Kentucky Nursing Schools And Programs

Kentucky hosts more than 50 ADN and BSN programs, and its schools post a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate of 88.8%, above the national 86.6%. This guide covers the licensing steps, the salary picture, and the programs worth a close look.

The Best Nursing Schools in Kentucky

Midway University offers flexible nursing programs with evening or online courses. Students can finish an ADN through traditional daytime or evening study, then move into a 12-month RN-to-BSN or ADN-to-MSN track. Midway also offers an MSN with tracks in administration or education, plus a dual MSN/MBA.

• Program: ADN; BSN; MSN
• Campus: Midway, KY
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
• Tuition: $24,500 per year (Kentucky undergraduate); $395 per credit (evening/online undergraduate); $494 per credit (MSN)
• Admission: Varies by degree; ADN candidates submit high school transcripts, GED, or college transcripts, minimum 2.8 GPA, ACT/SAT and TEAS scores
• Minimum Time: 12 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 100%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $52,385 (associate), $66,244 (bachelor's), per College Scorecard

West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) runs a practical nursing diploma across three semesters, 43 to 52 credits covering medical terminology, nursing fundamentals, pharmacology, and mental health, plus clinical practicum hours. WKCTC offers 10 nursing programs in all, including an advanced nursing assistant certificate and an ADN.

• Program: ADN; nursing certificates and diplomas
• Campus: Paducah, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
• Tuition: $179 per credit (Kentucky residents); $358 (contiguous-county out of state); $627 (out of state)
• Admission: High school or college transcripts; CPR certification; ACT, NLN Pre-Admission Exam, or Evolve Admission Assessment scores
• Minimum Time: 18 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 93%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $49,053 (associate), per College Scorecard

Bellarmine University offers undergraduate and graduate nursing with flexible online courses. MSN students choose tracks in administration, education, or family nursing with a non-thesis option, completing 37 to 43 credits fulltime or parttime. The family nursing track prepares students for ANCC or AANP certification and meets live once per semester.

• Program: BSN; MSN; DNP; PhD in nursing
• Campus: Louisville, KY
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Tuition: $905 per credit (Kentucky undergraduate); $880 (DNP); $795 (MSN)
• Admission: Varies by degree; MSN candidates need a BSN from an accredited program, transcripts, minimum 3.0 GPA, GRE on request
• Minimum Time: 24 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 90%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $60,088 (bachelor's), $83,915 (graduate), per College Scorecard

Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC) prepares future RNs and nursing aides. Students complete the ADN in two years to sit for the NCLEX-RN, and after the first year qualify for a nursing diploma and the practical nurse exam. Programs run 62 to 66 credits across maternal newborn, behavioral health, pediatric, and medical-surgical nursing, with accelerated pathways for RNs and LPNs.

• Program: ADN; practical nurse diploma; advanced nursing assistant certificate
• Campus: Cumberland, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
• Tuition: $179 per credit (Kentucky residents); $358 (contiguous-county out of state); $627 (out of state); $179 (online)
• Admission: High school, GED, or college transcripts; standardized test scores; minimum 2.0 GPA
• Minimum Time: 12 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 100%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $50,856 (bachelor's), per College Scorecard

The University of Louisville offers onsite, online, or accelerated nursing programs. The traditional BSN takes four years with hands-on training at the Patient Simulation and Standardized Patient Centers, open to recent high school graduates or holders of a non-nursing bachelor's. Lower-division coursework can run parttime and online, but upper-division courses and clinical rotations are fulltime and onsite.

• Program: BSN; MSN; DNP; PhD in nursing
• Campus: Louisville, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Tuition: $508 per credit (in-state undergraduate); $1,189 (out-of-state undergraduate); $752 (in-state graduate); $1,536 (out-of-state graduate)
• Admission: Varies by degree; 3.0 GPA for first-year BSN applicants, ACT/SAT scores, 2.8 minimum for transfers
• Minimum Time: 24 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 92%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $58,264 (bachelor's), $95,473 (graduate), per College Scorecard

The University of Kentucky offers degrees for nurses at every career stage. BSN students complete at least 120 credits across health assessment, medical-surgical nursing, pathopharmacology, maternity and reproductive health, pediatrics, and leadership. Instruction runs in labs, classrooms, and the clinical simulation center, with clinical groups of eight and four internships in health equity, practice, research, and education.

• Program: BSN
• Campus: Lexington, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and ANCC Commission on Accreditation
• Tuition: $512 per credit (Kentucky undergraduate); $1,303 (out-of-state undergraduate); $742 (Kentucky graduate); $1,846 (out-of-state graduate)
• Admission: Varies by degree; high school seniors need minimum 3.4 GPA and prerequisites; current UK students need minimum 3.0 GPA
• Minimum Time: 48 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 98%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $57,125 (bachelor's), per College Scorecard

Ashland Community and Technical College (ACTC) runs a 54-credit ADN across four semesters, covering professional behavior, nursing process, clinical decision-making, caring interventions, and collaboration. ACTC also offers a four-semester military medic-to-ADN program and a three-semester LPN-to-ADN program, admitting new students each fall.

