With 98 percent of BSN graduates, both traditional and second degree students, passing the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt, UCF now ranks among the top four percent of 778 BSN programs nationwide. UCF rose in the national rankings, moving up from the top eight percent the previous year. Additionally for the second year in a row, the university ranks no. 2 out of 150 nursing programs in the state of Florida. The high first-time pass rate of UCF graduates far surpasses the state average of 72 percent and the national pass rate of 82 percent.
“Consistently achieving this high mark of excellence speaks to the quality of education offered through our program,” says Dr. Mary Lou Sole, interim dean at the UCF College of Nursing. “I am extremely proud of our faculty members, who are committed to our students’ success, and of our Knight nurses whose dedication to their education and profession is unmatched.”
Dr. Kelly Allred, coordinator of Traditional and Second Degree BSN programs at the college, says, “Passing the NCLEX-RN to become a registered nurse is the goal of nursing school. Our program gives students the knowledge and clinical experiences to not only take on the NCLEX-RN but to excel in their careers. Prospective students should look for programs with high pass rates for their best chance of success.”
The college’s high pass rate for licensure was one of the reasons that recent BSN graduate Leah Morissette selected UCF. “It is an accomplishment and an honor to have graduated from a school that is considered one of the top in the state,” says Morissette who is currently preparing to take the NCLEX-RN. “I feel more than prepared to pass the licensure exam. I feel prepared to be the best nurse I can be. UCF goes above and beyond teaching ‘minimum competency’ and prepared me for my career as an RN.”
Morissette has accepted a position on the Cardiovascular Unit at Florida Hospital in Orlando, pending her passing the NCLEX and obtaining her RN license. She is not the only UCF graduate staying in the state to make a difference in the community. According to the report, 99 percent of the 234 new nurses from the college applied for licensure in Florida.
The NCLEX-RN report is issued by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and analyzed graduate performance on state license exams from April 2014 – March 2015. Graduates of the UCF Traditional BSN and Second Degree BSN programs are eligible to sit for the national licensure exam. The Traditional BSN program is offered at UCF campuses in Cocoa and Daytona Beach, in addition to the main campus in Orlando.