Best ADN Programs in Mississippi for 2026

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College runs its ADN prelicensure program out of the Bryant Center at Tradition in Biloxi, with Fall and Spring entry available. One semester of prerequisites feeds into four semesters of nursing coursework, and the curriculum is built with a deliberate dual-exit design: students enter the ADN track but can exit with a Practical Nursing credential before the final year if circumstances require it. A separate LPN-to-RN Transitional track (offered in both hybrid and non-hybrid formats) lets working LPNs bridge to the full ADN credential. Clinical rotations are hands-on and in person throughout. The program has held ACEN national accreditation continuously since December 1982, with Continuing Accreditation confirmed through the next evaluation visit in Spring 2028.

The numbers behind MGCCC's Hakia Score of 88 are hard to argue with. In 2024, the program sent 233 candidates to the NCLEX-RN and 226 passed on the first attempt, a 96.9% rate well above most Mississippi programs. On-time completion came in at 60.6% across the aggregated 2023-24 cohort of 315 starters, which is typical for community-college nursing programs where students balance jobs and families. In-state tuition runs $3,600 per year, and IPEDS graduation data shows a 48% overall grad rate for the college. This program fits two types of candidates: the career-changer who wants the fastest, most affordable route to an RN license, and the working LPN ready to level up via the transitional track.

Northwest Mississippi Community College offers its ADN program in four consecutive semesters (not including summer) entirely at the Senatobia campus, a consolidation that took effect in May 2026 as the college explores additional program offerings for its DeSoto campus. Daytime courses only. Beyond the traditional four-semester sequence, NWCC runs an LPN-to-RN Transition Track: licensed practical nurses complete a summer bridge course, then enter the program at the second-year level with two semesters remaining to earn the ADN. Both tracks sit on the same Senatobia campus. All clinical rotations are in-person. Admission is competitive and ACT-driven: applicants need a composite of 18 or higher, a TEAS entrance exam score, and a 2.0 nursing-prerequisite GPA calculated from A&P I and College Algebra. Application windows run December 1 through March 1 for Fall and July 1 through October 1 for Spring.

NWCC's Hakia Score of 85.5 reflects strong program infrastructure at one of Mississippi's larger two-year institutions (enrollment: 7,867). Graduation data from IPEDS shows a 45% overall grad rate for the college. In-state tuition sits at $3,400 per year, and notably, NWCC charges that same rate to out-of-state students, making it an unusually affordable option for residents of adjacent Tennessee, Arkansas, or Alabama counties. The BLS median wage for registered nurses nationally is $97,550 per year. NWCC's program fits the traditional pre-nursing student who wants a straightforward four-semester path, and the working LPN who wants to upgrade credentials without leaving the Memphis metro area.

Hinds Community College delivers its ADN Traditional Option at the Nursing/Allied Health Center in Rankin (directions to the Jackson, MS facility), with Fall and Spring entry available. The program runs four consecutive semesters after a prerequisite semester covering Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Sociology, and College Algebra. Core nursing content is delivered through four Professional Nursing Concepts courses (9 credit hours each), and the final semester adds a dedicated NCLEX-RN Preparation course alongside the capstone clinical hours. Clinical rotations are in-person. Admission is program-specific: once accepted to the Traditional Option, students cannot transfer into the Transition-to-RN option, so choosing the right track at application time matters. Applicants with two prior withdrawals or failures from any traditional ADN program are barred from admission for four years. Fall applications open January 1 with a May 20 deadline; Spring applications open July 1 with a November 15 deadline.

Hinds holds a Hakia Score of 85.3, built on solid institutional scale (enrollment: 8,859) and its rigorous academic entry bar. Admission requires not just a composite ACT of 18, but sub-scores of 18 or above in Math, Reading, and Science independently, plus a 2.5 GPA on prerequisite coursework. That selectivity filters for students more likely to complete and pass boards. In-state tuition is $3,700 per year per IPEDS, and the college's overall grad rate is 43%. Graduates sit for the NCLEX-RN and earn the same full RN license as a four-year BSN graduate. At $97,550 median annual salary nationally, the RN credential is the same regardless of whether it came from a two-year or four-year program. Hinds fits the academically prepared student who wants rigorous preparation and a final-semester board review built in.

