Pennsylvania, like most of the country, is short of both nurses and nurse educators. The educator shortage is the binding constraint on capacity: the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported that US nursing schools turned away 93,176 qualified applications in 2025, a record, largely for want of faculty, clinical placement sites and classroom space. Institutions across the Commonwealth offer a range of programs leading to an associate degree in nursing.
Graduates of these programs sit the NCLEX-RN and, on passing, are licensed to practice as an RN. Pennsylvania’s ADN cohort passed at 89.2% on first attempt in 2025, above the national ADN figure of 86.1%. Pass rates at individual institutions vary substantially around that average, which is why the Board’s program-level data matters more than the statewide number when you are choosing where to apply.
Course lengths for ADN programs vary and there are options to study both full and part-time. The average course length for an associate degree is two years, although some institutions require a significant number of pre-requisite college-level courses.
2-year nursing programs in Pennsylvania
Delaware County Community College
Delaware County Community College serves an area west of Philadelphia across Delaware and Chester counties. The college awards an Associate in Applied Science on completion of its 71-credit nursing program, delivered at the Marple campus in Media and the Downingtown campus. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) — currently holding continuing accreditation with conditions, which is worth asking the program about directly — and is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
The college offers clinical and laboratory learning experiences, under the supervision of nursing faculty, at a variety of health-care agencies. These experiences provide students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning in direct patient-care situations.
The curriculum is built around preparing students for the NCLEX-RN and for entry-level staff nurse roles across a range of settings.
901 S. Media Line Road
MEDIA, PA 19063
610-359-5181
Website: https://www.dccc.edu/academics/academic-divisions/allied-health-emergency-services-nursing/nursing
Harcum College
Harcum College is a two-year private college in Bryn Mawr, PA. Its nursing program combines general education studies, nursing coursework and supervised clinical experience across a range of healthcare settings. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), with its next scheduled accreditation visit in spring 2028, and is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
The nursing program covers 66 credits, with prerequisite coursework on top of that. Entry is competitive. Graduates are awarded an Associate of Science in Nursing and are eligible to sit the NCLEX-RN. Check Harcum’s current published first-time pass rate against the Board’s 80% threshold before applying, as program-level rates move year to year.
750 Montgomery Avenue
BRYN MAWR, PA 19010
610-526-6129
Website: https://www.harcum.edu/s/1044/edu/majors.aspx?sid=1044&gid=1&pgid=1343
Montgomery County Community College
At Montgomery County Community College nursing students explore an integrated curriculum which incorporates seminar, classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences leading to an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in nursing and eligibility to sit the NCLEX-RN.
Three cohorts are admitted each academic year and students may study full- or part-time, with courses taught year-round. Admission to the clinical component is competitive and turns on prerequisite grades and TEAS results, with places allocated through an intent-to-register and randomization process constrained by clinical site availability. The Dr. Stuart H. and Sandra K. Fine Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and holds full approval status on the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing’s list of approved professional nursing programs.
340 Dekalb Pike
BLUE BELL, PA 19422
215-641-6431
Website: https://www.mc3.edu/academics/areas-of-study/health-sciences/nursing/nursing-aas
Mercyhurst University
Mercyhurst University is a private Catholic university in Erie, in the north-west corner of the state. Its Associate of Science in Nursing runs as either a five-semester, full-time weekday program or an eight-semester part-time program, and requires a minimum of 68 credits. The program was previously delivered at the university’s North East campus; it is now based in Erie.
The program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) — not ACEN — and is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Graduates are eligible to sit the NCLEX-RN.
501 East 38th Street
Erie, PA 16546
814-824-2000
Website: https://www.mercyhurst.edu/academics/nursing-rn
Saint Joseph’s University, Lancaster (formerly Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences)
Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences began as a hospital nursing school more than a century ago and merged into Saint Joseph’s University on January 3, 2024. The Lancaster campus now operates as part of Saint Joseph’s School of Nursing and Allied Health, and the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences name is no longer a separately accredited institution — its Middle States accreditation ended on September 1, 2025. Applicants will find the associate degree nursing program listed under Saint Joseph’s University, and older directory entries under the former name are stale.
The campus offers full-time and extended-track associate degree options, with clinical placements at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. Confirm the current program structure, credit count and accreditation status directly with the university, since both changed through the merger.
850 Greenfield Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-947-6000
Website: https://www.sju.edu/lancaster
Benefits of associate degree programs
The majority of associate degree programs in Pennsylvania are offered by community and technical colleges. These types of institutions have built their reputations around employing faculty with previous working experience that they are able to leverage to benefit the education of their students. Associate degree programs may also enable an earlier entry into the healthcare workforce than bachelor’s programs. This enables graduates to quickly build up their working experience and to offset the cost of their studies while still retaining the option to return to their studies at a later time.
