50 Most Affordable Competitive Colleges for Online RN-BSN Degrees

By BMSN Staff

In this article, we highlight the 50 most affordable competitive colleges offering online RN-BSN degrees, looking at everything from accreditation and the percent of applicants admitted to tuition rates. There is no shortage of schools offering accredited online RN-BSN degree programs, but they are not always affordable. The schools listed below do not exceed an annual tuition rate of $18,500; in fact, 27 schools examined offer annual tuition rates of less than $10,000.

Many of the schools on this list are public universities, which makes the RN-BSN degree programs highly affordable. It is interesting that public universities, while offering budget-friendly tuition rates, maintain a competitive admittance rate comparable to some private institutions. It should also be noted that the majority of schools listed below are ranked with U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 edition of Best Colleges, with over 90 percent of the rankings published. Affordability does not mean a sacrifice in quality academics. In fact, the four most affordable schools on our list, offering tuition rates of less than $5,000 per year for in-state tuition, are also among the most selective, as compared to other public state universities and colleges.

Below are the criteria we used to select the 50 Most Affordable Competitive Colleges for Online RN-BSN Degrees. Seventy-six schools within the United States were reviewed. The selected schools and RN-BSN programs met the following criteria:

Accreditation – All schools examined offered Bachelor’s degrees. A small portion offered graduate-level master’s degrees with bridge programs of RN-MSN trajectories. The focus of this study was to choose accredited schools offering RN-BSN pathways. All schools are accredited by either the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (CCNE). All schools are state-board approved.
Affordability – The most recent tuition rates listed on the school website or by NCES Navigator were reported. Price is subject to change, as per school reporting. Program fees may not be included in tuition price.
Maximum Percent of Applicants Admitted – No more than 60%.

After we evaluated the school and program criteria, we ranked schools in order of affordability based on the most recent tuition price listed on the school website, or as published by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Science, National Center for Education Statistics (College Navigator). The tuition price may not reflect particular program costs and fees; therefore, it is important to contact the college or university directly to obtain the most recent tuition rate.

#50 – Chamberlain College of Nursing – Illinois

Addison, Illinois

#49 – Francis Marion University

Florence, South Carolina

#48 – Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

#47 – AdventHealth University

Orlando, Florida

#46 – Bluefield State College

Bluefield, West Virginia

#45 – SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, New York

#44 – Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona

#43 – University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Little Rock, Arkansas

#42 – Graceland University – Lamoni

Lamoni, Iowa

#41 – Mount Carmel College of Nursing

Columbus, Ohio

#40 – University of Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

#39 – Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Richmond, Virginia

#38 – Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

#37 – Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

#36 – University of Missouri – Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri

#35 – University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York

#34 – Indiana University – East

Richmond, Indiana

#33 – Lander University

Greenwood, South Carolina

#32 – Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

#31 – SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, New York

#30 – Webster University

Saint Louis, Missouri

#29 – Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

#28 – Mississippi University for Women

Columbus, Mississippi

#27 – Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

#26 – Clayton State University

Morrow, Georgia

#25 – Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota

#24 – University of South Carolina – Aiken

Aiken, South Carolina

#23 – The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

#22 – Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Alva, Oklahoma

#21 – The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

#20 – The University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington, Texas

#19 – University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

#18 – Stephen F Austin State University

Nacogdoches, Texas

#17 – University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

#16 – University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Odessa, Texas

#15 – Frostburg State University

Frostburg, Maryland

#14 – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith

Fort Smith, Arkansas

#13 – Southeastern Louisiana University

Hammond, Louisiana

#12 – Nevada State College

Henderson, Nevada

#11 – Florida International University

Miami, Florida