How to Choose a California BSN Program

3. Check national accreditation

BRN approval lets you get licensed. National nursing accreditation is a separate, voluntary review, and for BSN programs it is usually by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), sometimes by ACEN or the NLN's CNEA. It matters most later: many graduate nursing programs and some employers look for a degree from a nationally accredited program.

In the BRN's latest table, 41 of the 43 BSN programs with reported data list CCNE and 2 report no program accreditation. A newer program may be mid-way through the process, so ask about its timeline. Read our accreditation explainer for details.

4. Ask how many students actually finish

Pass rates only count the people who make it to the exam. The BRN also publishes each program's self-reported attrition (students who withdrew or were dismissed) and on-time completion rates. A program with a great pass rate but high attrition may be filtering students out rather than teaching them through. SEAPHE school profiles show these figures by year.

Across the 43 open BSN programs with 2023–24 figures in the BRN attrition and retention table, median attrition was 4.0% (range 0.0% to 42.0%) and median on-time completion was 91.0% (SEAPHE calculation, unweighted).

Why 50 programs here but 43 in the accreditation and attrition figures? 50 is the number of open BSN programs on the BRN approved-program list. The BRN's attrition table, which also lists accreditation, covers 43 of them; the rest aren't listed in that table yet.

5. Compare the total cost, not the tuition line

The BRN list shows each program's cost before financial aid, but some entries are tuition only while others are the full program. Public CSU and UC programs are typically far cheaper than private universities, many of which list total program costs above $100,000. On the BRN list, the median listed cost is $34,484 for the 19 open public BSN programs with a cost and $142,995 for the 31 private ones (SEAPHE calculation; listed costs mix tuition-only and full-program figures). Build a full budget: tuition, fees, uniforms and equipment, background checks and immunizations, NCLEX prep and registration, and time out of work.

6. Plan for competitive admissions

California nursing seats are scarce, and many public BSN programs are impacted, meaning there are more qualified applicants than spots. Expect prerequisite GPA thresholds, an entrance exam such as the ATI TEAS or HESI A2, and sometimes points for local residency, language skills or health-care experience. Apply to a balanced list, and check each school's current criteria because they change often. To compare the public options side by side, see CSU nursing programs compared.

7. Don't overlook the ADN-to-BSN route

If cost or getting a seat is a barrier, an associate degree (ADN) at a community college can be a strong first step. In 2024–25, California ADN programs posted a 92.1% first-time pass rate, the highest of any degree type. Many nurses then finish an RN-to-BSN while working. Hospitals increasingly prefer or require a BSN, so plan that next step early.