A handful of individuals may have read the title of this piece and probably thought to themselves, "How could anyone graduate from an unaccredited nursing program? Are these graduates even able to get a nursing license?"
Many nurses have graduated from non-accredited schools of nursing
When I bring up the word 'unaccredited,' I am referring to the programs that lack national nursing accreditation. The two major entities that nationally accredit nursing programs in the United States and its territories are the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (formerly known as the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The number of private for-profit schools of nursing has proliferated in recent years, and while a few of these programs are nationally accredited by the ACEN or CCNE, many others lack this legitimizing accreditation.
Furthermore, countless nurses graduated from three-year hospital-based diploma nursing programs in years past. Although some of these programs were nationally accredited, a large number were unaccredited. Therefore, many nurses who completed diploma nursing programs in previous generations have encountered frustrating issues when attempting to return to school to earn a BSN or MSN degree. For instance, one of my former instructors earned a hospital-based diploma from the Los Angeles County Medical Center School of Nursing in 1970, but basically had to start from scratch when she wanted to complete a BSN degree in the 1990s.
Are graduates of unaccredited nursing programs even able to get licensed?
YES!
You might be surprised to learn no state board of nursing in the US requires national accreditation from the ACEN or CCNE. In fact, state boards of nursing only require that nursing programs attain approval to operate. In other words, the BON requires approval, but not accreditation. Accreditation is a purely voluntary process that nursing programs undergo to ensure quality and a certain level of standards.
Nurses who have graduated from non-accredited programs may face three significant hurdles in their professional careers. For starters, the Department of Defense (also known as the military), the Veterans Administration, federal prisons, and other entities operated by the US Government will not hire RNs who completed nursing programs that lacked national accreditation. Secondly, some prestigious hospital systems will not hire RNs who graduated from unaccredited schools of nursing.
Finally, transferability of credits is a major issue because a graduate of a non-accredited program who wishes to pursue higher education will be rejected by the vast majority of accredited nursing programs. Most RN-to-BSN completion programs require candidates to have earned an associates degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program. Most BSN-to-MSN progression programs require applicants to possess a BSN degree from a nationally accredited program. Without a nursing degree from a nationally accredited program, most schools will reject your application with the exception of some of the private for-profit entities (Kaplan, ITT Technical Institute, Walden, Chamberlain, etc.).
What if you are a graduate of a non-accredited associate degree program or diploma school of nursing?
Are there any nonprofit, nationally accredited programs that will work with you?
YES!
You do have options. I have listed several nonprofit degree completion programs that have accepted graduates of unaccredited nursing programs. Some of these programs are completely online, others are hybrid, and a few offer purely brick-and-mortar nursing education. Most of these schools of nursing require graduates of unaccredited programs to validate prior learning through challenge exams, competency testing and/or completion of a handful of bridge courses. Also, some of the nursing programs may offer provisional acceptance to graduates of unaccredited programs or review their applications on a case-by-case basis.
Nonprofit RN degree completion programs that accept graduates of unaccredited nursing programs
University of Wisconsin at Green Bay
Indiana Wesleyan University
Lamar University
American Public University
The University of Toledo
Charleston Southern University
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
University of Saint Mary (Kansas)
University of Missouri at Kansas City
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing
University of Central Arkansas
Western Kentucky University
Tarleton State University
Miami University (Ohio)
East Tennessee State University
Missouri Western State University
Valdosta State University
Columbus State University
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Western Governors University (BSN and MSN)
Christian Brothers University
University of Texas at Arlington
