Best RN-to-BSN Programs in Ohio for 2026

Good Samaritan College's RN-to-BSN completion program runs entirely online and is built for RNs who already hold a license and want a degree that fits around a work schedule. The curriculum breaks into seven-week sessions, two per semester, moving from professional communications and statistics through nursing-specific courses like Baccalaureate Nurse Transition, Nursing Research, Holistic Health Concepts, and a final capstone. General education credits earned in your ADN or diploma program transfer in, and the registrar reviews transcripts case by case to apply them toward the 120 total credits required for the BSN.

The program carries ACEN accreditation through spring 2027, and the college publishes its own outcome targets: at least 75% of students finish within the standard program length, and 85% of graduates maintain or advance their employment within a year of finishing. Tuition runs $13,605 a year, the same rate whether you live in Ohio or out of state. With a Hakia Score of 82.3, the highest in this Ohio ranking, Good Samaritan fits an RN who wants a structured, faculty-guided online path with clear transfer rules rather than a fully self-paced model.

Ohio University runs a track separate from its four-year campus BSN: a 100% online RN-to-BSN built specifically for nurses who already hold an RN license. The program can be completed in one year, with classes running in five-week blocks and eight start dates a year, so a working RN is not stuck waiting months for a new cohort to open.

The program carries CCNE accreditation, and Ohio University's RN-to-BSN has been named one of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report. In-state tuition runs $14,158 a year against $24,838 out of state, a gap worth checking against your residency status before you enroll. With a Hakia Score of 80.8, second in this Ohio ranking, OU is the pick for an RN who wants the fastest realistic timeline to a BSN without giving up a name-brand accreditation.

Bowling Green State University's RN-to-BSN is built for working nurses who already hold a diploma or associate degree: fully online and asynchronous, so coursework gets done on your own schedule instead of at a set class time. BGSU offers three start dates a year and states directly that a student can finish the degree in as few as three semesters, one of the shorter timelines in this ranking.

In-state tuition runs $11,405 a year, $19,393 out of state, among the lower public rates in this group. With a Hakia Score of 78.5, BGSU lands third in this Ohio ranking on the strength of its asynchronous format and short completion window, a solid fit for a working RN who wants to move fast without giving up a public-university price.

Wittenberg University runs a dedicated RN to BSN pathway alongside its traditional four-year BSN, built for registered nurses who already hold an ADN or diploma and active licensure and want the bachelor's without repeating pre-licensure coursework. The nursing department's site lists a separate RN to BSN menu and a tuition deferral option, letting a working RN spread payments while completing coursework rather than paying full tuition up front.

The baccalaureate program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the accreditor hospitals and Magnet-designated systems screen for. At $44,966 a year, Wittenberg costs more than the other three Ohio programs in this set, the tradeoff for a small, campus-connected private university carrying a 53% graduation rate and the group's top 73 Hakia Score. It fits an RN who values direct faculty access on a residential campus over a large, self-paced online completion model and isn't chasing the lowest sticker price.

Youngstown State University offers its RN-to-BSN online for nurses who are already licensed, housed inside the Centofanti School of Nursing alongside the campus entry-level BSN. YSU's program page centers on sharpening clinical and analytical skills and building leadership readiness for hospital settings, but it does not publish a specific credit-transfer table or completion timeline for the RN-to-BSN track, so confirm those specifics directly with the program director before enrolling.

YSU markets its BSN as dual accredited by both CCNE and ACEN, a rare combination in this ranking. In-state tuition is $9,790 a year, the lowest of the four Ohio programs here, with out-of-state tuition close behind at $10,150. Its Hakia Score of 74 reflects that price and dual accreditation carrying real weight, while thinner published detail on transfer credit and time-to-complete puts it fourth in this Ohio ranking, a fit for a cost-conscious RN willing to call the program office for the specifics upfront.

Mount Carmel College of Nursing splits its BSN into four tracks, and the Online RN-BSN Completion Program is built specifically for registered nurses who already hold licensure and want to step straight into bachelor's-level coursework. The college is affiliated with Mount Carmel Health System, one of central Ohio's largest healthcare providers, which shapes its clinical partnerships. Its site also lists a BSN-to-MSN pathway that banks credit toward a master's while finishing the bachelor's, worth a look if an NP or leadership track is the next move after the BSN.

The program is accredited both by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. At $27,600 a year, tuition sits well below Wittenberg's and Heidelberg's, and IPEDS records a 54% graduation rate against a 72 Hakia Score. Mount Carmel's own admissions page separately claims 100% of graduates employed within 12 months and an 84% graduation figure with a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, numbers worth weighing against the lower IPEDS-reported rate before enrolling. This fits an RN who wants a fully online completion track anchored to a real hospital system rather than a large national online school.

Heidelberg University runs a dedicated RN-BSN Completion Pathway for registered nurses who already hold an associate degree in nursing and active licensure, separate from its 1-2-1 pre-licensure pathway built with Terra State Community College. Entry requires meeting the pathway's stated prerequisites and degree requirements; Heidelberg's nursing page does not publish a specific transfer-credit count or time-to-degree for this completion track, so confirm those specifics directly with an admissions advisor before applying.

The baccalaureate program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, named explicitly on the university's nursing page. Tuition runs $32,900 a year, and IPEDS records a 52% graduation rate against a 67 Hakia Score, the lowest of these four Ohio schools but still grounded in a small liberal-arts nursing department with a stated AACN-aligned curriculum. It suits an RN who wants a campus-connected private-university pathway in Tiffin over a large-scale online completion program.

Franklin University's RN to BSN is a fully online completion degree built around 6-week courses with rolling start dates, the next on August 17, 2026, with additional starts scheduled through 2028. The program totals 120 credit hours and transfers up to 90 of them, 75% of the degree, so a working RN typically has around 30 credits left to complete. At $298 a credit, that remaining coursework runs about $8,940, close to Franklin's stated $9,552 in-state tuition figure, and every incoming RN-to-BSN student gets a $3,000 automatic scholarship on top, cutting real out-of-pocket cost further. Franklin's Tuition Guarantee also locks in that per-credit rate for the life of the program.

The BSN, MSN, post-graduate APRN certificates, and DNP at Franklin are all accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Franklin carries a 63 Hakia Score in this Ohio ranking, the lowest of the four, and IPEDS lists an 11% graduation rate, a figure shaped by Franklin's large, non-traditional, transfer-heavy adult student body rather than this specific RN-to-BSN cohort. Coursework covers telehealth nursing, informatics, and evidence-based practice, mapped to AACN Essentials. This program fits an RN who wants the fastest, cheapest path to a BSN and is comfortable with an asynchronous, large-scale online model over a small campus community.