Colorado
Best RN to BSN Programs in Colorado, Ranked (2026)
In Colorado, Price Barely Separates These Programs — Completion Does
6 of the 7 ranked programs here are public, and every one of them charges between $4,058 and $9,135 a year. That is a $5,077 band across six bachelor's degrees. Set aside the seventh — Colorado Christian University at $27,631 — and cost stops being the thing that tells these programs apart.
What is left is the graduation rate, and there the spread is wide: 27% at the bottom to 64% at the top, a 37-point range. That is why the order on this page looks the way it does. University of Northern Colorado takes the top spot at $9,047 a year even though Front Range Community College charges $4,058, because a 51% institutional graduation rate outweighs a price difference that is small against the national range the score is calculated on. In a state where the public options are this closely priced, the cheapest program is not automatically the best-scoring one, and chasing the last $5,077 is not where your decision should go.
Read that graduation rate for what it is. IPEDS measures the share of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates who finish, and an RN-to-BSN student is none of those three. It is an institutional signal — how well a school moves students through in general — not a count of nurses who finished the completion track. It is weighted below cost for that reason, and it is worth asking each program directly what share of its own RN-to-BSN cohort finishes.
The one genuine trade on this list is Colorado Christian University. It reports the highest graduation rate of any Colorado program at 64%, and it charges $27,631 — 6.8 times what Front Range Community College does. That is a defensible choice if the program's schedule fits your shifts and the difference is covered by an employer benefit. Paid out of pocket against a $7,076 median, it is a large bet on a number that describes the whole institution rather than your cohort.
One more piece of scale: University of Northern Colorado confers 146 nursing bachelor's degrees a year, about 29% of the 499 the ranked Colorado programs award between them. It is both the largest provider in the state and the top-scoring program on this list.
The 7 RN to BSN Programs in Colorado, Ranked
Scored on in-state tuition (55%) and institutional graduation rate (45%). How we rank.
- 1st in Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO · Public Fully online $9,047 annual in-state tuition 51% institutional graduation rate 146 degrees a year 67.5 scoreA dual enrollment pathway lets students still enrolled in a community college ADN program take UNC nursing courses alongside that coursework and finish the BSN as soon as two terms after completing the ADN and earning RN licensure.Nursing accreditation on file: CCNE. DAPIP, . Learn more about University of Northern Colorado's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)University of Northern Colorado runs its RN-to-BSN through UNC Extended Campus, fully online, with cohorts starting each fall term and space-permitting entry in spring or summer. UNC supplies 30 credits of the 120-credit degree as ten NURS courses covering health assessment, research and evidence-based practice, population-based public health nursing, current issues in health care, and professional leadership and management; the remaining credits come from transfer work, the Colorado Liberal Arts Curriculum, and nursing credits awarded under the Colorado Nursing Articulation Agreement. A minimum of 30 credits must be earned at UNC to graduate. The page estimates completion at 7 to 20 months and says registered nurses finish in less than two years, or five terms, while working full time. Tuition is a flat $350 per credit for the 2026-27 academic year, the same rate in state or out, with no student or technology fees, though some courses such as field experiences carry course fees. The baccalaureate program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Students complete 180 total practicum hours, with the final 90 done in the last semester under a clinical preceptor at a facility, and the coursework includes an independent project. Practicums happen in the student's own area; a Clinical Placement Coordinator helps locate sites and qualified preceptors, including outside Colorado, but the page tells applicants to be prepared to actively network and find clinical experiences themselves. RN applicants must have graduated from a regionally accredited institution with a nationally accredited, State Board of Nursing approved associate degree program and hold an RN license in good standing in their state of practice; dual enrollment applicants must be enrolled in an equivalent ADN program. All applicants need a 2.5 cumulative GPA, completed prerequisites in anatomy and physiology, microbiology, writing, nutrition, lifespan development and statistics, and must pass a background check and a 10-panel drug screening. There is a mandatory online orientation at the start, and applications are submitted through NursingCAS under either the RN-BSN or Dual Enrollment (RN-BSN) listing. UNC notes that some state boards of nursing must approve clinical placements before a student can complete one there.
