For our 2024 rankings of RN diploma programs, the research team at Nursing Schools Almanac compiled an extensive database of student performance on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Aspiring registered nurses in the United States must pass this examination before they may commence practice. Thus, student performance on the NCLEX-RN exam provides an excellent benchmark for comparing the relative quality of RN diploma programs.
We used our database to calculate each program’s NCLEX-RN pass rate among first-time test-takers. This is the standard program assessment metric reported by the New Jersey Board of Nursing and the test’s administrator, Pearson Vue. Whenever possible, we calculated this first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate over an extensive period of time, typically the past eight years of student performance. We then used this metric to rank all of New Jersey’s RN diploma programs accordingly.
#1: Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing
1600 Haddon Avenue
Camden, NJ 08103
http://www.lourdesnursingschool.org
94.9% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Diploma in Nursing
Average of 64 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2013 through 2020
#2: Holy Name Medical Center Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing
333 Hudson Terrace
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
https://www.holyname.org/schoolofnursing
92.5% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Diploma in Nursing
Average of 48 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2013 through 2020
#3: St. Francis Medical Center School of Nursing
601 Hamilton Avenue
Trenton, NJ 08629
https://www.stfrancismedical.org/education-programs/school-of-nursing
90.9% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Diploma in Nursing
Average of 33 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2013 through 2020
#4: JFK Muhlenberg Snyder School of Nursing
1200 Randolph Road
Plainfield, NJ 07060
https://www.jfkmuhlenbergschools.org
87.4% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Diploma in Nursing
Average of 119 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2013 through 2020
#5: Trinitas School of Nursing
40 West Jersey Street, Third Floor
Elizabeth, NJ 07202
https://www.trinitasschoolofnursing.org
84.6% first-time NCLEX pass rate
Diploma in Nursing
Average of 157 students graduated per year
Data analyzed from 2013 through 2020