RN to BSN Programs

Kentucky

Best RN to BSN Programs in Kentucky, Ranked (2026)

Written and edited by , Editor B.A. Psychology, University of Washington Seattle · B.S. Computer Science, Oregon State University

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Kentucky's Cheapest RN to BSN Is a Private University

That inverts the assumption most nurses bring to this search, and it changes how you should read the table below.

University of the Cumberlands lists $9,875 a year — under Eastern Kentucky University at $10,020 and under Northern Kentucky University at $10,704. Only 2 of the 6 ranked Kentucky programs are public, and neither of them is the cheapest way to finish. The public label is not the price signal here. The individual school is.

The second thing about Kentucky is how little the graduation rates move. All 6 land between 40% and 52% — a 12-point band across the entire state. When one of the two scoring inputs is that flat, the other one decides everything, and the other one is tuition. That is the whole explanation for the top of this list: Northern Kentucky University at 66.2, University of the Cumberlands at 66.1 and Eastern Kentucky University at 66 finish 0.2 points apart because a slightly better graduation rate and a slightly lower price keep canceling each other out. 0.2 points is noise. Read those three as a tie and choose on the things a score cannot carry.

Below them the list stops being close. Midway University, Campbellsville University and Thomas More University sit within 2 points of one another on graduation rate but $21,035 apart on tuition, so their scores — 53, 43.1 and 29.6 — are close to a pure price ranking. At $39,025, Thomas More University is asking roughly four times what University of the Cumberlands asks, and it is fair to make it answer for the difference.

One provider is the single largest. Northern Kentucky University confers 239 nursing bachelor's degrees a year, against 244 from the other 5 ranked institutions combined. If you want the program with the most nurses moving through it, that is the one — though scale is a fact about the school, not a verdict on the completion track.

The 6 RN to BSN Programs in Kentucky, Ranked

Scored on in-state tuition (55%) and institutional graduation rate (45%). How we rank.

  1. 1st in Kentucky

    Northern Kentucky University

    Highland Heights, KY · Public Fully online $10,704 annual in-state tuition 52% institutional graduation rate 239 degrees a year 66.2 score
    NKU block-transfers 23 credits at no cost for NCLEX passage and runs the 30-credit nursing core in seven-week terms that can be finished in as few as 10 months.

    Northern Kentucky University's RN to BSN is delivered 100% online through the university's online campus, with six start dates a year and courses that run seven weeks each. The nursing core is 30 credit hours across ten three-credit courses: role transformation, nursing research and evidence-based practice, quality and safety, population-centered health in the community, genetics and genomics, health informatics, caring and communication for older adults, current issues and trends, leadership in nursing, and a leadership practicum in which students design a quality improvement project. The bachelor's degree itself requires 120 credit hours, made up of 37 general education credits, the 30 nursing credits, and 23 credits block-transferred at no cost for the NCLEX, plus whatever else transfers in from the associate degree. NKU quotes $334 per credit hour and $10,500 for the nursing coursework, the same pay-by-the-course rate for in-state and out-of-state students; the university notes that figure covers only the 30-credit nursing program and not any general education courses a student still needs.

    Admission is built for nurses who are already practicing. Applicants submit official transcripts from an associate degree or diploma nursing program at a regionally accredited institution and from all other postsecondary work, and must hold current, unrestricted RN licensure within the first semester of admission, with proof of licensure in the state of practice required before enrolling in any nursing course. NKU states that students who completed an associate degree at a non-accredited nursing program may be denied licensure or the ability to practice outside Kentucky. Six prerequisite areas (a year of English composition, a year of anatomy and physiology with labs, microbiology for health professionals with lab, introductory psychology, lifespan or human development, and health care ethics) must be completed with a grade of C or better, though they can be taken as corequisites, and Introduction to Statistical Methods (STA 205) has to be finished before Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice (NRP 472). The baccalaureate nursing degree is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and the university by SACSCOC.