- 180 practicum hours
- 100% online
- 30 UNC credits of 120 total
- $350 per credit, in-state or out
- RN license in good standing required
- 2nd in Colorado
Front Range Community College
Westminster, CO · Public Online $4,058 annual in-state tuition 35% institutional graduation rate 31 degrees a year 65.2 scoreFRCC admits students who are still enrolled in an associate degree nursing program — after just one completed semester — alongside already-licensed RNs, so BSN coursework can start before the ADN is finished.Nursing accreditation on file: ACEN. DAPIP, . Learn more about Front Range Community College's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)Front Range Community College's RN-to-BSN completion program is an online program with practicum coursework. All BSN nursing courses are offered online and delivered through the MyCourses learning management system, and students complete 68 hours of practicum work attached to the program's leadership and community health nursing courses. FRCC says that during the in-person practicum it offers opportunities to work with nursing experts close to where a student lives or works. The college has been educating nurses in Colorado for more than 50 years.
Two groups can enroll. The first is students who have finished their first semester of a nationally accredited Associate Degree in Nursing program at a regionally accredited college, hold a minimum 2.0 GPA in nursing courses, and are still enrolled in that ADN program. The second is nurses who have already earned an ADN from a regionally accredited college with the same minimum 2.0 nursing GPA and hold a current unencumbered RN license to practice in Colorado. A student who already has the associate degree can finish in four full-time semesters; students still in FRCC's own ADN program, and those working full time as a registered nurse, are allowed extended time to earn the degree.
- 68 practicum hours
- Online courses, in-person practicum
- Four full-time semesters after an ADN
- Colorado RN license required for ADN graduates
- 2.0 minimum nursing GPA
- 3rd in Colorado
Colorado State University Pueblo
Pueblo, CO · Public Online $7,076 annual in-state tuition 40% institutional graduation rate 120 degrees a year 64.3 scoreCSU Pueblo lets students still enrolled in a Colorado community college associate degree nursing program register concurrently and begin bachelor-level coursework before they are licensed, then finish the remaining BSN courses once they pass the NCLEX-RN.Nursing accreditation on file: ACEN. DAPIP, . Learn more about Colorado State University Pueblo's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)The Registered Nurse to BSN program at Colorado State University Pueblo is delivered online and built for nurses who already hold a license. The degree totals 120 credit hours, assembled from three parts: 33 credit hours awarded through an articulation agreement for prior RN preparation, 57 credit hours of prerequisite or corequisite coursework, and 30 credit hours of nursing and approved elective courses. Nurses transferring from a community college can bring in the 57 prerequisite credits plus the 33 RN credits, 10 of which count as upper division, for 90 credit hours at entry. Courses run in eight-week terms, tuition is $440 per credit hour at one rate regardless of residency, and CSU Pueblo says students complete the program in one to two years. Students have to pass every nursing course with a B or better and hold a 3.0 nursing GPA.
Two groups can enroll. The first is licensed RNs, which the school defines to include both associate degree and diploma nurses. The second is students currently enrolled in a Colorado community college associate degree nursing program, who take select bachelor-level courses concurrently and then must pass the NCLEX-RN and be licensed before taking the remaining BSN courses. Proof of RN licensure is required specifically to register for NSG 453 Synthesis for RN's and NSG 453L Synthesis for RN's Lab. Applying means submitting the online application plus official transcripts from every college attended; an accepted applicant is admitted to the university and the School of Nursing at the same time. Students work with an RN-BSN advisor to build a program of study. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
- 120 total credit hours
- 30 nursing credits
- 8-week online terms
- $440 per credit hour
- RN license required for capstone courses
- 4th in Colorado
Arapahoe Community College
Littleton, CO · Public Online $4,058 annual in-state tuition 29% institutional graduation rate 18 degrees a year 62.3 scoreStudents enrolled in ACC's own Nursing AAS program can dual enroll and begin the BSN coursework online before finishing the associate degree, though they must hold the ADN/AAS and an RN license before starting the final three nursing courses.Nursing accreditation on file: ACEN. DAPIP, . Learn more about Arapahoe Community College's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)Arapahoe Community College offers its RN-to-BSN completion program through the Littleton campus, and the BSN coursework is delivered online. The degree totals 120 credit hours, of which 48.5 are taken at ACC: 18 credits of general education, 24.5 credits of upper-division nursing, and 6 credits of nursing electives. Registered nurses with an active, unencumbered U.S. license apply directly. Students already enrolled in ACC's Nursing AAS program can dual enroll and start BSN classes online, but they must have completed the ADN/AAS and hold an RN license before beginning NUR 4009 Leadership in the Nursing Profession, NUR 4010 Community Health Nursing and Practicum, and NUR 4011 Senior Seminar. MAT 1260 Introduction to Statistics and ENG 1022 English Composition II must be finished with a C or better before NUR 3003 Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice in Nursing.
