The Best Online Nursing Programs in 2024

If you’ve ever wanted to go to nursing school, or to further your education as a registered nurse, the time has never been better. Here’s your full guide to the best online nursing programs of 2024, whether you’re looking to become an RN, add on your BSN, advance your career with a master’s in nursing, or go straight to the top with a DNP. 

There are so many types of online nursing degrees and programs it can be overwhelming to choose the one for you. To help you with this decision, we’ve compiled some of the top online nursing programs in 2024. This list takes numerous factors into consideration including:

• Accreditation
• Clinical hour requirements
• Clinical placement assistance
• Cost
• Graduation rate
• Location
• Program length
• Program ranking
• Student-faculty ratio
• Total credit hours

If you have your ADN and are looking to go back to school to earn your BSN, check out these top online RN-to-BSN programs:

If you want to earn your BSN as quickly as possible, for as little money as possible, check out these top 5 fast & affordable online RN-to-BSN programs:

Already have your BSN, or are you ready to jump straight into an MSN program? Here are the top 5 online MSN programs of 2024: 

If cost and program length are your major concerns when looking for an online MSN program, check out these fast & affordable online MSN programs:

>> Show Me Online MSN Programs

Nearly every type of nursing degree can be completed online. However, any type of degree that requires clinical work, such as your initial RN or an NP degree, will require a combination of both online work and in-person clinical work. 

Non-clinical degrees, however, such as MSN administration degrees, can be completed entirely online. Here’s a closer look at each type of nursing degree program you can choose. 

LPN to RN Bridge Programs

LPN to RN bridge programs take you from an LPN to RN. After completing the coursework, you must pass your nursing boards to earn your RN license in your state. If you have your LPN, you can choose to get your RN with an associate’s degree or enter a bridge LPN-BSN program. An LPN-RN with an associate’s degree will take about two years; an LPN-BSN-RN program will take around three to four. 

RN to BSN Bridge Programs

An RN to a BSN program is appropriate for anyone who has already earned their associate’s degree to become an RN and wants to add a bachelor’s degree to their resume. RN-BSN programs are one of the most popular online programs available and can be completed entirely online, since you have already done the clinical nursing portion. 

Accelerated BSN Programs

If you have a bachelor’s degree in another non-nursing field, you are eligible to apply for an accelerated BSN program. You can use an accelerated BSN program to go straight from a non-medical field and earn your RN and BSN all at once, in as little as 12 to 18 months. And although it’s rarer, if you happen to have both your RN and your bachelor’s in another degree, you can also use the accelerated BSN program to earn your BSN. 

>> Show Me Online RN-to-BSN Programs

Direct-entry MSN Programs

Similar to accelerated BSN programs, direct-entry MSN programs let anyone with a bachelor’s degree in another field go straight into earning their RN and MSN all at once. And incredibly, it’s not that much longer of a program than just getting your BSN. A direct-entry MSN program can also be completed in as little as 18 months. Most of these programs don’t actually confer a BSN onto you; instead, you just earn your MSN. 

>> Show Me Online MSN Programs

RN to MSN Programs

If you already have your RN and want your MSN, you can go straight into an online MSN program. You have two options with an RN-MSN program: you can go the accelerated route and go straight from your RN to earning your MSN, skipping right over the bachelor’s part (so you’ll end the program with just your MSN). Or, if you want the whole thing, you can earn your RN-BSN and  master’s degree. 

The accelerated RN to MSN will be faster, requiring a little less coursework. In most cases, the RN-MSN program prepares you for a more non-clinical role, such as in administration, unlike a Master’s degree as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), which we describe in the next section. 

BSN to MSN Programs

If you’re already the proud owner of a BSN and would like to advance on to earning your Master’s of Science in Nursing, you’re in luck: there are a ton of online options for furthering your career. 

If you want a master’s in a clinical role – to become a Nurse Practitioner or a CRNA, for example – your program will be a combination of online work and in-person clinicals. However, the advantage of an online program is that many times, the school will work with you to arrange clinicals locally to your area as opposed to you traveling to on-site locations only near the school. 

Nurse Practitioner (NP) Programs

Many types of online NP programs will prepare you to become a Family Nurse Practitioner, FNP. But there are also specialized NP programs that can prepare you for a specific type of NP, such as a Women’s Health NP or a Geriatric Care NP. In general, the program lengths will be similar, but a specialty program may take a little longer. 

Online NP programs typically take 2-3 years full-time and include online coursework and in-person clinical work. They can be completed part-time as well, although some schools will have caps on how long you can take to finish the program.

