Entry-Level Master’s (ELM) Programs, Explained

Across all California ELM graduates, the five-year first-time pass rate was 88.2% (3,201 testers), close to BSN graduates' 87.9%. Individual programs ranged widely, so check each one on the NCLEX pass rate table and read What Is a Good NCLEX Pass Rate? before comparing small programs.

How ELM programs are structured

Most California ELM programs have two parts. First comes a pre-licensure segment covering the core nursing content and supervised clinical hours that make you eligible for the NCLEX-RN. Then comes graduate coursework to finish the master's. The BRN tracks the two separately: in 2024–25, California ELM programs reported 780 pre-licensure completions and 225 post-licensure ELM completions.

ELM directors told the BRN that full-time students take, on average, between 4.7 and 5.8 semesters to complete the pre-licensure segment (about 7 quarters at quarter-system schools). About a third of California ELM programs (35.7%) run on quarters. When exactly you can sit for the NCLEX, and whether you can work as an RN while finishing the master's, depends on the program. Ask each school to walk you through its timeline.

Getting in

ELM admissions look more like graduate school than undergraduate nursing. In the BRN's 2024–25 survey, every reporting ELM program used a minimum GPA. Personal statements and letters of reference were each used by 92.3%, holistic review by 84.6%, health-related work experience by 69.2% and interviews by 61.5%. Only 23.1% used an entrance exam such as the TEAS or GRE, compared with 76.6% of BSN programs (see TEAS vs. HESI A2).

The odds are similar to other paths. ELM programs received 3,322 qualified applications in 2024–25 and accepted 1,117, or 33.6% (compare all program types in California nursing school acceptance rates). Expect science prerequisites such as anatomy, physiology and microbiology; exact lists and recency rules vary by school.

Outcomes: completion, licensure and jobs

• Completion: ELM programs had the highest on-time completion rate of any program type in 2024–25, at 90.1%, with 6.0% attrition.
• Licensure: the BRN's 2024–25 survey reported an 87.9% first-time pass rate for ELM graduates, and 92.0% for the accelerated ELM tracks that reported separately.
• Jobs: among recent pre-licensure ELM graduates with a known employment setting, 58.0% worked in hospitals and 6.9% in community or public health. The share unable to find work by October 2025 was 8.4%, the highest of any program type and above the 4.9% statewide figure. Program directors may not know where every graduate works, so treat this as a rough signal.

Nationally, BLS notes that a bachelor's or higher degree is often necessary for administrative, research, consulting and teaching roles in nursing (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). A master's can help with those paths later, but your first job will usually be a staff RN role, just like a BSN graduate's.

Cost and debt

This is where ELM programs stand apart. In the BRN's 2024–25 survey, ELM programs averaged $65,998 a year in tuition and fees ($74,464 private, $49,065 public), and graduates averaged $87,909 in debt ($98,834 private, $66,061 public). The report notes that ELM debt figures may include debt from earlier degrees, and that finishing the master's can take extra terms after the pre-licensure segment.

Listed costs on the BRN program list run from $40,220 to $121,536 at public programs and from $83,846 to $251,510 at private ones, but some entries are tuition only and others are the full program. Ask for a written total including fees, uniforms, equipment and living costs. AACN also notes that financial aid for accelerated entry-level programs is limited, and that some employers partner with schools on tuition repayment.

ELM or accelerated BSN?

Both are built for people with a prior bachelor's. AACN says fast-track entry-level baccalaureate programs take 11 to 18 months including prerequisites, versus about 15 to 36 months for entry-level master's. In California, 13 BSN programs reported accelerated tracks to the BRN in 2024–25, and their graduates passed the NCLEX at 88.3% first-time.

• Choose an accelerated BSN if speed and cost matter most and you are not sure you want a graduate degree.
• Choose an ELM if you want the master's anyway, are drawn to a specific program's focus, or are aiming at leadership or education roles down the line.

Our program finder's "Accelerated / second-degree" filter currently shows ELM programs only, because the BRN list does not flag accelerated BSN tracks. Check BSN schools directly for second-degree options.

Questions to ask an ELM program

• When will I be eligible to take the NCLEX, and can I work as an RN before finishing the master's?
• What is the total cost of the whole program, not just the first year?
• What were your first-time NCLEX pass rates and tester counts for each of the last three years?
• Is the program accredited by CCNE? (All 14 reporting California ELM programs said yes in 2024–25. See ACEN vs. CCNE.)
• Where do clinical rotations happen, and how are placements assigned?

Compare ELM programs side by side in the program finder.