Applications close at noon on June 30 for fall, October 15 for spring, and April 1 for summer. Accepted students submit official college transcripts before the program begins, and immunization records, a background check, and a drug screen before clinical coursework. The practicum requirement sits inside NUR 4010 Community Health Nursing and Practicum, a six-credit course. ACC sets its completion benchmark at four semesters for full-time RN students, six for part-time, and nine for dual-enrolled students. Its published program data show 100 percent of full-time students completing within four semesters in each of the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 academic years, and 88 percent of part-time students completing within six semesters in 2024-2025. The program holds Initial Accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
- 48.5 credits at ACC
- 120 credit hours total
- Online BSN coursework
- Active, unencumbered RN license required
- ACEN accredited
- 5th in Colorado
Colorado Mountain College
Glenwood Springs, CO · Public Online $4,992 annual in-state tuition 27% institutional graduation rate 19 degrees a year 60.3 scoreColorado Mountain College teaches its RN to BSN online with fieldwork projects each student picks from their own area of practice, but the program page carries a notice that admissions are currently paused.Nursing accreditation on file: ACEN. DAPIP, . Learn more about Colorado Mountain College's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)Colorado Mountain College's RN to BSN builds on an associate degree in nursing, adding coursework the college describes as weighted toward nursing theory, community health, population-focused care, research and evidence-based practice, and leadership. Coursework runs online, and the college frames it around a working nurse's schedule: assignments can be completed from any location at times that fit a weekly work schedule. Alongside the online classes is a fieldwork component in which students choose projects relevant to their own area of practice and aligned with course outcomes. The program page currently carries a notice of a program pause stating the college is not accepting admissions at this time.
The baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and has been approved by the Colorado Commission of Higher Education, the Colorado Department of Education, and the Higher Learning Commission. Applicants need to have graduated from an accredited AAS/ADN or diploma nursing program, hold a current and unencumbered Colorado RN license, carry a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, hold current American Heart Association CPR certification, and pass a drug and background check. Anyone applying more than three years after finishing the associate degree also needs 1,000 hours of employer-verified nursing work experience within the last three years, and the associate-level nursing courses count as prerequisites that must be finished with a C or better before BSN courses begin. For 2025-26 the college lists BS Nursing tuition at $184 per credit hour in-district, $291 in-state and $622 out-of-state.
- Admissions currently paused
- Colorado RN license required
- ACEN accredited
- Online coursework plus fieldwork
- 2.5 minimum GPA
- 6th in Colorado
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO · Public Online $9,135 annual in-state tuition 32% institutional graduation rate 84 degrees a year 58.2 scoreMSU Denver's online BRNCO pathway includes community and population-health projects plus a senior capstone that can be completed close to home.Nursing accreditation on file: CCNE. DAPIP, . Learn more about Metropolitan State University of Denver's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)MSU Denver's online BRNCO completion pathway accepts licensed RNs and eligible dual-enrollment ADN students. A nursing advisor and an online student success coach help students plan transferred coursework and course loads, including part-time study. The dual-enrollment option is distinct from entering after RN licensure.
Two courses include project hours: community/population health and the senior capstone. The work can be completed in a student's workplace or community without required travel to campus. That arrangement gives the applied learning a local focus while preserving the project requirements.
