Most Affordable RN to BSN Online Programs
Going from RN to BSN is more affordable than you think. Learn about top-rated programs that have the low cost, accreditation and study flexibility you’re looking for.
Written By
Kathleen Curtis
- Bio
Kathleen Curtis is an American writer currently living in Louisville, Kentucky. She has developed content around education for more than a decade for both domestic and international clients.
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With the cost of higher education rising each year, finding an affordable RN to BSN online program can help you keep your focus on advancing your nursing career instead of worrying about how to tackle a mountain of student debt after graduation. An online degree allows you to choose from top RN to BSN programs across the country, giving you more options and saving you money by allowing you to continue working during your studies.
With so many online RN to BSN programs available, narrowing your options can seem challenging. This page serves as a great starting place to find accredited nursing schools offering quality online RN to BSN programs that won’t break the bank. Keep reading to learn about the best options in 2023.
Top 50 Most Affordable Online RN to BSN Programs in 2023
When looking at prospective online RN to BSN programs, you’ll want to consider many factors, including accreditation, degree outcomes, faculty, location, and curriculum. That said, cost is frequently a determining factor for budget-minded students who don’t want to take on massive debt. With this in mind, we created a list of quality, highly-affordable online RN to BSN programs.
Schools in this list were ranked based on the latest data provided by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Click on our “About the Ranking” button to learn more about our methodology.
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Base Methodology for EduMed’s 2023 Online College Rankings
1. Create List of Eligible Schools and Programs
To be eligible for this ranking, schools were required to meet the following criteria based on government data provided by The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
- Institutional accreditation from an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- At least one program in subject area offered partially or fully online.
2. Assign Weightings
After creating the list of eligible schools, EduMed data scientists assigned weights and ranked schools based on a mix of affordability, support services, and online program availability metrics. Online program availability and overall affordability metrics received the heaviest weightings.
Online Program Availability
- Number of online programs in subject area reported by school to the U.S. Department of Education.
Affordability
- Cost – Relative cost of attendance compared to peer schools on the list. Based on tuition and fees per academic year.
- Students w/ Institutional Aid – Percentage of students who receive financial aid from the school itself.
Support Services
- Academic Counseling – Existence of this service on campus or online.
- Career Placement – Existence of this service on campus or online.
About Our Data
EduMed’s rankings use the latest official data available from The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Most recent data pull: July 2022
| # | School Name | Type | Cost | Online Programs | More Details | School Information | Online Students | Academic Counseling | Career Placement | Students w/Institutional Aid | Median Earnings 10yrs After Entry | Accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fitchburg State UniversityFitchburg, MA | Public | $ | 1 | Fitchburg State University offers an affordable bachelor’s in nursing program for those who already have their RN. With this degree, registered nurses can take their professional career to the next level in a fraction of the time that it takes for a typical four year bachelor’s degree. Some students are able to complete the RN to BSN program at Fitchburg State University in as little as 12 months. Since most students also work full time, the coursework is designed to be flexible. Classes can be taken online in a synchronous format. The program is designed to provide the healthcare knowledge nurses need and the social and public health courses that can help take their career to the next level. Program Highlights: Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
|
Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio14/1 |
AccreditationNECHE | |||
| 2 | Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC | Public | $ | 1 | Western Carolina University offers affordable bachelor’s in nursing programs for students who already have their RN. For registered nurses, the program takes as little as two years to complete. Additionally, since many of the students in the program have full-time jobs, the bachelor’s degree is built to optimize flexibility and fit a busy schedule. Students are required to complete 24 hours of online core courses and six hours of upper-division electives. All classes are online and can be taken whenever works best with your schedule, not at set class times. Upon graduating, students will be prepared to advance their nursing career or to continue their education in order to become a nurse practitioner. Program Highlights: Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
|
Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | |||
| 3 | Santa Fe CollegeGainesville, FL | Public | $ | 1 | The bachelor’s of science in nursing from Sante Fe College is meant for students who have already earned their RN from an accredited Associate of Science in nursing degree program and would like to continue their education. Students will take courses in leadership, management, theory, research community health, and more. Most students in the program are working nurses, therefore it is designed to be flexible and easy to complete within two years. For optimal flexibility, the program is divided into seven week online and asynchronous courses. Students have access to all course materials 24/7 and can take classes whenever works best for their schedule. Program Highlights: Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
|
Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | |||
| 4 | Pensacola State CollegePensacola, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Pensacola State College offers a flexible bachelor’s of science in nursing program for current registered nurses. To be eligible for the accelerated, two-year program, applicants should already have their associate degree in nursing. In this RN to BSN program, students will work towards a bachelor’s degree that can help advance their nursing education and career and prepare them to pursue a master’s in nursing. Many students in the program work full-time while attending, so Pensacola State College has designed the curriculum to suit a busy nurse’s schedule. Courses are offered online, and while they are synchronous, classes are also offered at times which suit work and family obligations. Program Highlights: Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
