Online Nursing Programs in Virginia: Reviewing Top Schools

Undergraduate Nursing in Virginia

Whether you’re studying nursing for the first time or interested in expanding your current professional knowledge and skillset, online undergraduate nursing programs in Virginia provide many options. Start here to learn more about entry-level nursing careers and the education programs that prepare students for them.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Certified Nursing Assistants perform a variety of patient-focused tasks under the supervision of doctors, LPNs, and RNs.

Online CNA programs provide a quick and affordable way to get the knowledge and skills you need to qualify for this entry-level nursing role. However, you will need to complete an in-person clinical experience as part of your online program.

Example: Moon River Nursing Careers CNA Training Course

• Cost: $2,150
• Length: Five weeks (140 hours)
• Mode: Hybrid

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

Like CNAs, Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide basic care to patients, but are qualified to perform a wider range of tasks, which include:

• Taking vital signs
• Changing dressings
• Aiding patients with basic hygiene
• Keeping patient records and reporting on patient status
• Administering medications

Online LPN programs are hybrid-formatted, combining online coursework with campus-based labs and hands-on clinical hours attended at local healthcare facilities. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN, which must be passed to practice as an LPN in Virginia and all other U.S. jurisdictions.

Example: Eastern Virginia Career College Practical Nurse Education (Diploma)

• Cost: $23,755 (est. total tuition and fees)
• Length: 45 weeks
• Mode: Hybrid

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

Associate degrees in nursing (ADNs) are typically two-year full-time degree programs that combine general education and foundational nursing coursework to prepare students to take the NCLEX-RN and obtain state RN licensure.

Online ADN programs often feature didactic coursework that is completed entirely online, but students will be required to complete campus-based labs and in-person clinical practice hours at local medical facilities.

Many ADN students will at some point return to school to earn a full BSN degree and/or pursue a graduate-level education to qualify for advanced nursing roles.

Example: Northern Virginia Community College Associate of Applied Science in Nursing

• Cost : $224.56/credit (Virginia residents); $444.38/credit (out-of-state). Tuition and fees.
• Length: Two years (67 credits)
• Mode: Hybrid

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

BSN programs, like ADN degrees, prepare students to become registered nurses. However, BSN programs are typically four years (full-time) in length and provide greater depth and breadth of nursing knowledge and skills when compared to ADN programs.

Also, like ADN progams, online BSN programs are hybrid-formatted, combining fully-online didactic coursework with in-person labs and clinical practice experiences.

BSN grads are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN and apply for Virginia RN licensure.

Example: Radford University Bachelor of Science in Nursing

• Cost: $4,349/semester (Virginia residents); $11,006/semester (out-of-state residents)
• Length: Four years (120 credits)
• Mode: Hybrid

Accelerated BSN (ABSN)

ABSN programs allow students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree to apply general education credits earned for that degree to their BSN requirements. The result is shorter completion times (typically around two years) and substantial cost savings when compared to traditional four-year BSN programs.

Online ABSN programs focus on nursing-related coursework consisting of online-delivered didactic course content, campus-based labs, and hands-on clinical experiences attended at local medical practice facilities.

Example: The George Washington University School of Nursing Accelerated BSN

• Cost: $86,000 (est. total cost)
• Length: Four semesters (60 credits)
• Mode: Hybrid

Graduate-Level Nursing in Virginia

Moving into top-tier positions in the nursing profession requires advanced formal education and training, which is what nursing graduate degrees and post-graduate certificates are all about. These programs are designed to prepare RNs to fill top leadership, education, and advanced nursing practice roles.

Many graduate level programs are presented entirely online. As with pre-licensure undergraduate programs, however, if your graduate program includes clinicals, you’ll have to complete them in person.

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

MSN programs are designed for current RNs seeking to move up the career ladder to fill positions in leadership/management and advanced specialized clinical practice (often as Nurse Practitioners.) Popular areas of specialization include:

• Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Nurse Administrator
• Nurse Educator
• Nursing Informatics
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

You’ll find typical completion times range from around 18 months to two years full time, depending primarily on your area of specialization. Part-time options are often available.

Example: Eastern Mennonite University Master of Science in Nursing

• Cost: $652/credit (tuition only)
• Length: 24 months (two courses per semester), 48 months (one course per semester)
• Mode: Fully-online coursework with in-person clinicals

DNP and PhD Doctoral Programs

Nursing doctorates prepare their graduates to fill terminal professional positions in administration, clinical practice, medical research, and postsecondary education.

In specific terms, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs are designed for students intent on top-tier careers in leadership and clinical nursing practice, while PhD in Nursing programs focus on preparing students seeking research and postsecondary roles.