East Mississippi Community College runs its ADN program at two campus locations, Scooba and Mayhew, with the Generic option designed for students entering nursing from the start and the LPN-to-RN Transition option designed for licensed practical nurses who want to advance to registered nurse status. The transition track is structured across three semesters: the first semester is delivered primarily online with campus visits only for testing and skills validation, and upon successful completion, LPN students join the second year of the generic RN sequence. The Generic option follows the standard four-semester sequence with in-person clinical rotations required throughout. Admission is competitive and enrollment is limited, with application deadlines of June 1 for Fall entry and October 1 for Spring entry. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance, and applicants who have been unsuccessful more than once at any nursing program are not eligible.

EMCC's Hakia Score of 81.3 reflects a smaller institution (enrollment: 3,841) where nursing capacity is limited but the dual-campus, dual-entry model adds genuine flexibility. Admission benchmarks are clear: ACT composite of 18 or higher, a 2.5 cumulative GPA, and a grade of C or higher in College Algebra plus A&P I and II (science prerequisites must be within the last five years). In-state tuition is $3,600 per year per IPEDS. IPEDS data shows a 48% overall grad rate for the college. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN and earn an identical RN license to a BSN graduate, qualifying them for the same $97,550 national median RN salary. EMCC fits the rural Mississippi student or working LPN in the east-central part of the state who wants an affordable, in-region path to the RN credential.

Holmes Community College's Associate Degree Nursing Generic Day Track operates across three campuses (Grenada, Goodman, and Ridgeland), giving students in north and central Mississippi accessible options for a prelicensure RN program. The curriculum is structured to satisfy Mississippi State Board of Nursing licensing requirements and prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-RN. Enrollment in nursing courses is restricted to students admitted into the ADN program, and the college recommends a minimum of 15 credit hours per semester to remain eligible for state aid and institutional scholarships. Clinical training occurs in-person at area healthcare facilities; no fully online prelicensure ADN exists.

Holmes carries an in-state tuition of $2,900 per year, the lowest among the Mississippi programs ranked here, which is the primary driver of its Hakia Score of 80.5 and its rank of 5 on this list. Graduation rate stands at 39%, a figure prospective students should weigh against the low cost and multi-campus convenience. Admit rate data is not reported for this program. Because every ADN graduate who passes the NCLEX-RN holds the same registered nurse license as a BSN graduate, Holmes is a strong fit for cost-conscious students who plan to complete an RN-to-BSN bridge while working.

Copiah-Lincoln Community College's Associate Degree Nursing program, located on the Wesson Campus, holds ACEN accreditation and is additionally recognized by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the U.S. Department of Education. The program awards an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Nursing and prepares graduates to meet Mississippi State Board of Nursing eligibility requirements to sit for the NCLEX-RN. Applications for the Fall 2026 class opened January 1, 2026, and closed April 5, 2026, indicating a competitive, cohort-based admissions cycle. Clinical rotations are conducted in-person as required for all prelicensure nursing programs.

At $3,700 per year in-state tuition and a 50% graduation rate, Copiah-Lincoln scores a Hakia Score of 79.9, ranking 6th among Mississippi ADN programs on this list. The 50% completion rate is notably higher than several peers in this ranking, suggesting stronger student support or more selective admissions. Admit rate is not publicly reported. Graduates who earn licensure join a profession with a national BLS median wage of $97,550 per year. Copiah-Lincoln fits students in the southwest Mississippi service area who want accredited preparation and a track record of reasonable completion.

Alcorn State University's Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program, offered through the School of Nursing, provides two entry routes: the Generic Program Option, completable in four semesters, and an LPN Advanced Placement Option for licensed practical nurses seeking to advance to RN. This dual-track structure is uncommon at the associate level and makes Alcorn particularly valuable for LPNs already in the workforce who want an accelerated path to full RN licensure. As a historically Black university, Alcorn brings a distinct mission of access and opportunity to its nursing pipeline. All clinical components are conducted in-person.