    • 100% online
    • 30 nursing credits, 120 total
    • As few as 10 months
    • $334 per credit, in-state or out
    • Unrestricted RN license required
    Nursing accreditation on file: CCNE. DAPIP, . Learn more about Northern Kentucky University's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)
  2. 2nd in Kentucky

    University of the Cumberlands

    Williamsburg, KY · Private nonprofit Fully online $9,875 annual in-state tuition 50% institutional graduation rate 88 degrees a year 66.1 score
    Cumberlands prices the online RN to BSN at a flat $220 per credit hour across 38 credit hours and states a nurse can finish in as little as 12 months.

    University of the Cumberlands runs its RN to BSN fully online through the Forcht School of Nursing, and the page is written for nurses who already hold a license rather than for students entering the field. The program lists 38 credit hours at $220 per credit hour, and the university says a nurse can complete it in as little as 12 months. Coursework is organized around what the school calls the seven essential pillars of modern nursing: leadership, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, informatics, population health, collaboration, and professionalism. The stated purpose of the program is to build on the registered nurse's existing knowledge and skills and prepare graduates for leadership roles or graduate study.

    The required sequence runs eleven nursing courses, from The Nursing Profession Today and Tomorrow and Pathophysiology through Advanced Health Assessment, Healthcare and Social Policy, Global Health, Community Healthcare, Principles of Healthcare Management, and a Senior Seminar. Transfer credits from an accredited AS-RN program must be posted at the time of admission and must have been earned with a grade of C or better, and every RN-BSN student completes an exit exam before graduating. All courses are offered in an online format, though the university notes some carry a clinical component. The 38 credits cover program requirements only; Cumberlands requires 120 hours in total for a bachelor's degree, with transfer and prior learning credits counting toward that total. The online RN-BSN degree program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

    • 38 credit hours
    • $220 per credit hour
    • Finish in as little as 12 months
    • Fully online
    • CCNE-accredited
    Nursing accreditation on file: CCNE. DAPIP, . Learn more about University of the Cumberlands's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)
  3. 3rd in Kentucky

    Eastern Kentucky University

    Richmond, KY · Public Fully online $10,020 annual in-state tuition 50% institutional graduation rate 101 degrees a year 66 score
    EKU offers 12-month and 18-month paths through 25 nursing credits.

    EKU offers two ways to pace its 25 nursing credits. The accelerated path can take 12 months and generally uses two courses per term. The traditional path takes about 18 months, usually with one course in each seven-week term and occasionally a second. The difference is course load, not a different degree.

    Clinical projects can be completed at the student's current workplace, and the program requires no campus or testing-center visits. Prior nursing education, licensure and experience contribute toward the complete 120-credit bachelor's degree. For a working RN, the choice between the two plans involves comparing the overlapping coursework with time for those workplace-based projects, rather than looking only at the advertised finish date.

    • 25 nursing credits
    • Seven-week terms
    • 12-month accelerated option
    • About 18 months on the traditional path
    • Workplace-based clinical projects
    Nursing accreditation on file: CCNE. DAPIP, . Learn more about Eastern Kentucky University's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)
  4. 4th in Kentucky

    Midway University

    Midway, KY · Private nonprofit Online $17,990 annual in-state tuition 41% institutional graduation rate 10 degrees a year 53 score
    All coursework is online except two practicum courses, and students can enter at five points in the year, finishing in as few as 12 months if their general education and supporting courses are already done.

    Midway University's RN-to-BSN is a completion program for registered nurses who already hold an associate degree or a diploma in nursing and a current RN license. Every course can be taken online except two practicum courses, and the curriculum pairs general education with professional nursing theory, critical thinking, and what the university calls limited practicum experiences. The degree takes 12 to 24 months. Students who have already finished their general education and supporting coursework can complete the accelerated version in as few as 12 months, and a 24-month track is available for those who have not. Enrollment opens five times a year, in January, March, June, August, and October. Tuition is listed at $295 per credit hour, with an alumni discount and up to 15 percent off for nurses employed by one of Midway's Business Advantage Partners.

