Board-reported · 2025

NCLEX Pass Rates — California Nursing Schools (2025)

As of 2025, 137 California schools reported first-time RN NCLEX pass rates of 65.7–100.0%, per California BRN NCLEX Pass Rates (BRN-approved pre-licensure RN programs). Dataset average 91.4% (national reference 86.7%). Only display-eligible cohorts of 10+ first-time candidates are shown.

California average: 91.4%; +4.7 pts vs national
National: 86.7%; NCSBN 2025
Schools reported: 137; Cohorts of 10 or more
At 90% or higher: 93

Board-reported outcomes

Every California program the board reports, ranked by first-time pass rate. Schools listed on this site link to their profiles.

10 of 137

First-time RN NCLEX pass rates for California, ranked by pass rate. National average 86.7% marked on each bar.
#	School	Credential	Pass rateNational 86.7% marked	N	Status
1	LA Harbor College	—	100.0%	59	Board only
2	Mendocino College	—	100.0%	27	Board only
3	Mira Costa College	—	100.0%	46	Board only
4	Monterey Peninsula College	—	100.0%	37	On site
5	Moorpark College	—	100.0%	52	On site
6	Rio Hondo College	—	100.0%	65	Board only
7	Santa Monica College	—	100.0%	65	On site
8	Sierra College	—	100.0%	33	On site
9	Ventura College	—	100.0%	77	On site
10	William Jessup University	BSN	100.0%	25	Board only
11	Xavier College	—	100.0%	30	On site
12	CSU Long Beach	—	98.8%	169	Board only
13	Saddleback College	—	98.8%	82	On site
14	Cypress College	—	98.5%	65	On site
15	Evergreen Valley College	—	98.2%	56	Board only
16	Glendale Community College	—	98.0%	51	On site
17	Merced College	—	97.9%	47	Board only
18	De Anza College	—	97.5%	40	Board only
19	Antelope Valley College	—	97.1%	35	Board only
20	Lemoore College	—	97.1%	35	Board only
21	Victor Valley College	—	96.9%	65	Board only
22	Los Angeles Pierce College	—	96.8%	31	Board only
23	Santa Barbara City College	—	96.7%	60	On site
24	CSU Sacramento	—	96.6%	148	Board only
25	Riverside City College	—	96.6%	175	On site
26	California Career College	—	96.5%	57	Board only
27	Santa Rosa Junior College	—	96.5%	114	Board only
28	Shasta College	—	96.5%	57	Board only
29	University of San Diego/Hahn	—	96.4%	28	Board only
30	Cerritos College	—	96.4%	55	Board only
31	Point Loma Nazarene University	—	96.3%	54	Board only
32	Vanguard University	—	96.2%	26	Board only
33	CSU Los Angeles	—	96.1%	103	Board only
34	Grossmont College	—	96.0%	76	On site
35	Sacramento City College	—	96.0%	50	Board only
36	Gavilan College	—	95.8%	24	On site
37	Pacific College	—	95.8%	48	Board only
38	Porterville College	—	95.7%	47	Board only
39	Sonoma State University	—	95.7%	23	Board only
40	Imperial Valley College	—	95.6%	68	Board only
41	Solano Community College	—	95.5%	44	Board only
42	Simpson University	—	95.3%	43	Board only
43	Cuesta College	—	95.2%	63	Board only
44	CSU San Marcos	—	95.2%	188	Board only
45	Stanbridge University	BSN	95.2%	332	Board only
46	Concordia University Irvine	—	95.1%	123	Board only
47	Santa Ana College	—	95.1%	81	On site
48	Hartnell College	—	95.0%	40	On site
49	CSU Fullerton	—	94.9%	78	Board only
50	American Career College	—	94.8%	272	On site
51	Carrington College Sacramento	—	94.8%	77	Board only
52	Golden West College	—	94.8%	96	On site
53	CSU Fresno	—	94.7%	114	Board only
54	East Los Angeles College	—	94.6%	37	Board only
55	American River College	—	94.4%	72	Board only
56	Pasadena City College	—	94.3%	87	Board only
57	CSU San Bernardino	—	94.1%	118	Board only
58	Bakersfield College	—	94.0%	167	On site
59	LA County College of Nursing & Allied	—	94.0%	100	Board only
60	Mission College	—	93.9%	33	Board only
61	Allan Hancock College	—	93.9%	49	Board only
62	CSU Bakersfield	—	93.8%	65	Board only
63	Palomar College	—	93.7%	63	On site
64	Los Medanos College	—	93.5%	31	Board only
65	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Concord	BSN	93.4%	91	Board only
66	Chaffey College	—	93.2%	74	On site
67	CSU Chico	—	93.2%	74	Board only
68	Western University of Health Sciences	MSN	93.1%	72	Board only
69	Mt. San Antonio College	—	92.9%	113	On site
70	Citrus College	—	92.9%	28	Board only
71	Long Beach City College	—	92.9%	56	On site
72	Madera College	—	92.9%	14	Board only
73	San Joaquin Valley College	—	92.5%	160	Board only
74	CSU Stanislaus	—	92.5%	93	Board only
75	Pacific Union College	—	92.4%	119	On site
76	Westmont College	—	92.3%	39	Board only
77	City College of San Francisco	—	92.2%	77	Board only
78	Southwestern College	—	92.2%	64	On site
79	UC Los Angeles	BSN	92.2%	51	Board only
80	LA Trade-Tech College	—	91.8%	73	Board only
81	Butte College	—	91.4%	175	Board only
82	Loma Linda University	—	91.4%	151	Board only
83	Loma Linda University	—	91.4%	151	On site
84	Ohlone College	—	91.3%	23	On site
85	UC Irvine	BSN	91.3%	46	Board only
86	Modesto Junior College	—	91.2%	114	Board only
87	Mt. San Jacinto College	—	91.2%	57	On site
88	San Diego State University	—	91.0%	134	Board only
89	El Camino College	—	91.0%	67	On site
90	American University of Health Sciences	—	91.0%	100	Board only
91	Biola University	—	90.5%	63	Board only
92	West Coast University	—	90.0%	3070	On site
93	College of San Mateo	—	90.0%	40	On site
94	College of the Canyons	—	89.8%	88	Board only
95	University of San Francisco	BSN	89.5%	268	Board only
96	Merritt College	—	89.5%	19	Board only
97	College of the Sequoias	—	89.2%	148	On site
98	UC Davis	—	89.1%	46	Board only
99	Chamberlain University, Rancho Cordova	—	89.1%	147	Board only
100	College of the Desert	—	89.1%	101	On site
101	San Bernardino Valley College	—	89.1%	128	On site
102	LA Southwest College	—	88.9%	45	Board only
103	Cabrillo College	—	88.7%	53	Board only
104	College of Marin	—	88.1%	42	Board only
105	Copper Mountain College	—	87.8%	41	Board only
106	National University	—	87.8%	221	On site
107	CSU East Bay	—	86.8%	83	Board only
108	California Baptist University	BSN	86.6%	187	Board only
109	Unitek College	BSN	86.3%	343	On site
110	Unitek College	BSN	86.3%	343	Board only
111	United Nursing College	—	86.1%	36	Board only
112	CSU Channel Islands	—	86.0%	50	Board only
113	LA Valley College	—	85.7%	63	Board only
114	CSU Northridge	—	85.5%	110	Board only
115	Career Care Institute	—	85.2%	27	Board only
116	Arizona College	—	85.1%	74	Board only
117	San Joaquin Delta College	—	84.6%	117	On site
118	Mount St. Mary's University	BSN	84.1%	201	Board only
119	Palo Verde College	—	83.3%	18	Board only
120	Yuba College	—	83.0%	59	On site
121	College of the Redwoods	—	82.9%	35	Board only
122	Napa Valley College	—	82.5%	40	Board only
123	CNI College	BSN	82.4%	176	Board only
124	Azusa Pacific University	BSN	82.2%	482	Board only
125	San Francisco State University	BSN	81.8%	88	Board only
126	Compton College	—	80.4%	51	Board only
127	Contra Costa College	—	80.0%	30	Board only
128	Chamberlain University, Irwindale	—	79.8%	109	Board only
129	LA City College	—	79.6%	54	Board only
130	Fresno Pacific University	—	79.3%	29	Board only
131	Samuel Merritt University	BSN	79.3%	429	Board only
132	Samuel Merritt University	BSN	79.3%	429	On site
133	Dominican University of California	—	78.2%	124	Board only
134	Fresno City College	—	78.2%	229	On site
135	University of Massachusetts Global (Closed)	—	73.0%	63	Board only
136	Smith Chason College	—	69.8%	63	Board only
137	Charles Drew University	BSN	65.7%	35	Board only

