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10 Best Nursing Schools in Phoenix in 2024 (On-Campus & Online)

Looking for great nursing schools in Arizona? You’re in luck. There are exciting opportunities likely awaiting qualified nurses that graduate from the best nursing schools in Phoenix. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists the 2018 through 2028 anticipated job growth outlook for Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) as ‘much faster than average,’ compared to the job outlook for other occupations.

Whether you are considering completing your first nursing program, or if you want to further your nursing education to advance your career, these best nursing schools in Phoenix likely offer the ideal nursing program for you.

Reasons to Obtain a Degree from One of the Nursing Schools in Phoenix

The dire nursing shortage in Arizona means that there is a critical need for nurses in the state, including in the Phoenix area. These schools offer either traditional classroom settings, completely online programs, or in some cases, students have the opportunity to choose their preferred learning format.

Wallet Hub lists Arizona as the seventh state on its list of the overall ‘Best Places to Work as a Nurse.’ Attending one of these nursing education programs provides you with the education required of a qualified nurse. Each of the best nursing schools listed here are accredited schools and programs. Whether you’re looking for a BSN nursing program in Arizona or another type of nursing program, you’ll be sure to find an option here.

Here are the Top Nursing Schools in Phoenix, AZ

1. Gateway Community College – LPN

Gateway Community College offers the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program for students that want to begin their nursing education. The program provides a certificate of completion for this terminal nursing program. As one of the best nursing assistant schools in Phoenix, AZ it also offers a great nursing assistant program. Gateway Community College offers the LPN program at its Washington Campus, located in Phoenix.

Learn nursing theory, and patient care techniques through a variety of classroom, and patient care learning experiences. Students also participate in simulation learning experiences. Enroll in this program and gain the opportunity to sit for the NCLEX exam upon completion. The school is one of the schools in the Maricopa Nursing Consortium.

Tuition: $85 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: 100%
Accreditation: Approved by Arizona State Board of Nursing

2. Chandler-Gilbert Community College – RN – AAS

Chandler- Gilbert Community College, one of the best accredited nursing schools in Phoenix, AZ, is a Maricopa Nursing Consortium School. The college offers the Registered Nurse (RN) Associate of Applied Science (AAS) program for students that want to receive their degree, and become a registered nurse after sitting for the NCLEX exam.

Students receive classroom instruction, clinical opportunities with hands-on experiences, lab, and simulation experiences. Students participate in their clinical experiences across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings.

Tuition: $85 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: 93.33%
Accreditation: ACEN

3. Paradise Valley Community College – AAS

Paradise Valley Community College is part of the Maricopa Nursing Consortium, which consists of eight community colleges. The school offers the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree for students that want to complete their degree, and sit for the NCLEX exam.

Students participate in supervised clinical experiences and collaborate with nurses, physicians, and other professionals in the healthcare industry.

Tuition: $85 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: 92.16%
Accreditation: ACEN

4. Phoenix College – AAS

Phoenix College is one of the best nursing schools in Phoenix, AZ and it offers the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Nursing degree for students interested in nursing. Students complete degree requirements in a traditional classroom setting, and through clinical experiences.

Students learn to maintain medical records, provide an assessment of patient health records, assess patient needs, administer care to patients, and a variety of other skills. Students in the program receive hands-on experience in a variety of healthcare settings.

Tuition: $85 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: 89.76%
Accreditation: ACEN

5. Arizona State University

The Arizona State University offers the online RN to BSN program for busy students, with the opportunity to complete the program in an estimated 14 to 24 months. Complete your degree with just 39 credit hours of instruction.

Learn effective communication skills, and critical thinking skills related to nursing, while also learning to utilize evidence-based practices while providing nursing care.

Tuition: $445 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: N/A
Accreditation: CCNE

6. Arizona State University – DNP – Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Arizona State University offers several options for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, including the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. Gain the skills required to practice at the most advanced level of nursing, through this hybrid in-person, and online format program.

Learn to apply theory to advanced practice as it relates to acute care pediatric nursing. Discover the skills necessary to develop a framework of family-centered advanced practice nursing practice for complex acute illnesses, unstable chronic illnesses, and life-threatening illnesses.

The school offers more than 20 nursing degrees and certificate options.

Tuition: $837 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: 100%
Accreditation: CCNE

7. Carrington College – RN

The Registered Nurse (RN) program at Carrington College offers students the opportunity to take their strengths, and turn those strengths into a career as an RN. The school believes that being a nurse is not just a job, but a lifestyle. Students learn through traditional classroom instruction, real-world experiences in healthcare settings, through laboratory, and simulation lab experiences.

The school offers a tuition promise, which means that students that remain in good standing throughout the length of their program will not have a tuition increase.

Tuition: $335 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: 78.26%
Accreditation: ACEN

8. Brookline College

Fit your advanced nursing education into your busy schedule with the nursing degree program at Brookline College, one of the top nursing schools in Phoenix. They offer a BSN, ABSN, RN to BSN online and two MSN online options. The school requires no group projects, perhaps a sigh of relief for some prospective students. Complete the requirements for this program in less than one year of full-time study, or in two years of part-time study.

Students complete a 90-hour practicum. If you reside outside the area, the school allows you to complete the practicum at an approved location in your geographic area.

Tuition: $416.67 per credit hour
NCLEX first time pass rate: 80.61%
Accreditation: CCNE

Methodology

We ranked each of the nursing schools in Phoenix by assigning a score for criteria that included tuition, first-time NCLEX pass rate, and accreditation. Wherever there was a tie, the tie was broken by giving the higher score to the school with the lower tuition.

We do our best to be honest, fair, and accurate when ranking each school and program, gathering information directly from each school or from the NCES.

No school can pay us for a better ranking. Schools that wish to be sponsored are listed separately and are labeled SPONSORED.

Disclaimer: We make no guarantees regarding tuition or other information because these facts sometimes change.

Please contact us if you would like to have your school added to our rankings.

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10 Best Nursing Schools in Phoenix in 2024 (On-Campus & Online)