Nursing decision tools

Free, data-driven tools to help you compare programs, plan your education, and navigate nursing licensure.

Interactive calculators & planners

Decision tool

Nursing pathway planner

Enter your current credentials and goal role to get a personalized degree pathway with estimated timelines and costs.

Financial tool

Nursing program ROI calculator

Estimate how long it takes to recover tuition costs based on your expected starting salary and living expenses.

Licensing tool

Compact state eligibility checker

Instantly check whether your nursing license covers practice in another state under the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).

Data, comparisons & research

Databases and reports that pair well with the tools above — also linked from the site header under Tools & data.

Comparison

Compare nursing programs

Tuition, NCLEX pass rates, accreditation, and flexibility side by side for up to three programs.

Data

NCLEX pass rates by state

First-time pass rates by school and state, with filters to narrow your list.

Rankings

Best NCLEX pass-rate schools

Programs with standout board-exam outcomes — good for shortlisting schools.

Data

Admissions difficulty

Reach, match, and likely programs using acceptance signals and prerequisites.

Rankings

Program flexibility rankings

Evening, weekend, online, and asynchronous options scored in one place.

Reports

Research reports

Original nursing education and workforce reports with cited primary sources.

For methodology and editorial standards, see how we rank and score programs. Situation-specific guides (night classes, weekend programs, financing, and more) are in the same menu.

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