Source: California BRN NCLEX Pass Rates (BRN-approved pre-licensure RN programs). Last verified Oct 1, 2026.

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The pre-licensure programs that lead to the NCLEX-RN. Check each school against the board-reported table above.

Next step in California

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California programs with strong pass rates you can apply to

On-site listings from our directory with first-time pass rates at or near the top of the table. Schools we partner with are listed first. The board-reported table above is ranked by pass rate only.

West Coast University
90.0% first-time RN
See start dates and apply
American Career College
94.8% first-time RN
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Monterey Peninsula College
100.0% first-time RN
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Nursing programs with NCLEX outcomes (California)

Programs that serve California (including online options enrolling residents) with a program-level NCLEX pass rate on record. Includes RN pathway types in our directory. On campus first by default — treat board school rates above as authoritative for licensure outcomes.

Showing 1 of 1 program. Default order: on campus first.

California programs with program-level NCLEX figures — on campus first; click headers to sort

Unitek CollegeBSN	On Campus	83.6%

Program-level figures from the MyNursingSchools directory. Board-reported school rates remain the authoritative licensure source.

Already licensed? Next credentials for California nurses

Pass rates and sticker price are for the first license. Working RNs in California often stack an online RN-to-BSN, then an NP specialty. Online RN-to-BSN options serving California include Walden University at $27,710 listed total tuition in our directory. California is a restricted-practice state: state law requires nurse practitioners to practice under career-long supervision, delegation, or team management by another health provider for at least one element of practice, the most limited of the three AANP practice-environment tiers.

What is the average NCLEX pass rate for California nursing schools?

The average NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate for schools in California is 91.4%, compared to the national average of 86.7%. Display-eligible school rates in our table range from 65.7% to 100.0%. Source: California BRN NCLEX Pass Rates (BRN-approved pre-licensure RN programs).

How do I find nursing schools with high NCLEX pass rates in California?

Use the board-reported table on this page — 137 California board-reported first-time RN rates from cohorts of 10+ candidates. Compare those rates against the state average (91.4%) and the national reference (86.7%). Small cohorts under 10 candidates are excluded because 100% rates from tiny samples are statistically unreliable.

Which programs are included in the NCLEX outcomes table for California?

The primary table lists 137 board-reported first-time RN NCLEX rates (latest year, N≥10): 39 live-directory schools and 98 board-reported names not in our live directory. A secondary directory section may list programs serving California that also publish a program-level figure — treat board data as authoritative for licensure outcomes.

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