Step 2: Find approved programs

To get a California RN license, you need to finish a nursing program that meets California’s requirements. The BRN says all applicants “must have completed an educational program meeting all California requirements.” The simplest way to be sure is to choose a program the BRN has approved.

What to do

• Check that each program on your list is BRN-approved, using the lookup below or the BRN’s own list.
• Note the degree type (ADN, BSN, ELM) and the campus. Approval is for a specific program.
• Read each program’s own page for its requirements and costs.
• Save a short list. Applying to more than one program can give you more options.

What the BRN list shows

The BRN publishes a list of approved pre-licensure RN programs. When SEAPHE last read it, it showed 162 active programs (BRN program list, fetched Oct 13, 2026). The BRN also publishes a separate table of proposed programs moving through its approval process. On Oct 13, 2026, that table showed 27 programs at a stage we list below, from a letter of intent to a self-study.

Being in the approval process is different from being an approved program. If a school you’re considering appears there, ask the school where it is in the process and when it expects to enroll.

The BRN also links a list of “Unapproved Nursing Programs Operating in California” from its programs page. It’s worth a look if a school isn’t on the approved list.

How long it takes

Varies with how many programs you compare.

Typical costs

Looking up programs is free. Application fees: Varies; check with the school.

Two school examples

These are the first ADN and BSN programs, alphabetically, on the BRN list in SEAPHE’s data. Each SEAPHE program page links the BRN source and the school’s own site.

• Allan Hancock College (ADN, Santa Maria). Listed by the BRN as “Allan Hancock College.” SEAPHE’s page for it shows five years of BRN pass-rate data and the school’s own nursing page (school site; BRN list, fetched Oct 13, 2026).
• American University of Health Sciences (BSN). Listed by the BRN as “American University of Health Sciences” (school site; BRN list, fetched Oct 13, 2026).

Use the name the BRN lists when you search. Some schools use a slightly different name on their own site.

Common mistakes

• Checking the school, not the program. Approval is per program. Check the degree type and campus you’ll attend.
• Relying on an old list. Programs open, change and close. Look at the BRN’s current list close to when you apply.
• Confusing “in the approval process” with approved. A program at an early stage may not be enrolling yet.
• Skipping the school’s own page. The BRN list confirms approval. The school’s page has requirements, costs and dates.

Your SEAPHE tools

• BRN-approved program lookup
• Schools A–Z: each program page shows its BRN pass-rate history, requirements and sources.
• Program finder
• BRN continuing-approval records: dated BRN meeting records, as the BRN describes them.

Next step: Step 3, Plan your prerequisites.