Nursing Education › Kentucky
Kentucky Nursing Programs

Top Nursing Schools in
Kentucky — 2026

Compare the best BSN, MSN, ADN, and RN programs in Kentucky. Tuition costs, NCLEX pass rates, accreditation, and unique program highlights for prospective nursing students.

7 programs listed BSN · ADN · LPN · MSN Kentucky Board of Nursing Nurse Licensure Compact member

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Nursing Programs in Kentucky

BSN · On-Campus
University of Kentucky
BSN Program — Lexington

UK's College of Nursing is Kentucky's flagship nursing program. Clinical rotations at UK HealthCare expose students to acute, specialty, and critical care, as well as Appalachian community health challenges.

$11,200/yearAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
93%NCLEX Pass
Kentucky's Top-Ranked Nursing School Visit Program →
BSN · On-Campus
Bellarmine University
BSN Program — Louisville

Bellarmine's Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences offers a mission-driven BSN program. Students rotate through Norton Healthcare and UofL Health systems.

$22,000/yearAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
92%NCLEX Pass
Top Private Nursing School in Louisville Visit Program →
BSN · On-Campus
University of Kentucky
BSN Program — Lexington

Flagship research university BSN with UK HealthCare clinical placements

$18,000/yrAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
91%NCLEX Pass
UK Nursing ranked top public program in Kentucky Visit Program →
BSN · On-Campus
University of Louisville
BSN – Traditional — Louisville

Urban research university with extensive Louisville metro clinical network

$16,500/yrAvg Cost
4 yearsLength
90%NCLEX Pass
UofL Nursing serves Kentucky's largest healthcare market Visit Program →
ADN · On-Campus
Jefferson Community and Technical College
ADN Program — Louisville

Largest ADN program in Kentucky within the KCTCS system

$7,000 totalAvg Cost
2 yearsLength
88%NCLEX Pass
JCTC ADN key workforce pipeline for Louisville area hospitals Visit Program →
LPN · On-Campus
Somerset Community College
Practical Nursing — Somerset

Affordable rural Kentucky LPN program with strong community ties

$5,400 totalAvg Cost
12 monthsLength
84%NCLEX Pass
LPN pathway for south-central Kentucky students Visit Program →
MSN · Hybrid
Spalding University
MSN – NP Tracks — Louisville

Catholic university with family NP and psychiatric NP tracks

$21,000/yrAvg Cost
2 yearsLength
N/ANCLEX Pass
Spalding MSN highly regarded in the Louisville healthcare community Visit Program →

About Nursing Programs in Kentucky

Kentucky's healthcare economy centers on Louisville, home to Norton Healthcare and UofL Health, and Lexington, home to UK HealthCare, with Baptist Health and Appalachian Regional Healthcare serving communities across the state. Demand is strong in both urban systems and the rural and Appalachian regions, where access to care remains a priority.

Students can pursue affordable community and technical college ADN programs through the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, BSN degrees at public universities and private institutions, accelerated second-degree options, and RN-to-BSN bridges plus MSN tracks for advanced practice and leadership. The community-college network is a key, economical entry point into nursing statewide.

Licensure is handled by the Kentucky Board of Nursing. Kentucky is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an RN or LPN license issued to a Kentucky resident is a multistate license valid across all compact states — useful for nurses near the Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee borders and for travel work.

Licensing authority: Kentucky Board of Nursing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Kentucky is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. If Kentucky is your primary state of residence, your RN or LPN license is a multistate license valid across all compact states.
Complete a Kentucky Board of Nursing-approved ADN or BSN program, pass the NCLEX-RN, and apply for licensure through the board.
Yes. In addition to the Louisville and Lexington metros, rural and Appalachian communities have significant ongoing demand for nurses, with systems like Appalachian Regional Healthcare serving those areas.
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System offers affordable ADN programs that lead to RN licensure, frequently followed by an employer-supported RN-to-BSN completion.
About two years for an ADN and four for a BSN, with accelerated BSN options finishing in roughly 12 to 18 months for second-degree students.
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