Best ADN Programs in Wyoming for 2026

Casper College runs its Associate Degree in Nursing on the statewide ReNEW curriculum, a shared framework built jointly by Wyoming community colleges and the University of Wyoming so credits transfer directly into UW's BSN completion program. The ADN is 4 semesters of post-acceptance coursework combining an accredited simulation center with live clinical rotations at local healthcare facilities. An LPN Advanced Placement track exists for working LPNs looking to bridge up. Starting Fall 2026, Casper is adding a hybrid option for 8 additional students, pairing online didactic courses with an alternative clinical schedule; that track still requires hands-on clinical hours and is not a fully online path to licensure.

Casper admits 32 students each January and August via a ranked points system built on GPA (minimum 2.8), TEAS scores, and prerequisite grades. At $3,150 per year in-state tuition, a full two years of the nursing program runs roughly $6,300 in tuition before fees, books, and living costs. The 43% graduation rate (IPEDS) is below the national community-college average, which makes the front-loaded admission criteria and CNA licensure requirement meaningful signals: the students most likely to finish are the ones who enter prepared. No NCLEX pass rate is published on the program page. The Hakia Score of 78.8 ranks it first among Wyoming ADN programs, reflecting the combination of cost, clinical infrastructure, and the clean transfer pathway into a BSN for graduates who want to continue. If you are in central Wyoming and plan to bridge to a BSN through UW, this is the most direct route at the lowest total cost.

Eastern Wyoming College has offered its ADN program since 2016 and now runs three cohorts across two campuses: a day cohort and a night cohort at the Douglas campus, plus a night cohort in Torrington (a Torrington day cohort is planned). This staggered, biennial admission schedule means seats open at each campus on alternating even and odd years; the Torrington/Douglas night cohort last admitted in Fall 2025, the Douglas day cohort next admits Fall 2026. The program uses Wyoming's shared ReNEW curriculum and explicitly states graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN in any state. Travel to surrounding communities is required for clinical rotations, a real logistics factor for students in this rural region.

Prerequisites include English, College Algebra, General Biology, and Human Anatomy, all with a grade of C or better, plus an active Wyoming CNA certificate before the first semester begins. The minimum program GPA is 2.5. EWC's 52% graduation rate is the strongest of Wyoming's four ranked ADN programs, suggesting the small cohort model (about 8 students per cohort per the quoted student) translates into better completion outcomes. In-state tuition sits at $3,150 per year, so two years of ADN coursework costs roughly $6,300 in tuition. The program holds ACEN Continuing Accreditation, the field's primary specialized nursing accreditor, which matters for employer credentialing and future graduate school options. The Hakia Score of 78.5 ranks it second in Wyoming, with the above-average grad rate as the primary differentiator for students who want to finish what they start.

• $3,150/yr in-state tuition, roughly $6,300 total for two years
• 52% graduation rate, best in Wyoming ADN ranking
• ACEN Continuing Accreditation
• Day and night cohorts across two campuses

Sheridan College, part of the Northern Wyoming Community College District, runs an intensive 2-year ADN on the ReNEW curriculum. Students train in the Perkins Health Science Center, which houses high-fidelity simulation manikins, a dedicated skills lab, and virtual reality patient scenarios for clinical decision-making practice. Rotations cover med-surg, ICU, ER, and labor and delivery. Advanced placement and transfer admission into the second or third semester is available for students with qualifying prior coursework. The program partners directly with the University of Wyoming for a seamless ADN-to-BSN transition for graduates who want to continue to a bachelor's degree while working as RNs.

Sheridan publishes three program outcomes on its website: a 52% completion rate, a 62% NCLEX-RN pass rate, and a 70% job placement rate. The 62% NCLEX figure is the only published first-attempt pass rate among Wyoming's ranked ADN programs, and it lands below the national average; prospective students should ask the department for the most recent cohort data before enrolling. The 42% graduation rate (IPEDS, slightly below the published 52% program completion) and the below-average NCLEX rate reflect the difficulty of completing a nursing program in a rural, high-demand labor market. At $3,150/yr in-state, two years of tuition totals $6,300. At the BLS median of $97,550/yr for RNs, that tuition cost represents less than four weeks of a nurse's gross pay. The Hakia Score of 78.0 ranks it third in Wyoming; the simulation infrastructure and published outcomes data are the case for choosing Sheridan over a program that publishes nothing.

• $3,150/yr in-state tuition
• 62% NCLEX-RN pass rate (published by program)
• High-fidelity simulation and VR clinical training
• Advanced placement into 2nd or 3rd semester available

Northwest College in Powell offers a 70-73 credit Associate Degree in Nursing with two distinct entry paths: a traditional fall-start track and a spring-start hybrid track. Both are on-campus programs with clinical requirements; the hybrid format reorganizes the schedule rather than moving clinical hours online. What sets NWC apart structurally is the NCLEX-PN checkpoint: after completing semester two, students are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN and earn LPN licensure mid-program, letting them work as a licensed practical nurse while completing the final two semesters toward full RN status. The four-semester nursing sequence follows the ReNEW framework (Health Promotion, Chronic Illness, Acute Illness, Complex Illness), plus a dedicated NCLEX Content Review course in the final term.