In-state tuition is $8,105 per year, the highest among programs in this ranking, which reflects Alcorn's four-year university status rather than a community college fee structure. The program admits roughly 45% of applicants, and the graduation rate is 57%, the strongest completion figure in this group of four. Those two numbers together, a moderately selective admit threshold and a 57% graduation rate, form the basis of Alcorn's Hakia Score of 79.0, ranking it 7th. Graduates sit for the same NCLEX-RN as any BSN graduate. National BLS median for registered nurses is $97,550 per year. Alcorn fits LPNs seeking advanced placement and students who want the support structure of a four-year HBCU.

Pearl River Community College's ADN program runs across two campuses (Poplarville and Forrest County) and offers three distinct tracks: the Traditional ADN (four semesters), the LPN-to-ADN Day Bridge (three semesters), and the LPN-to-ADN Evening/Weekend Bridge (three semesters, currently offered at Forrest County for summer admission). Admission windows open three times per year, with fall, spring, and summer cycles depending on track and campus. Traditional applicants must submit ATI TEAS scores from an on-site proctored facility; LPN bridge applicants use the NACE Foundations of Nursing exam. Clinical rotations take place at hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, physician offices, rehabilitation centers, and K-12 school settings across the six-county service area. The program holds ACEN accreditation with a most-recent decision of Continuing Accreditation.

In-state tuition runs $3,500 per year. The graduation rate is 37%, the lowest in this group of four, which is a meaningful consideration alongside PRCC's otherwise strong program infrastructure and multiple entry points. Admit rate is not reported. The program's Hakia Score of 78.8 ranks it 8th on this list; the lower completion figure is the primary factor behind that placement. Graduates earn an Associate in Applied Science degree and are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN. The national BLS median for registered nurses is $97,550 per year. PRCC is best suited to students in the Hattiesburg-to-Picayune corridor and LPNs who need a flexible evening or weekend schedule to bridge to RN.

Jones County Junior College in Ellisville runs a five-semester Associate of Arts in Nursing that is ACEN-accredited and also approved by the Mississippi IHL Board of Trustees. The program combines on-campus lecture and lab work with mandatory off-campus clinical rotations at area healthcare agencies, no fully online shortcut exists for the hands-on patient-care hours. A dedicated LPN-to-ADN pathway lets licensed practical nurses complete the degree in fewer steps; those applicants must add Nutrition and General Psychology to the standard prerequisite list before the April 1 LPN-specific deadline. All prerequisite science courses (Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology) must have been taken within the last five years, and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 is the baseline to apply.

Admissions are competitive and point-based: the committee weighs cumulative GPA, core course completion, ACT score, and an entrance exam, with science prerequisites carrying the most weight. Two intake windows, March 1 for fall, October 1 for spring, give applicants more scheduling flexibility than programs with a single annual deadline. In-state tuition runs $4,700 per year according to IPEDS, making this one of the lower-cost RN entry points in Mississippi. The reported graduation rate is 41%. The scraped program page does not publish a specific NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate; prospective students should request current outcome data directly from the program. Hakia ranks Jones at a score of 78, the highest among Mississippi ADN programs in this list, on the basis of cost, accreditation, and institutional data. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN and earn the same full RN license as any BSN graduate; the common next step is an online RN-to-BSN bridge while working.

Mississippi University for Women offers an Associate of Science in Nursing through its Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Columbus. The department runs two separate tracks: a Generic Option for students with no prior nursing license, a standard two-year program focused on acute and long-term care, and an Advanced Placement Option for LPNs holding a current, unencumbered Mississippi license who want to become a registered nurse in three semesters instead of four. Both tracks involve direct patient-care clinical hours; prelicensure nursing cannot be completed fully online, and MUW's program is no exception. The university holds several regional distinctions including recognition as a top nursing school in Mississippi.

MUW's ASN carries a 90% admit rate, making it one of the more accessible programs in the state for qualified applicants, and the reported graduation rate is 47%. In-state tuition is $8,392 per year per IPEDS, higher than community-college ADN options but still well below a four-year university BSN program. The program page does not publish a specific NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate; ask the department for its most recent annual outcome data. Hakia scores MUW's ASN at 74.3, reflecting solid accreditation standing and broad access. Graduates sit for the same NCLEX-RN exam as BSN graduates and hold an identical RN license; the typical long-term play is to begin working as an RN and complete an online RN-to-BSN bridge later, a path that costs less overall than entering a four-year program directly.