Best RN Programs in Washington: 2026 Rankings

The University of Washington School of Nursing offers two distinct undergraduate paths: a traditional two-year (six-quarter) full-time BSN and an Accelerated BSN (ABSN) for applicants who already hold a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field. The ABSN compresses the full BSN curriculum into four consecutive quarters, covering critical thinking, care and therapeutics, clinical simulation in the School of Nursing's Simulation Center, and supervised direct patient care. Admission to the ABSN requires a minimum 2.80 cumulative GPA, a 3.30 GPA across required science prerequisites, 100 hours of healthcare experience within the prior 12 months, and a letter of recommendation from a healthcare provider. Admission opens twice a year for autumn and spring starts.

UW's overall graduation rate is 85%, and the university admits roughly 39% of applicants, making it the most selective program on this list. In-state tuition runs $11,869 per year versus $42,105 for out-of-state students, a gap that makes residency a material financial factor. The program earns a Hakia Score of 96, the highest among Washington BSN programs we ranked. It fits self-directed students who can handle an accelerated pace, and career-changers who want the lowest per-credit cost in the state's most research-intensive nursing school.

Registered nurses nationally earn a median of $97,550 per year, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. UW's large enrollment of nearly 57,000 students gives nursing majors access to an extensive health sciences infrastructure, including the Magnuson Health Sciences Center, where the School of Nursing is housed.

Seattle University's College of Nursing and Health Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing built around a Jesuit mission with an explicit focus on social justice and whole-person care. The program runs four years for first-time college students and two years for transfer or post-baccalaureate students, all in-person at the First Hill campus. The school reports CCNE accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Course progression covers anatomy, pharmacology, patient care, evidence-based practice, leadership, and health policy. The program's Clinical Performance Lab is a 20,000-square-foot facility located in Swedish Cherry Hill's James Tower Life Sciences Center, with infant, child, and adult patient simulators.

Seattle University's graduation rate is 76%, and the school admits 77% of applicants, making it more accessible than UW but still structured. Tuition is $55,620 per year and is the same for in-state and out-of-state students, which is typical for private nonprofits. The program earns a Hakia Score of 86.8. The school's First Hill location puts students within walking distance of Swedish Health Services, Providence Health System, UW Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center for clinical rotations. The program reports 92% graduate placement and a $95,350 average annual salary for its graduates, per its program page, though these figures are self-reported.

The 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio is a genuine differentiator at this enrollment size (7,189 total students). For students who want small-cohort clinical training in the middle of a major medical district, the tradeoff of higher private tuition against direct access to Seattle's densest hospital cluster is worth pricing carefully. National median pay for registered nurses is $97,550, per BLS OEWS data.

Washington State University's College of Nursing offers a pre-licensure BSN (PL-BSN) structured as a four-year program: two years of general university requirements and nursing prerequisites completed at Pullman, Tri-Cities, or via transfer, followed by two years of nursing coursework. The program also offers a Rural Nursing Pathway, a newer track designed for students who want to train locally and practice in rural communities. Applications open twice a year, with fall semester starts (Spokane or Tri-Cities campuses) and spring semester starts available. Admission uses a holistic review process; the school reports approximately a 60% acceptance rate for the nursing program specifically, with 85% of admitted students coming from Washington state.

WSU's overall university graduation rate is 60%, and the university-wide admit rate is 87%. In-state tuition runs $11,305 per year versus approximately $27,864 for non-residents, making it a cost-competitive public option outside of Seattle. The program reports that over $200,000 in scholarship aid was awarded to students in Spring 2023. The Hakia Score for this program is 79.9. WSU fits students who want affordable, regionally respected nursing training with flexible campus options across eastern and central Washington, particularly those drawn to rural or underserved-community practice.

The program's page emphasizes regional employer demand and notes that graduates have gone on to positions at Seattle Children's Hospital after completing practicum rotations there. Prerequisites include human anatomy and physiology, chemistry with labs, and a minimum 3.0 average prerequisite GPA with no individual course below a C. After completing the BSN, graduates sit for the NCLEX for registered nurse licensure. National median pay for RNs is $97,550 per year per BLS OEWS.

