Honest data for the people who will become our next nurses
Mission
Choosing a nursing program can cost tens of thousands of dollars and years of your life, yet most applicants decide from rankings that mix opinion with marketing. SEAPHE (Schools, Exams, Accreditation & Programs in Healthcare Education) puts the public record first: licensure exam results, accreditation and completion data, cleaned up, cited and explained by a working nurse.
We start with California, where the Board of Registered Nursing publishes unusually detailed program-level data, and will add more states as we verify their sources.
A domain with a research history
From 2007 to about 2020, seaphe.org hosted Project SEAPHE (“Scale and Effects of Admissions Preferences in Higher Education”), a research project run by UCLA Law professor Richard Sander. The domain changed hands in 2022. Today's SEAPHE is a separate nursing education data site with a new focus and editorial team, and it is not affiliated with that project or with UCLA.
Followed an old link? See the research archive for the domain's history and archived copies of the original materials.
Methodology
- 1
Collect
We download each source directly from the publishing agency and record the retrieval date. We do not use scraped third-party aggregators.
- 2
Match
Program names differ slightly between BRN tables (for example “CSU Chico” and “California State University, Chico”). We match them with a name-normalization script and review every ambiguous match by hand. When we cannot match a record confidently, we leave the field blank rather than guess.
- 3
Classify
Program type (ADN, BSN, ELM), city, listed cost and approved enrollment come from the BRN Pre-Licensure RN Programs list. Accreditation, attrition and on-time completion come from the BRN accreditation table, as self-reported by programs to UCSF.
- 4
Calculate
Statewide and multi-year averages are weighted by the number of first-time testers, so a program with 3,000 testers counts more than one with 15. Every calculated figure is labeled as a SEAPHE calculation.
- 5
Label
Anything not yet verified, such as accelerated BSN tracks or online/hybrid formats, is either hidden or clearly marked “being verified.” We never fill gaps with estimates presented as fact.
- 6
Correct
The BRN can revise pass rates after release. We re-check sources on each update and log changes in our public correction log. Spot an error? See the corrections policy below.
Data sources
| Dataset | Publisher | Coverage | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCLEX-RN Pass Rates, First Time CA Educated Exam Testers | California BRN | 159 programs, 2020–21 to 2024–25 (Jul–Jun) | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Pre-Licensure RN Programs | California BRN | ADN, BSN and ELM programs: city, cost, enrollment | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Annual School Report: Data Summary for Pre-Licensure Nursing Programs (and trend and regional editions) | California BRN with UCSF | Applications, acceptances and enrollments, 2015–16 to 2024–25 (Aug–Jul). See admissions methodology | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Accreditation, Attrition, and On Time Completion Rates | California BRN with UCSF | 2019–20 to 2023–24 (Aug–Jul) | Oct 7, 2026 |
Planned additions: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (cost and earnings), NCSBN national summaries, and other state boards of nursing.
Disclaimers
- SEAPHE is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the California BRN, NCSBN, ATI, Elsevier, ACEN, CCNE, the NLN or any school listed.
- Data is reproduced from public sources and may include errors, omissions or later corrections. Confirm admission requirements, costs, accreditation and outcomes directly with each program before you decide.
- Pass rates describe past cohorts and do not guarantee future results.
- SEAPHE currently has no affiliate links, ads or sponsored content. See our advertising and affiliate disclosure and corrections policy.
- Content is educational and is not medical, legal or financial advice.