>> Show Me Online Nurse Practitioner Programs

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) & Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) Programs

A DNAP program will take three full years, and many schools ask students to only plan on being able to work full-time for one year of those, with the plan to quit employment for the last two intensive years. 

Speaking of your DNP, there are also a few pathways you can take to earn it online. Depending on where you’re at in your educational pathway, you can choose from the following online DNP programs:

• RN-DNP: about 4 years in length (full-time)
• BSN-DNP: about 2-4 years in length
• MSN to DNP: about 1-2 years

​​>> Show Me DNP Programs

Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) Programs

A CNM is an RN who earns a master’s degree in midwifery to care for women during their reproductive years and beyond. A CNM degree will take about two years and includes clinical work that will not be online. 

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Programs

A CNS is similar to an NP but will focus on a clinical specialty at the bedside. NPs often deliver primary care, while a CNS will focus on a hospital specialty in order to deliver specialized care at the bedside. 

To become a CNS, you will follow a similar path as an NP: enroll in a hybrid online master’s in nursing program and choose your CNS specialization. CNS can prescribe medications in a majority of states in the U.S. 

Nurse Educator Programs

A nurse educator is someone who works in an educator role, typically educating other nurses or future nurses. They are the people who will communicate updates to nurses and other healthcare staff at a hospital level, or become a teacher at a university or college to prepare the next generation of nurses. 

Most professor roles require a minimum of a master’s degree, but many nurse educators choose to also earn their DNP as well. These degrees can be completed entirely online. 

>> Show Me Online Nurse Educator Programs

Nurse Administrator Programs

A nurse administrator will work as a manager at a healthcare facility and can choose an MSN degree that is geared towards administration. Typically, these are non-clinical degrees and can be completed entirely online. 

Healthcare Administration Programs

If your goal is to work in healthcare administration, there are other routes you can take outside of just earning your MSN as well. For instance, depending on your goals, you can choose a master’s degree in a related health field or a general master’s degree in business or administration. Some of the common master’s degrees that an RN might choose for a career in healthcare administration include: 

>> Show Me Online Healthcare Administration Programs

Online nursing programs operate in different formats. Some schools may feature live instruction from a teacher that you watch virtually or a later, recorded version, while others may use a virtual classroom with self-paced instructional videos and educational materials like slideshows for presentations that you work through on your own. 

All online nursing school programs will require written work from you in the form of research papers, essays, and online discussion boards to collaborate with your classmates. If your program requires any on-campus days, those will be clearly outlined before you begin. For instance, some online programs require an “immersion” weekend at the beginning of the semester or even halfway through. 

Some programs–like a BSN or a non-clinical MSN or an MPH–can be completed 100% online. Any nursing program that requires clinicals, practicums, or internships, however, will require in-person time as well. 

Depending on your school’s policy, these can be arranged locally for you, or may be required at hospitals or facilities the school already has an arrangement with. It’s important to know the school’s policy for in-person requirements, especially if you are not local to the school. 

The cost of an online nursing program can obviously vary quite a bit, depending on whether you’re choosing an RN-ADN program or heading for a more expensive degree, like a DNP. 

The final cost will also depend on what type of financial aid package you receive, if you can secure any scholarships, and if you have any other type of tuition assistance (for instance, such as if your employer offers any help paying for your degree.)

In general, the costs for online nursing programs are: 

• RN-ADN: $10,000 – $20,000
• RN-BSN: $10,000 – $80,000
• MSN: $30,000 – $65,000
• DNP: bridge programs can cost as little as $17,000, but DNP programs could go as high as several hundred thousand dollars (really)

>> Show Me Online RN-to-BSN Programs

When choosing an online nursing program, the single most important thing you need to do is ensure that the program you pick is accredited. Especially with online programs, accreditation is necessary to ensure that the program you enroll in meets all the requirements you need to graduate and pass any licensing exams you will need. 

Without accreditation, there is no standard that the program has to meet, which means that the education you receive could be subpar and equally as troublesome, not actually giving you what you need to pass an exam at the end. Additionally, if you are using financial aid to attend school, you might not be able to use your entire financial aid package unless you attend an accredited school, so it’s very important. 

You’ll want to look for schools that have at least one of the following accreditations, depending on the specialty you’re choosing:

Overall, if you are interested in pursuing any aspect of nursing, from your RN all the way up to your DNP, know that a large majority of your nursing degree can be completed totally online. And depending on what degree you pick, the entire program can be done 100% online. 

Nursing school has never been easier to complete online, and this nation needs nurses more than ever, so get started today by reaching out to an accredited school to see what type of online nursing programs they offer. 

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