Pacific Lutheran University's School of Nursing runs two distinct undergraduate nursing programs: a Traditional BSN on the Tacoma campus, designed for students with no prior nursing preparation, and an Accelerated BSN in Lynnwood for applicants who already hold at least 60 credits or a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field. The school also offers an Entry Level Master's of Science in Nursing (ELMSN), but applicants must choose one track and cannot hold concurrent applications. The Traditional BSN is structured sequentially across the junior and senior years (four semesters) and culminates in a capstone project. The program reports CCNE accreditation. All nursing courses require a minimum grade of C to progress, and clinical site scheduling may require summer or January Term coursework.

PLU's graduation rate is 69%, and the university admits 78% of applicants. Tuition is $50,096 per year and is identical for in-state and out-of-state students, as is standard for private nonprofits. The Hakia Score is 79.7. PLU's total enrollment is 2,797, which means nursing students are in a small-university environment with close faculty contact. The program places graduates in hospitals, clinics, military settings, long-term care facilities, and community health agencies, and the page notes preparation for graduate study as a downstream option.

The Traditional BSN curriculum is tightly sequenced, with clinical practicums in each of the four nursing semesters (Practicum I through IV), building toward a Transition to Practice course in the final term. Prerequisites include two-semester anatomy and physiology, introductory organic and biochemistry, microbiology, developmental psychology, statistics, and nutrition. Students weighing PLU against UW or WSU are trading lower selectivity and private-school tuition against a small cohort and dual-campus track flexibility. National RN median pay is $97,550 per year per BLS OEWS.

UW Tacoma's nursing program is an RN-to-BSN completion program built exclusively for working registered nurses who hold an associate degree or diploma. It is not a prelicensure track. The curriculum compresses into three quarters, with required course meetings only on Wednesdays, making it one of the more schedule-friendly public options in Washington for full-time nurses. A community-focused practicum (T NURS 414) runs through the program, emphasizing population and public health.

UW Tacoma earns a Hakia Score of 79.2, reflecting solid fundamentals at an accessible price point. In-state tuition is $11,869; out-of-state tuition climbs to $42,105, so the value case is firmly for Washington residents. The campus admits 83% of applicants and reports a 63% graduation rate, numbers that signal an open-access mission rather than a selective cohort. This program fits the RN who needs a credentialed BSN for career advancement but cannot step away from a clinical job to do it.

Note that applications for the 2026 cycle are closed; the 2027 application window opens in September. Prospective students should contact an advisor early to map out part-time versus full-time plan options before that window opens.

Western Washington University offers a one-year RN-to-BSN degree-completion program for nurses who hold an ADN and an active RN license, or who will pass the NCLEX-RN before the start of the winter quarter. The program runs across four quarters and covers 45 upper-division major credits plus general university requirements. Students choose between a fully online pathway for maximum scheduling flexibility or a hybrid pathway that blends online coursework with in-person sessions. Both pathways include 100 hours of practice experience arranged in the student's own community, so nurses can keep working and living where they are.

Western earns a Hakia Score of 78.0. In-state tuition is $8,240, the lowest among ranked public nursing programs in Washington State, compared to $27,365 for out-of-state students. The program admits 93% of applicants against a 65% graduation rate. The program page states that the baccalaureate degree is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and holds full approval from the Washington State Board of Nursing. The curriculum focuses on population health, health equity, and community leadership, with student projects ranging from naloxone implementation to rural telehealth access.

Graduates have gone on to work at PeaceHealth, Skagit Valley Hospital, Providence Medical Group, and public school districts, reflecting the program's community-health orientation. The program is capacity-constrained and cannot admit students without an ADN, so applicants should confirm licensure timelines before applying.

Northwest University in Kirkland operates the Buntain School of Nursing, offering a two-year traditional prelicensure BSN. This is a direct-entry undergraduate program, not an RN-completion track. The program blends clinical science with faith formation, and its curriculum explicitly integrates cross-cultural study abroad experiences; the school's page notes senior cohorts travel to Taiwan, Greece, Kenya, and other destinations. Students train in a simulation lab with virtual reality technology before rotating through clinical sites that the program page identifies as Seattle Children's, Evergreen Hospital, Overlake Medical, UW Medical Center, and Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

Northwest University earns a Hakia Score of 77.8. Because it is a private nonprofit institution, tuition is the same for all students: $35,535 per year, regardless of residency. That is more than three times UW Tacoma's in-state rate, so cost comparison matters here. The admit rate is 83%, and the graduation rate of 71% is the highest among the Washington programs ranked 5 through 8 on this list. Enrollment is small at 1,053 students campus-wide, which means smaller cohort sizes and closer faculty access. The program suits students who want a direct prelicensure path with faith integration and are prepared for private-university tuition.