    Admission is selective and runs in two steps. Applicants first apply to the university, after which the admissions staff forwards the file to the Director of the BSN program, who contacts the applicant for an admission interview. One professional reference is required. Transfer credits are accepted from regionally accredited institutions at the 100 level or higher with a grade of C or better, evaluated unofficially at admission and officially by the Registrar's Office afterward. All of Midway's nursing programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), and the university itself is regionally accredited by SACSCOC. Midway notes that anyone planning to seek licensure or certification outside Kentucky should contact that state's licensing entity before starting the program.

    • Current RN license required
    • Online except two practicum courses
    • 12 to 24 months
    • Five start dates a year
    • $295 per credit hour
    Nursing accreditation on file: ACEN. DAPIP, . Learn more about Midway University's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)
  5. 5th in Kentucky

    Campbellsville University

    Campbellsville, KY · Private nonprofit Fully online $27,498 annual in-state tuition 42% institutional graduation rate 19 degrees a year 43.1 score
    Three of the nine core nursing courses are graduate-level, carrying 10 credits into Campbellsville's own MSN, so the completion degree doubles as a head start on a master's.

    Campbellsville University Online builds its RN to BSN around nine core nursing courses worth 30 credit hours, taught 100% online in 8-week terms with six start dates a year. The page lists an estimated length of 10 to 12 months and says students can finish in as few as 10 months, with both completion time and total credits depending on how much transfer work is accepted; a maximum of 90 credits can transfer in from an accredited institution. Tuition runs $360 per credit hour, and the page states the degree can be earned for under $11,000. There is no application fee and no required travel to campus, and students complete the capstone course locally.

    Admission assumes a working nurse: applicants must have finished an associate degree or diploma program for registered nursing and hold a current, unencumbered license to practice in their state of residence, though nurses still enrolled in an ADN program or in the process of getting licensed are invited to apply. The application asks for official transcripts from every college attended, a copy of an active RN license, and a high school transcript from anyone transferring fewer than 24 credit hours. Coursework covers gerontology, community health, transcultural nursing and nursing informatics, with one guided elective chosen from contemporary healthcare management, health economics or financial management in healthcare. Three of the nine core courses are graduate level and transfer into the Campbellsville MSN. The baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, and the university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

    • 30 credit hours, 9 core courses
    • 100% online, 8-week terms
    • $360 per credit hour
    • Active, unencumbered RN license required
    • 10 credits apply toward CU's MSN
    Nursing accreditation on file: ACEN. DAPIP, . Learn more about Campbellsville University's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)
  6. 6th in Kentucky

    Thomas More University

    Crestview Hills, KY · Private nonprofit $39,025 annual in-state tuition 40% institutional graduation rate 26 degrees a year 29.6 score
    The RN-to-BSN option pairs 21 nursing credits with nine supporting-course credits.

    Thomas More's RN-to-BSN catalog plan includes 21 nursing credits and nine supporting-course credits. Applicants must bring at least 60 transfer credits. That entry minimum is distinct from the completion-course requirements, so an individual transcript review remains important even for an experienced RN.

    Admission requires an accredited associate nursing degree with a 2.5 GPA, plus an unencumbered Kentucky or multistate compact RN license. Prerequisites need grades of C or higher. The nursing sequence includes practicum courses, making the practice schedule another part of degree planning alongside the supporting courses. Review the prerequisite grades and license requirements before assuming that reaching the transfer-credit minimum completes the admission checklist.

    • 21 RN-to-BSN nursing credits
    • Nine supporting-course credits
    • At least 60 incoming transfer credits
    • 2.5 associate-degree GPA
    • Kentucky or multistate compact RN license
    Nursing accreditation on file: ACEN. DAPIP, . Learn more about Thomas More University's RN to BSN (opens the school's own site)

4 of the 6 state on their own program page that the completion track is fully online. Others may run online without saying so on the page we hold, so treat that as a floor and check before you rule one out.

