Registered Nurses in New Jersey must complete a minimum of an associate degree from a nursing program approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing and pass the NCLEX-RN licensure examination.
There are approximately 19 ADN programs across the state of New Jersey, delivered primarily by community colleges. Most associate degree programs in the state have a duration of between two and three years, depending upon the institution and the number of pre-requisite courses necessary. Options include traditional daytime studying, flexible evening/weekend programs and there are also some newer formats emerging that feature some online components.
New Jersey is a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state. The Board of Nursing partially implemented the compact in March 2020, recognizing multistate licenses held by nurses resident in other compact states, and moved to full implementation on November 15, 2021. New Jersey nurses who meet the compact’s uniform licensure requirements and hold New Jersey as their primary state of residence can apply for a multistate license, which permits practice in every state where the compact is implemented without applying for a separate license in each one.
2 year nursing programs in New Jersey
Featured programs
Atlantic Cape Community College
Upon successful completion of the 66 credit nursing program at Atlantic Cape, graduates receive an Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS) and are prepared to take the NCLEX-RN examination for state licensure as an RN. The course is designed to be challenging, and students are encouraged to reduce all other time commitments throughout the two-year duration of the program.
Applicants for the nursing program must first be admitted to the college to complete 20 credits of pre-requisite courses and may then apply to begin their 46 credits of nursing education. Admission to the nursing program is competitive and the college applies two separate GPA thresholds: a minimum 3.0 GPA across the prerequisite courses (BIOL 220, ENGL 101, PSYC 101 and SOCL 101, each passed with a C or better) alongside a minimum 2.5 overall undergraduate GPA. Applicants must also submit an ATI TEAS score of 63.0 or higher taken within the previous three years. Atlantic and Cape May County residents are given priority consideration, and applicants from other counties are considered only if seats remain after qualified in-county candidates are placed.
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
5100 E Black Horse Pike
Mays Landing, NJ 08330
609-625-1111
Website: https://atlanticcape.edu/academics/nursing/index.php
Bergen Community College
Bergen Community College offers both a daytime and evening track two-year 66 credit program that leads to an award of Associate in Applied Science (AAS). The day option begins in the fall semester; the evening option begins in the spring semester. The program prepares its graduates for work as an RN by integrating classroom content with both simulated clinical experiences and real-life patient interactions.
Entry to the nursing program is competitive and requires a minimum 2.50 GPA for both tracks. Prerequisites for the day program are Anatomy and Physiology I (BIO-109) and College Chemistry (CHM-112), both with an in-person lab, plus math and English placement testing. The evening track adds Anatomy and Physiology II, both English Composition courses, Developmental Psychology and Sociology before application. Candidates must also sit the college’s nursing program admission exam, the ATI TEAS. Admissions decisions are based on the results of the entrance exam and the broader academic record.
Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination as the education program is fully accredited by ACEN (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing) and approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
400 Paramus Road
Paramus, NJ 07652
201-447-7100
Website: https://bergen.edu/nursing/
County College of Morris
CCM offers an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) which is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit the NCLEX-RN licensure examination.
The professional (clinical) phase runs for four sequential consecutive semesters, which follow the pre-professional phase rather than running alongside it. Before applying for the nursing program, students must first be admitted to the college to complete that pre-professional phase, where they undertake general education and science prerequisites. Once these are underway, students can then apply for the professional phase. Acceptance is competitive, with a minimum 2.5 GPA and a grade of “C” or higher in all courses. Science courses completed seven or more years before application do not carry forward automatically: applicants must either retake them or demonstrate competency through departmental testing.
Nursing students at CCM benefit from a newly renovated nursing laboratory with state-of-the-art patient simulators and up-to-date software including virtual clinical experiences.
214 Center Grove Road
Randolph, NJ 07869
973-328-5000
Website: https://www.ccm.edu/departments/nursing/
Essex County College
Nursing students at Essex County College undertake a comprehensive education program that leads to an award of Associate in Applied Science (AAS). The program is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in hospitals and other healthcare facilities immediately upon graduation. Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to take the certification exam (NCLEX-RN) to become a Registered Nurse. Essex County College’s nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
The nursing program employs state-of-the-art on-campus laboratories, including a nursing simulation laboratory and a multimedia computer laboratory, to assist students in their learning endeavors. Once the program pre-requisite courses have been completed, students are able to complete the 66 credit associate degree program in a two-year period if studying on a full-time basis and taking 13 credits each semester.
303 University Avenue
Newark, NJ 07102
973-877-3000
Website: https://www.essex.edu/nursing/
Ocean County College
At Ocean County College nursing students can embark upon a planned, two-year curriculum of classroom study and clinical experience that prepares them to graduate with an Associate in Applied Science degree (AAS), ready to sit the NCLEX-RN licensure examination and gain employment as a Registered Nurse in New Jersey.
The college offers a traditional nursing program featuring a combination of classroom study and clinical experiences that can be completed in two years. Alongside it, the On-Site/Online Nursing Program lets students attend nursing classes one day or more per week with the remaining academic content delivered through web-assisted instruction, while clinical hours are still completed in person.
A separate Career Mobility Nursing Program, approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing, offers an advanced-placement route into the ADN. Eligibility for that track is not general healthcare experience: it is restricted to Licensed Practical Nurses, so an applicant working as a CNA, medical assistant or technician would apply through the traditional program rather than this one.
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
1 College Drive
Toms River, NJ 08754
732-255-0400
Website: https://www.ocean.edu/areas-of-study/school-of-nursing-and-health-sciences/
Benefits of associate degree programs
Community colleges are known for engaging faculty who have extensive practical knowledge and experience. Students who choose to pursue an associate degree in nursing at a community college will benefit from the real-world foundations of their curriculum.