|
Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio24/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | |||
| 5 | St. Petersburg CollegeClearwater, FL | Public | $ | 1 |
St. Petersburg College is a four-year institution, and its nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The RN to BSN program enables students who currently possess an associate degree RN the opportunity to receive their bachelor’s degrees in nursing. To accommodate busy students who work full-time while attending classes, St. Petersburg College offers online courses with synchronous class times. Since it was the first college in Florida to offer an online nursing program, the school is well equipped to adapt its curriculum to online learners. Students in the program are required to complete 40 semester hours of coursework consisting of 32 credits of core nursing courses and eight credits of electives. Students can transfer up to 10 credits. Program Highlights: Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
|
Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio23/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | |||
| 6 | Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 7 | College of Central FloridaOcala, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 8 | Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonville, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio23/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 9 | Pasco-Hernando State CollegeNew Port Richey, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio28/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 10 | Chipola CollegeMarianna, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio16/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 11 | Florida SouthWestern State CollegeFort Myers, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio26/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 12 | Polk State CollegeWinter Haven, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio25/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 13 | Northwest Florida State CollegeNiceville, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio23/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 14 | Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio22/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 15 | The University of Texas Permian BasinOdessa, TX | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 16 | College of Coastal GeorgiaBrunswick, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio21/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 17 | Gordon State CollegeBarnesville, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio22/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 18 | Fayetteville State UniversityFayetteville, NC | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 19 | Daytona State CollegeDaytona Beach, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 20 | South Florida State CollegeAvon Park, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 21 | Great Basin CollegeElko, NV | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio18/1 |
AccreditationNWCCU | ||||
| 22 | Oklahoma Panhandle State UniversityGoodwell, OK | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio18/1 |
AccreditationHLC | ||||
| 23 | North Carolina Central UniversityDurham, NC | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio16/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 24 | The University of West FloridaPensacola, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio20/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 25 | University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio20/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 26 | Texas A & M International UniversityLaredo, TX | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio24/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 27 | West Virginia University at ParkersburgParkersburg, WV | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio15/1 |
AccreditationHLC | ||||
| 28 | University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 29 | University of North FloridaJacksonville, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 30 | Albany State UniversityAlbany, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 31 | Clayton State UniversityMorrow, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 32 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main CampusPortales, NM | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationHLC | ||||
| 33 | Fort Hays State UniversityHays, KS | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationHLC | ||||
| 34 | Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio16/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 35 | Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboro, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio22/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 36 | Columbus State UniversityColumbus, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 37 | University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 38 | Western New Mexico UniversitySilver City, NM | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio12/1 |
AccreditationHLC | ||||
| 39 | University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmington, NC | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 40 | East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 41 | University of FloridaGainesville, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio17/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 42 | University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio31/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 43 | Montana State University BillingsBillings, MT | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio15/1 |
AccreditationNWCCU | ||||
| 44 | Montana State University-NorthernHavre, MT | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio14/1 |
AccreditationNWCCU | ||||
| 45 | Delaware Technical Community College-TerryDover, DE | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio13/1 |
AccreditationMSCHE | ||||
| 46 | New Mexico Highlands UniversityLas Vegas, NM | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio13/1 |
AccreditationHLC | ||||
| 47 | Texas A & M University-Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TX | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio20/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 48 | Florida International UniversityMiami, FL | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio25/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC | ||||
| 49 | Dixie State UniversitySaint George, UT | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio25/1 |
AccreditationNWCCU | ||||
| 50 | Nicholls State UniversityThibodaux, LA | Public | $ | 1 | Academic CounselingYes |
Career PlacementYes |
Student/ Faculty Ratio19/1 |
AccreditationSACSCOC |
What Makes an Online RN to BSN Program Affordable?