Accreditation and licensing in Pennsylvania
Two separate approvals matter, and they are not interchangeable.
State Board approval is mandatory. No program in Pennsylvania can graduate students who are eligible to sit the NCLEX-RN unless the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing has approved it. Under 49 Pa. Code § 21.31, a professional nursing education program must achieve and maintain a minimum pass rate of 80% for first-time NCLEX-RN candidates in each examination year, which runs from October 1 to September 30. Programs that fall below that threshold are placed on provisional status and given a remediation timetable. Check a program’s current standing on the Board’s approved-programs list before you apply, not on the school’s own marketing pages.
National accreditation is voluntary but expected. For associate degree programs the relevant accreditors 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 — its scope covers baccalaureate, graduate and residency programs only. If a school describes its ADN as CCNE-accredited, that claim is wrong, and it is worth asking what else on the page has not been checked.
In addition to program approval, individual RNs must hold a license to practice in the Commonwealth. ADN graduates obtain one by passing the NCLEX-RN after completing their program.
Pennsylvania is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. The Commonwealth enacted the NLC in 2021 and fully implemented it on July 7, 2025, and Pennsylvania RNs and LPNs whose primary state of residence is Pennsylvania can now apply for a multistate license through the PALS system. Third-party compact rosters are frequently out of date on Pennsylvania for this reason — verify against the Board’s own NLC page rather than a general web search.
Overview of associate degree programs in Pennsylvania
There is a good choice of ADN programs in Pennsylvania and entry to the more popular courses can be very competitive. Specific requirements vary by program and institution but often include significant pre-requisite college-level courses, minimum GPAs, nursing admission tests, and the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). However, an academically demanding admissions process does not guarantee that a particular institution has always performed strongly in preparing graduates for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination. Where educational establishments are finding it difficult to maintain a consistent 80% pass rate for their graduates in the NCLEX-RN examination, there is often a strong drive to raise standards through the admissions process.
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. Eligibility to take the NCLEX-RN and obtain a license to practice as a registered nurse in Pennsylvania follows from the program holding State Board of Nursing approval, whichever of these degree titles it carries. National accreditation from ACEN or NLN CNEA is a separate quality signal that most employers and RN-to-BSN programs will look for.
Choosing an associate degree program in Pennsylvania
Associate degree programs are offered across Pennsylvania by community colleges, technical colleges and private colleges. The number approved at any given time changes as programs open, close or move on and off provisional status, so work from the State Board of Nursing’s current approved-programs list rather than a fixed count published elsewhere.
The first thing to confirm is that the program holds Board approval and is in good standing on the 80% NCLEX-RN threshold. The second is national accreditation from ACEN or NLN CNEA. Once both are established, weigh:
- The type of institution and the quality of the teaching
- Curriculum and educational philosophy
- Prerequisite courses and the admissions process
- Length of the program and whether full-time, part-time or evening tracks are available
- Clinical hours, and which facilities host them
- Program outcomes: NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates against the state and national figures, course completion rates, student satisfaction, and graduate hiring data
- Tuition and additional costs
Pennsylvania NCLEX-RN and pay figures
In 2025, 2,334 first-time US-educated candidates from Pennsylvania associate degree programs sat the NCLEX-RN and 2,082 passed, a first-time pass rate of 89.2%. That is above the national ADN figure of 86.1% and above the national all-degree first-time rate of 86.7% for the same year. Pennsylvania’s baccalaureate cohort passed at 91.1% (4,390 candidates) and its diploma cohort — still substantial in the Commonwealth, unlike most states — at 90.1% (1,010 candidates), for a statewide first-time pass rate of 90.4%.
Registered nurses in Pennsylvania earned a median annual wage of $96,430 as of May 2025, close to the national RN median of $97,550. The 10th percentile was $70,800 and the 90th percentile $117,900, a spread that tracks setting, shift differential and years of experience more than degree type at entry. Nationally, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year.
References
- Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Nurse Licensure Compact. Pennsylvania Department of State.
- Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Board home and approved programs. Pennsylvania Department of State.
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 21 — State Board of Nursing. Pennsylvania Code.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing. 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics, Table 8 (first-time, US-educated candidates by degree type).
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Registered Nurses (29-1141), May 2025.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses, 2025-2035 projections.
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
- NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA).
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 2025-2026 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing.