AURORA, Colo. (April 2, 2025) – The University of Colorado College of Nursing at Anschutz Medical Campus reported a 96.67% pass rate on the National Council of Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for BS in Nursing test takers. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) reported an average national pass rate of 91.92% for students earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2024. CU Nursing’s scores make it one of the top-performing cohorts in Colorado and the nation.
“I am so proud of our 2024 graduates. This is a wonderful accomplishment and shows their hard work and dedication to starting their nursing career,” CU Nursing Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Program Tammy Spencer, DNP, RN, CNE, ACNS-BC, CCNS, says. “This is a great representation of the support that staff, faculty, and college leadership have for our undergraduate program, as well as the teamwork it takes to make our program successful.”
The NCLEX is a national standardized test that graduates of nursing programs must pass to become a licensed registered nurse. The exam uses nursing knowledge learned in school, testing students on how they use critical thinking to make nursing judgments.
CU Nursing’s pass rates were 96.67% for graduates in both the Accelerated (UCAN) and Traditional (TRAD) pathways. These rates were higher than in 2023, when TRAD graduates scored 93.98 and UCAN graduates scored 95.79. UCAN students have already earned bachelor’s degrees in a field other than nursing and are enrolled in our one-year BS in Nursing program. TRAD students are enrolled in our two-year BS in Nursing program after earning prerequisite credits from a community college or a four-year university.
“Improving our scores is a wonderful accomplishment for CU Nursing and our graduates. Our students work really hard during nursing school, and passing the licensure exam is not easy. However, our faculty prepare our students to become top-tier nurses with the understanding of what it takes to become a registered nurse,” CU Nursing Associate Dean of Academic Programs Kelly Stamp, PhD, NP, RN, CHFN, FAHA, FAAN, says.
CU Nursing has several initiatives to ensure its students are well prepared to take the NCLEX, including providing students with practice exams and questions.
“We want to give our students the tools to succeed in the nursing profession, and we want them to feel prepared when sitting for the exam,” Spencer says. “By preparing our students for the NCLEX, we are equipping them with the knowledge to understand nursing concepts so they can make clinical judgments to ensure safe and compassionate care for patients across Colorado and the US.”
About the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, nursing, medicine, education, and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked independent hospitals - UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado – which see more than two million adult and pediatric patient visits yearly. Innovative, interconnected, and highly collaborative, the CU Anschutz Medical Campus delivers life-changing treatments, patient care, and professional training and conducts world-renowned research fueled by $910 million in annual research funding, including $757 million in sponsored awards and $153 million in philanthropic gifts.