Many factors impact both tuition costs and how much you actually pay for your program. Consider each of these factors before making a decision.
How much financial aid you can secure for your online RN to BSN program
The more financial aid you’re able to secure, the less you pay for things like tuition, textbooks, and additional fees. Financial aid comes in many forms and from many different sources (including federal, state, and local governments; professional associations; nonprofits; foundations; and for-profit nursing companies), so make sure you mine the full expanse of options.
Whether you live in-state or-out-of-state
When attending a public institution, you’ll notice that both resident and nonresident tuition prices are listed. In many cases, the out-of-state tuition rate is far higher; that’s because state-provided funds cannot be used for these learners. That said, some online programs now offer the same tuition rate, regardless of residence.
How much it costs to apply
A recent study found that the average college application fee costs $43, though some schools charge well over $100. When applying to multiple schools, these fees quickly add up. Look for schools that waive application fees or find out if you qualify for an application fee waiver.
If the RN to BSN program has a class schedule that allows you to continue working
Some online RN to BSN programs provide asynchronous learning, meaning you can log in to watch prerecorded lectures and complete assignments at times that work with your schedule. Synchronous classes, conversely, require you to log in at specific times that could conflict with your work schedule.
How much of the RN to BSN program coursework is offered online
If a program isn’t fully online, it’s important that you consider costs associated with getting to and from school–and how often you will need to visit campus. In addition to things like fuel and car maintenance, you may also need a parking pass or public transportation pass.
If the nursing grad school is private or public
As you look at potential online RN to BSN programs, you’ll notice that public schools tend to be more affordable than private institutions. This is due to public schools receiving state funding to supplement costs. If you want to go the cheaper route, a state school is likely your best bet.
How to Lower the Cost of Your Online RN to BSN Degree
In addition to the considerations outlined above, students can take other steps to lower their costs while in school and minimize the amount of debt they’ll need to pay off after graduating. Review these three ideas to see how they can help you.
- Search for scholarships and grants designed specifically for nursing students.
Scholarships and grants are a great way to help nursing students reduce the financial burden of their degrees. In addition to scholarships from colleges and universities, you’ll also have access to an extensive list of national and regional scholarships specifically for nursing students. Check out our list of scholarships for nursing students to learn more.
- Ask about employer tuition reimbursement plans.
Considering the growing requirement for RNs to complete a bachelor’s degree, it’s no surprise that many employers offer tuition reimbursement plans for working RNs. Louisville’s Norton Healthcare is home to a scholars program that provides students with loan forgiveness if they commit to working at the organization after graduation for a set amount of time. When assessing academic options, reach out to current or potential employers to see if they offer some form of financial assistance.
- Take advantage of student discounts.
You can find ways to minimize the financial burden of nursing school outside of the traditional financial aid options. From travel to technology discounts, many businesses and organizations provide discounts and free goods to working RNs and nursing students. Popular cost-cutting opportunities include deals from companies like The North Face, Uber Eats, and Apple.