Choosing a program
Easiest RN to BSN Programs: What Easy Means
What Are the Easiest RN to BSN Programs?
No school publishes how hard its RN to BSN is, so no honest list can name the easiest one. What programs do publish is the bar to get in, how fast you can finish and whether you must log in at set times. Of the 266 program pages this site has read, 77 state a minimum GPA, and 58 of those set it at 2.5 or lower.
Nurses who search for the easiest RN to BSN programs usually mean one of three things. They want a program that will admit them with the record they have, one they can finish quickly, or one that bends around twelve-hour shifts. Each of those can be checked against what the school wrote, which is more useful than a ranking by someone's impression of workload. This post counts all three and links to the pages where you can compare the programs themselves.
Every count below is a floor. A page that states no GPA minimum has stated none, which tells you to ask admissions and tells you nothing about the answer.
Which RN to BSN Programs Are Easiest to Get Into?
The programs easiest to get into are the ones that set a low GPA floor and ask for little beyond an RN license. 175 of the 266 profiled programs describe their admission requirements, and 77 of those name a minimum GPA.
| Stated minimum GPA | Programs |
|---|---|
| Below 2.5 (2.0 to 2.4) | 19 |
| 2.5 | 39 |
| Above 2.5 and below 3.0 | 14 |
| 3.0 | 5 |
A 2.5 is the most common figure. The number does not always mean what it seems. Some schools apply it to prerequisite courses or to nursing coursework alone, and some allow provisional entry below it. Read the sentence, not the figure.
The programs that state a 2.0 are a different kind of option, and several are fully online with a published timeline.
| School | State | Stated minimum GPA | Format | Time to complete, as the school states it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson State University | AR | 2.0 | Fully online | As few as three semesters |
| Delta State University | MS | 2.0 | Fully online | Two semesters full-time; four semesters part-time |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | NC | 2.0 | Fully online | 12-24 months |
| University of Southern Mississippi | MS | 2.0 | Fully online | 2 semesters |
| Youngstown State University | OH | 2.0 | Fully online | As few as 10 months |
Some programs take a different route around the license itself. Utica University says provisional admission may let associate degree graduates obtain licensure before second-semester registration, and D'Youville University admits board-eligible students conditionally, requiring licensure by the end of the first semester. Weber State University accepts eligibility to take the NCLEX before or during the first semester, though it admits Utah residents only, apart from students moving up from its own associate program. If you have just graduated, those sentences matter more than any GPA figure. Check each school's page for the current terms before you plan around them.
Which RN to BSN Programs Can You Finish Fastest?
21 programs state a fastest completion time in months, and 11 of them say 12 months or less. The shortest is 9 months at Walden University.
| Fastest stated time | Programs |
|---|---|
| 12 months or less | 11 |
| 13 to 18 months | 8 |
| More than 18 months | 2 |
These are best-case figures. Schools word them as "as few as" or "as little as," and they depend on a full-time load and on how many transfer credits the school accepts. A fast program with strict prerequisites can take longer in practice than a slower one that accepts everything you hold. For how credit and pace interact, see how long an RN to BSN takes.
Which RN to BSN Programs Are Easiest to Fit Around Work?
Fully online programs are the easiest to fit around shifts, and asynchronous ones are easier still. 143 of the 362 confirmed programs state that the track is fully online. 45 state that coursework is asynchronous, and 19 state both.
The two words are not interchangeable. A program can be fully online and still meet at set times, which is the gap online does not mean asynchronous looks at. Practice requirements are the other schedule risk. Few pages state flatly that there are no clinicals, and the accreditor behind most programs says licensure does not remove the requirement, which the no-clinicals post covers in detail. If you work nights, the format sentence on the school's own page is worth more than the badge on a list.
Is the Easiest RN to BSN Program Still Worth Having?
It is if the program is accredited and the school will stand behind it. Ease is a poor reason to pick a program and a fine tiebreaker between two sound ones.
In the federal accreditor file this site uses, 247 of the 362 confirmed programs show CCNE and 107 show ACEN. Settle accreditation before GPA floors and timelines. The CCNE and ACEN comparison explains how the two differ, and the question of what the degree adds to your pay is in whether an RN to BSN is worth it.
How to Choose Among Easy RN to BSN Programs
Decide which kind of ease you need most, then narrow by the others.
- Your record is the limit. Filter for a stated floor at or below your GPA, then ask about provisional entry.
- Your calendar is the limit. Look for fully online and asynchronous together, and ask how often courses start.
- Time is the limit. Compare fastest stated times, then ask how many of your credits transfer.
- Price is the limit. That is a separate ranking, in the cheapest RN to BSN programs.
Then compare the programs that pass on the online RN to BSN rankings, which show delivery details where a school states them, or browse by state in the state rankings. If you hold an LPN license rather than an RN license, the nursing bridge programs guide covers your route.