RN to BSN Tuition and Residency Rates in Kentucky

Published in-state tuition across the ranked Kentucky programs runs from $9,875 at University of the Cumberlands to $39,025 at Thomas More University, with a median of $14,347. Because 4 of the 6 are private and one of those is the cheapest program in the state, the median sits well above the floor rather than hugging it.

The residency question is worth working out before you shortlist, because it moves more money than the ranking does. Northern Kentucky University lists $10,704 in state and $21,528 out; Eastern Kentucky University lists $10,020 against $20,930. Both roughly double. The 4 private programs list a single figure that does not change with your address. So a Kentucky resident and a nurse studying online from Ohio or Tennessee are looking at two different versions of this list, and the private programs climb it for the second reader. Ask any public school whether its online completion track is priced separately from the out-of-state rate — that answer decides the comparison.

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 have already finished, because per-credit pricing is how this field hides the number.

What Kentucky RNs Earn

BLS reports a median of $81,040 for Kentucky's 50,300 registered nurses, or $38.96 an hour, with the distribution running from $64,170 at the 10th percentile to $111,750 at the 90th. That is $16,510 below the national median of $97,550, and it places Kentucky 42nd of 51 states.

The percentile spread is the more useful half of that. $47,580 separates the bottom decile from the top one inside Kentucky, which is wider than the gap between Kentucky and the national median. Where you work in the state and what you work in move your pay more than the state line does.

One caveat 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 Kentucky BSN earns against what a Kentucky ADN earns, and anyone quoting one has made it up. What the BSN is associated with is access to roles paying above the RN median, not a raise in the same job.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release.

Questions Kentucky Nurses Ask

Is a public university cheaper for an RN to BSN in Kentucky?
Not here. The cheapest ranked program in Kentucky is University of the Cumberlands, a private nonprofit institution at $9,875 a year, and it undercuts both publics — Eastern Kentucky University lists $10,020 and Northern Kentucky University lists $10,704. The public discount only appears if you are a Kentucky resident. Out of state, those two roughly double — $20,930 and $21,528 respectively — while all 4 private programs list the same price for everyone, wherever you live.
The top three Kentucky programs are 0.2 points apart. How do I choose between them?
Treat them as tied. Northern Kentucky University scores 66.2, University of the Cumberlands 66.1 and Eastern Kentucky University 66 — that spread is smaller than the rounding on any input. Break the tie on things the score cannot hold: whether coursework is asynchronous or has live sessions at fixed times, whether the track requires precepted clinical hours you have to arrange yourself, how many of your ADN credits transfer, how many start dates run each year, and whether the program is authorised in your state if you are studying from outside Kentucky.
Why do all six Kentucky graduation rates land between 40% and 52%?
Because the figure is institution-wide. IPEDS publishes a graduation rate for the whole undergraduate body of a school, not for its RN-to-BSN completion track, so it describes the institution a nurse would enroll at rather than the cohort of licensed RNs finishing a bachelor's. A working nurse with an ADN already in hand is not the student that rate is measuring. It carries 45% of the score here as a check on institutional stability, and in Kentucky it barely separates anyone — which is exactly why tuition ends up deciding the order.
Kentucky RNs earn a median of $81,040. Does finishing the BSN raise it?
Not directly, and be careful with anyone who says otherwise. BLS reports all registered nurses as one occupation and publishes no pay split by degree, so there is no federal figure for what a Kentucky BSN earns against a Kentucky ADN. What the state figure does tell you is the level you are negotiating inside: $81,040, which is 42nd of 51 states and $16,510 below the national median. No Kentucky law requires a BSN either — RN licensure runs through the NCLEX-RN, which you can sit with an associate degree, and New York is the only state that has legislated a BSN requirement, applying to nurses licensed after its 2017 law with ten years to comply. The BSN buys access to charge and management tracks, public health and case management roles, Magnet employers that prefer it, and the MSN.

Compare RN to BSN Programs in Nearby States

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