when schools fall within a few points of each other on NCLEX performance. Schools must also have the accreditation signals and student-completion track record to be considered alongside their pass rates.

Compare Without Overweighting Cost

Each school card shows net price and graduation rate so you can compare affordability and student momentum, but these are not the main drivers of rank. Graduation rate is institution-wide, not program-specific, and net price is a sector-level average after financial aid for nursing students. Confirm current cost and completion figures with each school before deciding.

Washington, DC Nursing School NCLEX-RN Pass Rates by School

Georgetown University posted the highest recent first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate in Washington, DC, with 100% of first-time takers passing in both its BSN and Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) programs in 2025, according to the DC Board of Nursing. For context, NCSBN reports a 2025 national first-time pass rate of 88.4% for U.S.-educated RN candidates: Georgetown and Catholic University (88.76%) finished above that benchmark, while Howard University, the University of the District of Columbia, and Trinity Washington University finished below it. A single year can mislead, especially for small cohorts where a few test-takers can swing the percentage sharply, so ask each school for at least three years of first-time pass rates (or review prior DC Board of Nursing reports) and favor programs that stay at or near the national benchmark consistently.

ADN vs. BSN vs. ABSN vs. RN-to-BSN: Which Paths Exist in DC?

Yes, Washington, DC has an ADN program: the University of the District of Columbia Community College offers an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing that is approved by the DC Board of Nursing and holds ACEN Continuing Accreditation, though ADN options in the District are far more limited than BSN options. Every prelicensure path below leads to the same NCLEX-RN exam and the same RN license, so your real decision comes down to time, cost, and how competitive you want to be when hiring managers compare candidates.

What Registered Nurses Earn in the Washington, DC Metro

Pay in the DC region is one practical way to weigh tuition against what you can expect to earn after licensure. Most RNs here earn between $80,750 and $132,900 a year.

BSN vs. ADN Salary and Hiring in Washington, DC

The question behind BSN vs. ADN in Washington, DC is not just which credential you can complete, but which one gives you a realistic path into the area's hospital jobs.

Is a BSN or ADN better in Washington, DC?

For most hospital-focused new graduates, a BSN is the safer bet. Washington, DC's inpatient market is built around Magnet-designated and academic medical centers that favor or require baccalaureate-prepared nurses. Children's National has held Magnet designation with its fourth recognition in 2026.¹ Sibley Memorial Hospital lists a BSN as preferred for RN Med/Surg Nursing and RN Behavioral Health Nursing positions, and its Rapid Response Team roles require a BSN.² Emergency department RN postings from UHS in Washington, DC require a BSN or current BSN enrollment.³ National employer data points the same direction: by 2026, roughly 40% of hospitals and healthcare settings required a BSN for new graduate RNs, and more than three-quarters of employers preferred one.⁴

What DC nursing graduates actually earn

Program-level earnings one year after completion are not currently published for the DC nursing programs on this page, so we cannot show a reliable school-by-school dollar figure here. That is a key caveat: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports RN wages by occupation and metro area, not by degree level. The BSN advantage in Washington, DC typically shows up in hiring access, specialty roles, leadership pathways, and eligibility for MSN programs in Washington, D.C. or DNP programs in Washington, DC rather than in a higher base hourly rate for bedside staff.

A practical ADN to BSN route

An ADN is still a viable entry point. Get your RN license, accept a position where ADN-prepared nurses are hired, then complete an RN-to-BSN program, often with employer tuition reimbursement. Sibley Memorial's med/surg and behavioral health postings accept an ADN with a BSN preferred, so those roles can start the pathway. Once you are employed, the RN-to-BSN bridge covers the gap that hiring managers in Magnet hospitals are watching for.

Debt vs. Early Earnings: Which DC Nursing Programs Pay Off Fastest

Federal data does not yet publish nursing-specific debt or early-career earnings for the schools ranked here, so we do not chart those figures or estimate them. Institution-wide College Scorecard data, which covers all majors, compares median earnings 10 years after entry with median graduate debt. On that measure, Georgetown University shows the strongest earnings-to-debt balance, and George Washington University follows closely with $90,873 in median earnings against $20,449 in median debt.

Admission Requirements and How to Verify Accreditation

Requirements differ by program type, so check each school's current admissions page before you apply. The items below show what DC programs ask for and what to verify before submitting an application.

1. Prerequisite science courses

   Expect anatomy and physiology I and II plus microbiology. Georgetown's Accelerated BSN also requires chemistry or biochemistry, pathophysiology, and statistics, with B grades or better in specified sciences. Georgetown and Catholic require prerequisites completed within the last five years. Howard does not list a time limit for its science prerequisites.
2. Minimum GPA

   Georgetown prefers a 3.0, and Catholic recommends a 3.0 with no prerequisite grade below C. UDC's RN-to-BSN requires a 2.7 cumulative GPA.
3. Entrance exam

   Catholic accepts a TEAS score of at least 58.7 or a HESI score of at least 80. You can take the exam after conditional admission, but you must finish it before enrolling. Georgetown and UDC do not list an exam requirement.
4. Prior bachelor's degree (ABSN)

   Georgetown's and Catholic's accelerated BSNs are for students who already hold a bachelor's degree. Confirm Howard's eligibility rules directly with the school.
5. Direct-entry vs. upper-division admission

   Direct-entry programs admit students as freshmen. Upper-division programs admit students after they finish prerequisites or a prior degree. Georgetown and Catholic follow the upper-division model. UDC's RN-to-BSN requires an active RN license and 72 completed credits.
6. Immunizations and background check

   Ask each program which immunizations, health screenings, and background checks it requires before clinical rotations begin.
7. Confirm national accreditation

   Search the official CCNE or ACEN directory for the specific program. Georgetown lists CCNE accreditation, and UDC is ACEN-accredited through 2031.
8. Confirm DC Board of Nursing approval

   Check the Board's Approved Schools of Nursing list. Board approval and national accreditation are separate, and attending an unapproved program can block your path to licensure.

DC RN Licensing at a Glance

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