I’m a high school senior applying to the nursing programs of UCLA, UCI, and University of San Francisco. I would just like to know which one is the best for me. I know USF has the highest board exam pass rate, but what about the college experience itself? My top choice is UCLA but I’m only going off the prestige of the school and I have no idea if their program is as good as USF’s. Is there any info about the programs that I will not find through my own research?
Thank you! And whatever the responses I plan on visiting the colleges I am accepted to before a decision.
My understanding is that nursing is a career where the school’s reputation in the field is what matters. USNWR and other “prestige” rankings are pretty much meaningless when it comes to serious RN programs. Any of those schools will offer excellent training but it’s impossible to know which specific one is best for you.
If it’s not too late, consider applying to SDSU and some other Cal State nursing programs as they are excellent but likely to cost much less. I know someone who turned down several UCs for direct admit to the SDSU program and she is loving it.
You can find NCLEX pass rates online pretty easily. UCLA’s BSN NCLEX pass rates dropped precipitously in the last 5 years. Before 2013, the pass rates ranged between 90 and 93 percent. But in 2013-2014, they dropped to 65%, and in 2014-2015 they were 75%. I’d be interested to know what made them drop so deeply in the last two years.
USF’s ranged between 83 and 88 percent in the last 5 years, and UC Irvine’s ranged between 78 and 89 percent (in the 73-76% range in the last two years).
Are they all direct admit programs? Do you have the GPA and test scores to be admitted into their programs? Have you taken rigorous science and math programs? Most direct admit nursing programs have a separate set of admission criteria including the number and type of science courses. GPA will be recalculated based on core courses. How strong are your EC’s? Do they show interest in the medical field. Admission is highly competitive. Are you certain that you have very strong letters of recommendation? NCLEX rates are very important, it points to the type of preparation and training you will receive. Best of luck to you.
What type of college experience are you looking for? I am only familiar with USF. It is located in the city, great transportation, very diverse student body, there is a strong sense of community, lots of school spirit, sporting events, cultural events, etc. The location offers so much to students. It is Jesuit run, strong support of education and social justice.
California RN pass rates. This info is also helpful to show you the number of students graduating from each program. Please keep in mind that some colleges make it hard to some students to take the RN exam if they do not do well on the practice tests. That is a way some colleges keep their pass rates artificially high. Also, some colleges have large numbers of older students who have years of work experience in health care, and therefore may have an easier time passing the test.
UCLA or USF would be good choices because they each use teaching hospitals for their practicums so you learn more. I don’t know where UCI does their practicum rotations.
USF is a private school so the tuition will be higher