Best Nursing School in Fort Lauderdale in 2024 (On-Campus or Online)

Attending nursing school in Fort Lauderdale, FL will allow you to enter the profession of nursing which offers a rewarding, stable and noble career that is both financially lucrative and intellectually challenging. Finding nursing programs in FL won’t be hard. In the state of Florida, as the population continues to age, and more and more chronic medical conditions like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease become more prevalent, there is a greater and greater demand for qualified registered nurses (RNs). Registered nurses assist doctors with patient care, educate patients and their families and often also supervise other nurses and members of the medical support team.

An associate degree in nursing (ADN) can usually be completed in a 2 year period and quickly allows an applicant to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensing exam. A 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree also qualifies applicants to take the NCLEX-RN exam and usually allows for a more prestigious position at a higher salary. Other schools offer a 12-month Practical Nursing Certificate. You can even go to an RN to BSN nursing school in Florida if you need to make that transition.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average registered nurse’s yearly salary nationwide is now $65,470 with an estimated shortage of RNs throughout the country by 2025 estimated to be as high as 500,000. There will be 1.05 million job openings for RNs by 2022.

In the state of Florida, the mean hourly wage for an RN is $31.83 which amounts to an annual median wage of $66,210. In Fort Lauderdale, the current average median salary for a registered nurse is $68,000 per year. Employment options for registered nurses in Fort Lauderdale include major medical centers like Holy Cross Hospital or Broward Health Medical Center.

A BSN degree leading to licensure as an RN can also lead to exciting careers with further training as an AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN), a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN), an Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN), a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), a Nurse Midwife, a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC), a Flight Nurse, a Trauma Nurse, a Travel Nurse or a Nurse Administrator/Nurse Manager.

The most important factors to consider when choosing a nursing school include the NCLEX-RN exam pass rate, the program’s length or number of accredited hours required, the admission requirements, the amount of tuition and the nursing school’s accreditation.

The NCLEX-RN Exam

The NCLEX-RN Exam is a national nursing licensure computer-based exam that is scored on a pass-fail system. It has 4 major categories and 8 sub-categories of questions. It usually contains a range of 75 to 265 questions. The questions are mostly multiple-choice questions with 4 possible choices. There are also other types of questions like fill in the blank(s). The NCLEX–RN exam is a type of exam known as a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) whereby new questions are produced based on how well you did on the previous question. The NCLEX-RN lasts for a maximum of 6 hours.

Nursing School Accreditation

There are 2 national accrediting bodies that are related to nursing schools.

1.       ACEN – The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) provides accreditation to schools that offer diploma programs in nursing as well as Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Post-Bachelor’s degrees in nursing.

2.       CCNE – The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), which is associated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, offers national accreditation for nursing schools that offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate programs in nursing.

By choosing a nursing program in Fort Lauderdale, you’ll be attending some of the best nursing schools in South Florida.

List of the best nursing schools in Fort Lauderdale in 2024

1. Atlantic Technical College

Atlantic Technical College Practical Nursing Program is one of the best practical nursing schools in Fort Lauderdale. It is located at 4700 Coconut Creek Parkway, Coconut Creek, FL 33063. It is a public secondary and post-secondary institution in Broward, Florida that was founded in 1973. The Practical Nursing (PN) nursing program is held at the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Campus located at 1701 NW 23^rd Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311. It offers a certificate in Practical Nursing.

• NCLEX – PN Exam Pass Rate – 90% to 100%
•  Program Length – 12 months – 1350 hours
• Admission Requirements – Prerequisites
• Tuition – $4,373 – Residents
• Accreditation – ACEN

2. Trinity School of Nursing

Trinity School of Nursing is one of the best accredited nursing schools in Fort Lauderdale. It is located at 767 S. State Road 7 Plantation, FL 33317 and serves Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties. They offer a 2-year certificate in Practical Nursing and emphasize the patient’s holistic health needs.

• NCLEX – PN Exam Pass Rate – 100%
•  Program Length – 24 months
• Admission Requirements – Prerequisites
• Tuition – $24,661
• Accreditation – ACEN

3. Jersey College – Fort Lauderdale

Jersey College – Fort Lauderdale is located at 2307 West Broward Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312. They offer a Certificate in Practical Nursing and an Associate degree in Nursing.

• NCLEX – PN Certificate in Practical Nursing – Exam Pass Rate – 97.6%
• NCLEX – Associates Degree in Nursing – Exam Pass Rate – 85.6%
•  Program Length – Day 8 terms; Night 12 terms
• Admission Requirements – Prerequisites
• Tuition – $44,623 – Day
• Tuition – $44,863 – Evening
• Accreditation – ACEN

4. Broward College

Broward College Nursing Program is located at 1000 Coconut Creek Boulevard Coconut Creek, FL 33066. It offers an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing (ADN) and an RN to BSN degree program. After completion of their degree programs, applicants can apply to the Florida Board of Nursing for approval to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam. The registered nurse job placement rate after graduation is 97%. Broward College has been ranked the #1 College for “highest earners in the state of Florida.”

•  NCLEX – 96.3%
•  Program Length – 72 credits
• Admission Requirements – Prerequisites
• Tuition – $91.79 per credit for in-state students and $384.72 per credit for out-of-state students
• Accreditation – ACEN

5. Nova Southeastern University

Nova Southeastern University is located at 3301 College Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314. It offers the following degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree, a Clinical MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner degree, a Clinical MSN: Gerontology – Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner degree, an MSN: Health System Leadership degree, an MSN: Nursing Education degree, an MSN: Nursing Informatics degree, a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing degree.

• NCLEX – RN Passing Rate – 87.5%
•  Program Length – 4 years
• Admission Requirements – Prerequisites
• Tuition – In-State – $27,700
• Tuition – Out-0f-State – $28,695
• Accreditation – CCNE

6. Blanche Ely High School Nursing Program

Blanche Ely Public High School is located at 1201 NW Sixth Ave Pompano Beach, Florida 33060. It provides training for a Certificate in Practical Nursing.

• NCLEX -PN – 86.8%
•  Program Length – 12 months
• Admission Requirements – None
• Tuition – Free
• Accreditation – CCNE

8. Azure College

Azure College School of Nursing is located at 550 West Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309. It offers an Associate degree in Nursing, a Certificate in Practical Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

• NCLEX -PN – Associate Degree in Nursing – 60.0%
• NCLEX – PN – Certificate in Practical Nursing – 26.9%
•  Program Length – ASN – 126.5 Quarter credits
• Program Length – RN to BSN – 1765 hours – 104 weeks
• Admission Requirements – Prerequisites
• Tuition – $17,000
• Accreditation – Florida Board of Nursing

Ranking Methodology

For your search of the top school of nursing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida we took into consideration the schools with the top NCLEX-RN pass rates, the length of each program, the amount of tuition, the graduation rate, student ratings, student to faculty ratios and if the school was accredited.

Edits, Additions, and Comments

We do understand that other factors can also affect the ranking of nursing schools and welcome any suggestions, recommendations or additions to the list. Please send any comments or questions via our contact form.