- Online RN-to-BSN coursework
- Eligible ADN dual-enrollment option
- Community-based project hours
- Senior capstone
- Nursing advisor and online success coach
- 7th in Colorado
Colorado Christian University
Lakewood, CO · Private nonprofit Online $27,631 annual in-state tuition 64% institutional graduation rate 81 degrees a year 53.6 scoreColorado Christian's RN-to-BSN includes two 45-hour clinical courses near the student's home, with clinical time kept separate from paid work.Nursing accreditation on file: CCNE. DAPIP, . Learn more about Colorado Christian University's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)Colorado Christian's completion plan has 24 nursing credits and six core credits, with courses taken sequentially. Eligible RNs can transfer up to 90 credits when the statistics requirement is complete. The online theory courses are paired with two local clinical courses requiring 45 hours each.
Students locate a preceptor with a BSN or higher qualification, supported by an approved-site database. The 90 clinical hours must be kept separate from paid work. That distinction matters for employed nurses: a familiar workplace setting does not mean ordinary paid shifts automatically count. The sequence combines a defined course order with a preceptor and clinical-time arrangement that students need to establish.
- Online theory courses
- 24 nursing credits plus six core credits
- Up to 90 transfer credits with statistics
- Two 45-hour clinical courses
- Clinical hours separate from paid work
The $4,058 Floor and the $27,631 Ceiling
Colorado prices this degree in two tiers with nothing in between. The public tier runs $4,058 to $9,135 — Front Range Community College and Arapahoe Community College both at the floor, Metropolitan State University of Denver at the top. Then a jump to $27,631 at Colorado Christian University, which is 6.8 times the floor. Nothing occupies the middle, so this is not a sliding scale you optimise along. It is a choice between one tier and the other.
These are annual published tuition figures from IPEDS, not the total price of the completion track. Most RN-to-BSN programs run 30 or so upper-level credits, so what you actually pay depends on how many of your ADN credits transfer and how many terms you spread them across. Ask each school for a total-to-degree figure and how it counts general education you already finished, because per-credit pricing is how this field hides the number.
Two questions matter more than the last few hundred dollars, and neither is in the federal file this ranking is built from. First: are the classes asynchronous, or are there live sessions at fixed times? Shifts do not move, and "online" does not answer it. Second: does the program require precepted clinical hours you have to arrange yourself, or does it substitute a community or workplace project? A program that makes you find your own preceptor while working three twelves is the most expensive one on this page regardless of its tuition. Put both to the admissions office before you compare prices.
Colorado RNs Clear the National Median by $2,710
BLS reports a median of $100,260 for Colorado's 54,490 registered nurses — $48.20 an hour — with the distribution running from $79,500 at the 10th percentile to $124,940 at the 90th. The national median is $97,550, so Colorado sits $2,710 above it and ranks 14th of 51 states.
That is the half of the arithmetic Colorado gets right. A median program here costs $7,076 a year against a state RN median above six figures, which sets a low bar for the degree paying for itself — and a much higher one at $27,631.
The caveat that applies to every salary figure on this site: BLS reports all registered nurses as a single occupation and does not separate pay by degree. There is no federal number for what a Colorado BSN earns against what a Colorado ADN earns, and anyone quoting one has made it up. The $124,940 at the 90th percentile is not a BSN figure either — it reflects specialty, setting, shift differential and years on the unit as much as anything on a transcript. What the BSN is associated with is access to roles that pay above the RN median — charge and management tracks, case management, public health — and admission to an MSN, rather than a raise in the job you already hold.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release.
4 More Colorado Programs, Confirmed but Unranked
These 4 schools run a confirmed RN-to-BSN completion track, but a figure the ranking requires is not in the federal file, or the program is small enough that scoring it against one graduating a hundred nurses a year would not be a fair comparison. Morgan and Pueblo Community College come from the same part of the Colorado system that supplies the cheapest options in the ranking above, so if one of these is the school within driving distance, it is worth a call rather than a pass.
- Denver College of Nursing, Denver — IPEDS carries no graduation rate for this institution
- Morgan Community College, Fort Morgan — Confers fewer than 10 degrees a year, too few to compare
- Pueblo Community College, Pueblo — Confers fewer than 10 degrees a year, too few to compare
- Trinidad State College, Trinidad — Confers fewer than 10 degrees a year, too few to compare