Degree from a non-nationally accredited school

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 19, 2015

You could always call local hospital HR departments and ask if they consider or hire candidates that graduate from your program.

There are also quite a few stories on here of people graduating from unaccredited nursing programs and still being able to pursue a BSN or get a job in a hospital. If your school is not CCNE/ACEN accredited, I probably just wouldn't apply to jobs that specify graduating from a program with that accreditation.

labordude, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2015

I'd be less worried about jobs being concerned with the accreditation status of the school than the state you are applying to for licensing. While NY wouldn't be an issue as they are approved by the NY Board of Education, other states require for endorsement that the school be accredited (MA), though some don't seem to care (OH). I would just check the states where you are considering to see if they require graduation from an accredited school. Also, your school will have a decision by Sept 2015 as that is when their candidacy ends. You could always take the risk that they will become accredited and then you'd be fine with anything.

erpeters19, ADN · Mar 20, 2015

nicuguy - Thank you SO much!

I had checked the ACEN website for that information but was apparently looking in the wrong place (I looked under Site Visits, rather than Candidates), so thank you very much for that info. My mind has just been set at ease.

Although I know there will be no definitive answer on their accreditation until Sept, I'm pretty confident they won't have an issue. (Knock on wood!!)

BeachyRN2Be -

I was more concerned with the ability to pursue my BSN/MSN or get a job than I was about obtaining licensing in another state, as I had read earlier this week that since the school is, at miniumum, accredited by the Board of NY taking the licensing test wouldn't be an issue in any state (Massachusetts Nursing License Requirements | MA).

However, that web link for MA does state that there may be specific schools that are on a Not Accepted list, so one would have to check that I guess, to be sure.

Thank you to both for your input!!

(allnurses.com is the best! It is amazing the amount of information I gather on this site!!)

sourapril · Mar 20, 2015

I thought most places just need to see if you have your RN license or not. It may not affect you finding a job but if you want to get higher degrees later the school may require you to have a BSN from an accredited place.

elkpark · Mar 20, 2015

I'd be less worried about jobs being concerned with the accreditation status of the school than the state you are applying to for licensing. While NY wouldn't be an issue as they are approved by the NY Board of Education, other states require for endorsement that the school be accredited (MA), though some don't seem to care (OH).

As far as I know (and I do try to keep up with these things), there is no US state that requires a school have ACEN or CCNE accreditation in order for graduates to be eligible for licensure. Can you provide some documentation that MA requires this? Or did you mean something else about accreditation? (The OP asked specifically about ACEN/CCNE accreditation.)

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2015

There's no state board of nursing in the US that requires nursing programs to be nationally accredited. Accreditation is an extra, purely voluntary step taken by nursing programs to provide assurance that they meet or exceed certain established standards of nursing education.

I graduated from a non-accredited associate degree nursing program of poor repute, yet was able to earn a BSN degree from a regionally accredited school whose nursing programs are CCNE-accredited.

labordude, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2015

As far as I know (and I do try to keep up with these things), there is no US state that requires a school have ACEN or CCNE accreditation in order for graduates to be eligible for licensure. Can you provide some documentation that MA requires this? Or did you mean something else about accreditation? (The OP asked specifically about ACEN/CCNE accreditation.)

There's no state board of nursing in the US that requires nursing programs to be nationally accredited. Accreditation is an extra, purely voluntary step taken by nursing programs to provide assurance that they meet or exceed certain established standards of nursing education.
I graduated from a non-accredited associate degree nursing program of poor repute, yet was able to earn a BSN degree from a regionally accredited school whose nursing programs are CCNE-accredited.

Some states are very specific that they will accept any school if they are accredited by somebody and have an NCLEX registration number. The MA Board of Nursing has several caveats and I did misread it. For APN reciprocity and registration, it does require a national accreditation, but not for RNs. I take back my earlier statement. I do not retract my concern that one should think highly about new or non-ACEN/CCNE accredited schools from a quality and learning standpoint (if I even made that point). Basically if your school can get an NCLEX registration number and be accredited by somebody, even a local body you will most likely be eligible in your home state. It's easiest to do that and then get endorsed than worry about other state's rules. My bad on the misinterpretation.

Here is a link to the MA Board Regulations: https://pcshq.com/?page=Oct2014RegLaws.pdf

One more edit: SOME universities will require accreditation if you want to go into an RN-BSN program and some will not. These are generally looking for the school itself to be accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies. Again, your mileage may vary and 2 of 4 schools I just looked quickly at required it while the other 2 did not.

elkpark · Mar 22, 2015

Some states are very specific that they will accept any school if they are accredited by somebody and have an NCLEX registration number. The MA Board of Nursing has several caveats and I did misread it. For APN reciprocity and registration, it does require a national accreditation, but not for RNs. I take back my earlier statement. I do not retract my concern that one should think highly about new or non-ACEN/CCNE accredited schools from a quality and learning standpoint (if I even made that point). Basically if your school can get an NCLEX registration number and be accredited by somebody, even a local body you will most likely be eligible in your home state. It's easiest to do that and then get endorsed than worry about other state's rules. My bad on the misinterpretation.
Here is a link to the MA Board Regulations: https://pcshq.com/?page=Oct2014RegLaws.pdf
One more edit: SOME universities will require accreditation if you want to go into an RN-BSN program and some will not. These are generally looking for the school itself to be accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies. Again, your mileage may vary and 2 of 4 schools I just looked quickly at required it while the other 2 did not.

I completely agree with you that it is a big mistake to attend a nursing program that lacks ACEN/CCNE accreditation, and I wasn't being critical. I just wanted to clarify whether MA actually requires it for basic licensure, because, if that's the case, I will stop making sweeping statements about no US state requiring ACEN/CCNE accreditation. :) I don't want to be giving out bad information.

Thank you (and kudos) for coming back and clarifying. Most people who post here that their state requires ACEN/CCNE accreditation for licensure, when they are asked further about that, just never respond.