Common career paths the program page lists include medical-surgical nursing, psychiatric nursing, public health, and missionary or humanitarian work. Graduates who pass the NCLEX-RN are positioned for both entry-level hospital roles and graduate school admission.

UW Bothell's School of Nursing and Health Studies offers an RN-to-BSN program structured as a one-year hybrid completion track. The program concentrates on nursing research, leadership, and community health. It sits within a school that also delivers a BA in Health Studies, a Master of Science in Community Health and Social Justice, and a Master of Nursing. The school's page states that U.S. News and World Report has ranked the UW bachelor's degree in nursing program tied for #2 nationally and #1 among public universities; the school attributes this ranking to all three UW campuses collectively, not to Bothell alone.

UW Bothell earns a Hakia Score of 76.6. In-state tuition is $11,869, identical to UW Tacoma's, with out-of-state tuition at $42,105. The campus admits 91% of applicants and reports a 65% graduation rate. The school's stated mission emphasizes social justice, health equity, and community engagement, which is reflected in the RN-to-BSN curriculum's focus areas. Enrollment stands at 6,058, making it the largest campus among Washington's top-eight-ranked nursing schools.

The hybrid delivery model means some in-person attendance is required, unlike a fully online option. Prospective students who want the UW brand and a community-health curriculum at a public in-state price point will find this program worth comparing directly to UW Tacoma, which offers a faster three-quarter timeline at the same tuition rate. National BLS data puts the median annual wage for registered nurses at $97,550.

The Lydia Green Nursing Program at Seattle Pacific University awards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing through its College of Applied and Natural Sciences. The program is residential and full-time, situated on SPU's Seattle campus. The scraped program page references a clinical learning lab, clinical practice internships, and dedicated licensure exam preparation, but does not publicly detail separate tracks such as an accelerated BSN or RN-to-BSN pathway. Prospective students should contact the program directly to confirm available entry options.

SPU carries a Hakia Score of 75.7, ranking it ninth among Washington BSN programs in this analysis. The graduation rate sits at 62%, which is below the state leaders but understandable at a private institution where students balance rigorous liberal-arts requirements with nursing coursework. The admit rate of 83% makes SPU one of the more accessible private nursing programs in the state. Tuition runs $39,492 per year regardless of residency, reflecting its private nonprofit status. That price point demands a clear financial plan, but for students who want a faith-integrated science environment in an urban setting with strong clinical partnerships, SPU is a realistic path to licensure. Registered nurses nationally earn a median of $97,550 per year according to BLS OEWS data.

Walla Walla University's School of Nursing offers a single degree path: a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The structure is straightforward. Students spend the first two years at the College Place, Washington campus completing general education and prerequisite coursework, then apply to begin the upper-division nursing sequence in their junior year. At that point they choose between the College Place campus or the Portland, Oregon campus for their final two years. Transfer students who have already finished prerequisites may apply directly to the upper-division sequence at either location. The program does not advertise an accelerated BSN or RN-to-BSN track on its program page.

The upper-division curriculum covers adult health, pathophysiology, pharmacology, population health, nursing informatics, and leadership. Clinical learning happens across acute care, ICU, emergency, outpatient, and community settings in partnership with regional healthcare organizations. The program emphasizes high-fidelity simulation and small-group learning. WWU holds a Hakia Score of 74.8, ranking it tenth in Washington. The 60% graduation rate is the honest figure to weigh: six in ten students who enter complete the degree. Tuition is $33,012 per year with no in-state/out-of-state differential, which is notably lower than most private-nonprofit nursing programs in the Pacific Northwest. For students who want a structured two-year pathway with real geographic flexibility and a lower private-school price tag, WWU is a direct option. The national BLS median wage for registered nurses is $97,550 per year.