• Program: ADN
• Campus: Ashland, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
• Tuition: $179 per credit (in state); $358 (out of state)
• Admission: Varies by degree; minimum 2.5 GPA, CPR certification, standardized test scores
• Minimum Time: 24 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 73%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $50,995 (bachelor's), per College Scorecard

Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) offers traditional or LPN-to-ADN tracks across five semesters, 64 credits covering anatomy and physiology, maternal newborn nursing, medical and surgical nursing, microbiology, and pediatrics. OCTC provides transfer pathways to four-year degrees at Brescia University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Kentucky State University.

• Program: ADN
• Campus: Owensboro, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation
• Tuition: $179 per credit (in state); $358 (contiguous-county out of state); $627 (out of state)
• Admission: High school or college transcripts; ACT or TEAS scores; minimum 2.75 GPA; prerequisites with minimum C
• Minimum Time: 24 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 91%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $50,105 (bachelor's), per College Scorecard

Northern Kentucky University prepares students to work as patient care assistants at local hospitals after one semester. The BSN trains students for acute care, intensive care, and specialty areas like pediatrics, maternity, and mental health, with a traditional four-year track or a 16-month accelerated track. Clinicals run at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Christ Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, and Cincinnati Children's.

• Program: BSN; MSN
• Campus: Highland Heights, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Tuition: $417 per credit (Kentucky undergraduate); $836 (out-of-state undergraduate); $550 (Kentucky graduate); $845 (out-of-state graduate)
• Admission: Varies by degree; minimum 3.0 GPA, ACT scores for students with under 24 credits, minimum 2.5 GPA for transfers
• Minimum Time: 16 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 96%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $55,301 (bachelor's), $90,245 (graduate), per College Scorecard

Maysville Community and Technical College offers an ADN on the Maysville campus and an online LPN-to-RN program. ADN students complete 64 credits across anatomy and physiology, maternal newborn nursing, and pediatric nursing, preparing for the NCLEX-RN. The LPN-to-RN program runs fully online except for clinicals and labs, and Maysville also offers a Medicaid nurse aide certificate.

• Program: ADN; practical nursing diploma; Medicaid nurse aide certificate
• Campus: Maysville, KY
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Tuition: $179 per credit (Kentucky residents); $358 (contiguous-county out of state); $627 (out of state)
• Admission: Varies by degree; transcripts, TEAS and ACT scores, CPR certification, active on the Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry, minimum 2.5 GPA
• Minimum Time: 24 months
• Onsite Requirement: Yes
• NCLEX-RN First-Time Pass Rate: 100%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $52,464 (associate), per College Scorecard

How to Choose a Nursing Program in Kentucky

Decide first between a two-year ADN and a four-year BSN, then compare acceptance and graduation rates and the NCLEX-RN pass rate, which signals quality. Factor in cost, financial aid, and logistics. If you go online, look for a program that arranges local clinical placement. This guide lists only accredited programs.

Why Become a Nurse in Kentucky

Kentucky schools post a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate of 88.8%, above the national 86.6%. The state belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), which now spans 41 states plus several territories, so a Kentucky multistate license lets you practice across compact states.

Because many Kentucky communities are underserved, nurses can tap loan-forgiveness programs and scholarships tied to those areas. The state mixes small towns with cities that have active dining and cultural scenes, plus outdoor recreation at sites like Mammoth Cave.

Salary and Job Outlook for Nurses in Kentucky

Kentucky RNs and nurse practitioners earn below the national medians of $93,600 for RNs and roughly $129,000 for NPs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024). The state's lower cost of living, with an index near 93 against a national 100, narrows the gap. RN pay shows little variation across Kentucky's metros, though government and hospital settings tend to pay the most.

Nationally, the BLS projects employment for nurse practitioners to grow about 35% from 2024 to 2034, far faster than average, with steady growth for registered nurses. Kentucky shares in that demand, and a December 2021 executive order projected the state would need an additional 16,000 nurses by 2024.

Steps to Becoming a Nurse in Kentucky

To earn an RN license, graduate from an ADN or BSN program, pass the NCLEX-RN, complete a fingerprint background check, and pass the jurisprudence exam. If you attended a Kentucky school, the board receives your transcripts automatically; otherwise, have your school send them. The application fee is $125, and RN licenses renew annually.

APRN Requirements

You need an MSN or DNP, board certification in your specialty, and a current, unencumbered RN license. Send your transcripts and proof of certification to the state board. The application fee is $165. APRNs with prescriptive authority must work in collaboration with a physician but can otherwise practice independently, and they renew annually.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nursing in Kentucky

How long does licensing take? An ADN takes about two years and a BSN four. After you pass the NCLEX-RN, processing a license takes around 15 business days, or up to three months if you have a criminal record beyond traffic violations.

Who earns more? Nurses with a BSN generally out-earn those with an ADN, as do nurses in government and hospital settings. Additional certifications raise pay further.