Nursing doctorate programs may be fully-online or hybrid-formatted depending on the specific purpose of the degree. Completion times vary widely based on specific degree type and requirements.

Example: Radford University Doctor of Nursing Practice

• Cost: $611/credit (Virginia residents); $631/credit (out-of-state residents). Tuition and fees.
• Length: Varies. 33-87 credits, depending on specific track (nurse leadership, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, etc.)
• Mode: Online or hybrid, depending on specific track

Post-Master’s Certificate Programs

Nursing post-master’s certificate programs are designed for nurses with a master’s or doctoral degree to provide them with knowledge and skills (and, in many cases, eligibility for certification) in an additional specialized area of practice without having to complete an entire new graduate degree program.

Completion times and delivery formats vary by specialization and student’s chosen study pace.

Example: University of Virginia School of Nursing Post-Master’s Certificate Programs

• Cost: $914/credit (Virginia residents); $1,493/credit (out-of-state residents). Tuition only.
• Length: Varies by specialization
• Mode: Hybrid

Nursing Bridge Programs in Virginia

Nursing bridge programs are designed to provide current nurse professionals a quicker and more convenient path toward obtaining an advanced degree and moving up the career ladder. These programs allow students to apply work done in their previous nursing degree program to meet the requirements for their advanced degree program, resulting in earning their new degree in less time and cost.

Here’s a look at some of the most popular bridge programs available in Virginia today:

LPN to RN and LPN to BSN

LPN to RN and LPN to BSN programs allow practical nurses to apply the credits earned in their LPN programs to help meet BSN degree requirements, thus significantly cutting costs and completion times when compared to traditional four-year BSN programs.

Online LPN to BSN programs are often delivered entirely online. However, LPN to RN programs include clinical practice requirements that must be completed in person.

Typical program lengths are one to two years for LPN to RN programs and two to four years for LPN to BSN programs.

Example: Brightpoint Community College Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, LPN to RN Bridge

• Cost: $174.30/credit (Virginia residents): $391.40/credit (out-of-state residents); $296.80/credit (out-of-state E-rate). Tuition and fees.
• Length: Two years (67 credits)
• Mode: Hybrid

RN to BSN

There is a clear trend in the U.S. toward employers requiring or preferring RN job applicants to hold a nursing bachelor’s degree. The result is an increase in the popularity of RN to BSN bridge programs.

These programs provide current RNs with a nursing diploma or ADN degree the ability to apply credits earned in those programs to their BSN degree requirements, thus saving time and money in obtaining the BSN.

There are a number of online RN to BSN programs in Virginia to choose from, most requiring around one year to 18 months full-time or two to three years part-time to complete.

Example: Virginia Commonwealth University RN to BS in Nursing

• Cost: $7,500 to $8,000 (est. total program cost, tuition only)
• Length: Six semesters part-time (32 credits)
• Mode: Online

RN to MSN

RN to MSN programs allow registered nurses with an ADN (or possibly even only a nursing diploma) the opportunity to earn their nursing master’s through a condensed curriculum combining both advanced undergraduate-level and graduate-level nursing coursework.

Through these accelerated curriculums, students can complete all degree requirements in around one to four years, depending primarily on the student’s chosen area of specialization and study pace.

Example: Old Dominion University RN to MSN Option

• Cost: $486/credit (Virginia residents); $1,334.50/credit (out-of-state residents); $649/credit (online courses for out-of-state residents)
• Length: 16 to 28 months
• Mode: Hybrid

BSN to DNP

BSN to DNP programs provide a cost- and time-efficient path to registered nurses with a BSN seeking to obtain their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree by foregoing a full MSN program in between. As with traditional DNP programs, graduates of BSN to DNP programs are prepared to take on top-tier positions in healthcare administration and advanced nursing practice.

Most students can expect to complete their programs in three to four years.

Example: University of Virginia BSN to DNP Pathway

• Cost: Regular sessions: $914/credit (Virginia residents); $1,493/credit (out-of-state residents); Summer sessions: $551/credit (Virginia residents); $1,117/credit (out-of-state residents); January sessions: $567/credit (Virginia residents); $1,151/credit (out-of-state residents). Tuition only.
• Length: Three years
• Mode: Hybrid

Direct-Entry MSN

Individuals with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree interested in joining the nursing profession on an advanced practice level can leverage the general education credits earned in their bachelor’s program in an online direct-entry MSN program.

These programs combine online undergraduate pre-licensure nursing courses and in-person clinical experiences with online master’s-level advanced nursing coursework (often in a specialized area of practice) that allow students to earn their MSN in as few as two to three years.

Example: Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing (DE-MSN)

• Cost: $53,130 (est. total program tuition and fees)
• Length: Two years (full-time)
• Mode: Hybrid