An associate degree offers a faster track to becoming a licensed Registered Nurse and entering the healthcare workforce than studying for a BSN. It is, therefore, a suitable option for students who would prefer to put their learning into action more quickly with the option to potentially return to their studies at a later date.
New Jersey’s licensure results give that choice some real support. In 2025, first-time, US-educated candidates from New Jersey associate degree programs passed the NCLEX-RN at 88.7% (1,582 of 1,783), ahead of the state’s baccalaureate cohort at 86.4% (1,917 of 2,220) and ahead of the national first-time figure of 86.7%. New Jersey’s diploma programs, which the state still hosts in small numbers, passed at 82.8%. Across all degree types New Jersey’s first-time pass rate was 86.9% (3,951 of 4,549), marginally above the national number. A two-point gap in a single year is not a reason to pick one credential over the other on its own, but it does undercut the common assumption that a BSN produces materially better exam outcomes.
Overview of associate degree programs in New Jersey
Although there are almost 20 ADN programs running across the state, entry to these programs is often highly competitive. Applicants must frequently apply first to the college as a general entry student, with no guarantee of being later accepted into the nursing program. Applicants are asked to complete pre-requisite courses, admissions tests and achieve minimum GPAs.
There are a number of different ways of referring to associate degrees in nursing. These include ADN, for Associate Degree, Nursing; AN, for Associate of Nursing; ASN, for Associate of Science in Nursing; and AAS, for Associate of Applied Science in Nursing. As long as the program is approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing, graduates of all of these types of associate degrees are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination to obtain a license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state.
What New Jersey RNs earn
New Jersey is one of the better-paying states for registered nurses. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data for May 2025 puts the New Jersey median annual RN wage at $106,500, against a national RN median of $97,550. The state’s percentile spread runs from $83,060 at the 10th percentile through $99,710 at the 25th, $127,730 at the 75th, and $135,170 at the 90th.
The 10th percentile figure is worth noting: at $83,060 it sits well below the state median but still within reach of the national median, so even early-career New Jersey RN pay compares reasonably against the national picture. Proximity to the New York and Philadelphia metro markets supports wages at the upper end of the range, though cost of living in the northern counties absorbs much of that premium.
Nationally, BLS projects RN employment growth of 6% between 2025 and 2035, faster than the average across all occupations, with roughly 180,800 openings per year over the decade. Most of that volume is replacement demand as nurses retire or leave the profession rather than net new positions, which is why hiring stays brisk despite a modest-looking growth percentage.
Choosing an associate degree program in New Jersey
With almost 20 ADN programs to choose from across the state, there are plenty of options available. The most important factor in choosing an institution is that the program is approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing, since board approval is what makes graduates eligible to sit the NCLEX-RN. After this has been checked, some of the other factors worth considering include:
- The admissions process and pre-requisites
- Curriculum, educational philosophy and quality of the teaching
- Length and format of program
- Clinical hours and where these take place
- Program outcomes such as the pass rates for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam compared to the state and nationally, student course completion rates, student satisfaction rates, and graduate hiring data
- Tuition and additional costs
Accreditation and approval in New Jersey
Two things are often confused here, and only one of them is mandatory.
Board of Nursing approval is the requirement. The New Jersey Board of Nursing has statutory authority over nursing education programs in the state under N.J.S.A. 45:11-24, with the detailed standards set out in N.J.A.C. 13:37-1. Graduating from a board-approved program is what makes you eligible to apply for licensure and sit the NCLEX-RN. The board also monitors outcomes: under its regulations, a program whose first-time NCLEX pass rate falls below 75% for three successive years is placed on conditional accreditation.
National nursing accreditation is voluntary but valuable. The accreditors that cover ADN programs are the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA). The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) does not accredit associate degree programs at all – it accredits baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs only, so no ADN will ever appear in CCNE’s directory. Accreditation matters most for transfer credit into an RN-to-BSN program and for employers who set a BSN pathway expectation.
Separately from program approval, RNs must obtain an individual license to practice in the state, which is issued by the New Jersey Board of Nursing. ADN graduates obtain that license by passing the NCLEX-RN examination after completing their program of study.
References
- New Jersey Board of Nursing, Division of Consumer Affairs, licensure and program information, njconsumeraffairs.gov/nur.
- N.J.S.A. 45:11-24, authority of the New Jersey Board of Nursing over schools of nursing.
- New Jersey Administrative Code, N.J.A.C. 13:37-1, “Programs in Nursing Education,” including standards for accreditation, conditional accreditation and NCLEX passage rates.
- New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, “Full Implementation of Nurse Licensure Compact Allowing Qualifying NJ Nurses to Obtain a Multistate License,” November 2021.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “New Jersey Implements Nurse Licensure Compact,” 2021, and Nurse Licensure Compact implementation status by jurisdiction.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics,” Research Brief Vol. 96, June 2026, Table 8 (first-time, US-educated NCLEX-RN candidates by degree type and jurisdiction).
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 29-1141 (Registered Nurses), New Jersey state estimates.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Registered Nurses,” employment projections 2025–2035.
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, accredited program directory.
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, “CCNE Accreditation” scope and accredited program directory (baccalaureate and graduate programs).
- Atlantic Cape Community College, “Admission to Nursing Program,” prerequisite GPA, ATI TEAS score requirement and county residency priority, atlanticcape.edu.
- Bergen Community College, Department of Nursing, “Application and Eligibility,” day and evening track prerequisites and minimum GPA, bergen.edu.
- County College of Morris, Department of Nursing, professional phase structure, GPA and science course recency requirements, ccm.edu.
- Ocean County College, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, On-Site/Online Nursing Program and Career Mobility Nursing Program (LPN advanced placement), ocean.edu.