Admission to the nursing program is separate from college admission and uses separate application windows: hybrid applications open September 15 and close in November; traditional applications open January 15 and close in March. In-state tuition is $3,150 per year, making the two-year ADN cost roughly $6,300 in tuition. The 49% graduation rate sits between EWC (52%) and Casper (43%), suggesting solid but not exceptional completion outcomes for a small rural program with 1,486 enrolled students. No NCLEX pass rate is published on the program page. The Hakia Score of 77.9 ranks NWC fourth in Wyoming; the mid-program LPN licensure option is the concrete differentiator for students who need to generate income before finishing the full RN credential. At the BLS median RN salary of $97,550, the gap between starting as a licensed LPN in semester three versus waiting until program completion can represent tens of thousands of dollars in cumulative earnings.

• $3,150/yr in-state tuition
• Optional NCLEX-PN licensure after semester two
• 49% graduation rate
• Traditional fall-start and spring-start hybrid tracks

Laramie County Community College runs its ADN through the Revolutionizing Nursing Education in Wyoming (ReNEW) consortium, a statewide curriculum built as a baccalaureate framework with an ADN checkpoint. The program is four semesters of nursing coursework (after a prerequisite semester), combining classroom instruction with coordinated in-person clinical rotations in area health care settings. There is a built-in ladder: after the first two semesters, students earn a Certificate in Nursing with IV certification and may sit for the NCLEX-PN to work as an LPN while completing the upper level. At the four-semester mark they sit for the NCLEX-RN for full RN licensure. Clinical rotations are in-person and mandatory; LCCC is clear that all clinical hours must be completed for program requirements.

At $3,150 per year in-state tuition, the math is straightforward: four semesters of nursing plus a prerequisite semester runs roughly $7,875 in tuition before fees and books. The national BLS median for registered nurses is $97,550 per year. If you graduate carrying $15,000 in total debt (tuition plus living costs), you recover that gap in under three months of RN pay. LCCC's reported graduation rate is 38%, which reflects the reality of community-college nursing programs: selective clinicals, rigorous coursework, and life circumstances all thin the cohort. A Hakia Score of 77 places it fifth among Wyoming ADN programs, reflecting its strong cost position and the ReNEW pathway's built-in articulation to UW's RN-to-BSN. NCLEX pass rates are not published on the program page, so that metric cannot be stated. The LPN-exit option is a genuine differentiator: students who need income before completing the full ADN can earn and work as an LPN, then return to finish the RN.

Central Wyoming College in Riverton offers a 65-credit ADN built on a concept-based curriculum covering safety, clinical judgment, leadership, patient-centeredness, professionalism, and health promotion. Clinical rotations begin in semester one and run continuously through graduation, so there is no ramp-up period before you are in patient-care settings. The program is accredited by ACEN and approved by the Wyoming State Board of Nursing, which means graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN for full RN licensure. Simulation labs supplement clinical time. Admission is competitive and annual: applications run November 1 through March 1, and applicants must submit ATI TEAS scores by March 1 and hold a minimum 2.5 GPA in program-required courses. CWC also offers a streamlined pathway to a BSN for graduates who want to move up.

In-state tuition is $3,150 per year, consistent with Wyoming's community-college system. At that rate, total tuition across the two-year program is roughly $6,300 before fees and books, against a national RN median of $97,550 per year per BLS data. That payback math is hard to dispute in dollar terms: $6,300 in tuition is less than six weeks of median RN pay. Graduation rate is 37%, admit rate is not published. CWC's Hakia Score of 71.2 places it sixth in Wyoming, a notch below LCCC primarily on score composite. The once-a-year admission cycle means timing matters: if you miss the March 1 deadline you wait a full year, so preparation for the TEAS and prerequisite completion needs to happen well in advance.

Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs runs an ADN with three education tracks under one admission: the ADN itself, a Practical Nursing Certificate (which you can pursue simultaneously), and articulation into the University of Wyoming's ReNEW RN-to-BSN completion program. The ADN plan of study lists 14 credits of prerequisites (General Biology, College Algebra, English Composition, and Anatomy and Physiology I), followed by four semesters of nursing courses that sequence from health promotion through chronic illness, acute illness, and complex illness. Each nursing course carries 9-10 credits with clinical hours built in. Admission is competitive and scored: ATI TEAS total score, prerequisite GPA, and up to 6 bonus points (for completed co-requisites and CNA coursework) are combined into a rank-ordered list. Applicants need a minimum 2.5 GPA in prerequisites and a TEAS score at the Proficient level or above. Applications are accepted January through March 31 annually for fall entry.

Western is unusually transparent about costs. Their published semester-by-semester estimate totals approximately $13,150 across the prerequisite semester and all four program semesters in tuition and fees (the final semester figure was cut off in the published page, but the pattern through semester four yields that figure). At $3,150 per year in-state tuition for the base rate, that total aligns with a two-plus years of enrollment including prerequisites. Against the BLS RN median of $97,550, the total estimated program cost equals roughly 1.8 months of gross pay at the median. Graduation rate is 33%, the lowest of the three programs reviewed here, which likely reflects the competitive admission process and the intensity of the clinical load. Admit rate is not published. A Hakia Score of 68.6 reflects the lower graduation rate relative to LCCC and CWC; cost structure is nearly identical across all three Wyoming community colleges. The published bonus-point system is worth noting: completing the CNA course before applying adds 2 points to your score, a concrete and achievable edge in a competitive, rank-ordered pool.