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Last updated: 21 October 2026. Figures as of: BLS OEWS May 2025 (national and state); BLS Employment Projections 2025–35; NCSBN 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics; NCSBN fee notice (posted 21 August 2026); College Board Trends in College Pricing 2025.
Written by WageNorth Editorial. Fact-check: pending human review.
Part 1 of 2: The pay gap, bridge program cost, online options and program approval
In this guide:
- The pay gap, bridge program cost, online options and program approval (this page)
- Costs and funding, the NCLEX-RN and licensure, your first RN job and FAQs
The short answer
An LPN-to-RN (or LVN-to-RN) bridge program lets a licensed practical or vocational nurse earn the education needed to become a registered nurse. Credit is usually given for prior LPN training, which can shorten the route compared with starting from scratch. Most bridges lead to an associate degree in nursing (ADN). Some lead directly to a bachelor’s (BSN). After graduating, you must pass the NCLEX-RN and be licensed by your state board of nursing.
What it can mean for pay (BLS, May 2025):
| LPNs/LVNs | Registered nurses | |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual pay | $64,400 | $97,550 |
| Median hourly | $30.96 | $46.90 |
| Middle 50% range | $59,000–$76,030 | $80,330–$112,350 |
| Projected growth 2025–35 | 3.0% | 5.6% |
The national gap between the two medians is $33,150 a year. It varies widely by state, from about $13,800 in Maine to about $65,200 in Hawaii (Part 2). These are medians across all workers, not a guaranteed raise for any individual.
What a bridge costs
No federal agency publishes an average price for LPN-to-RN programs, so we don’t quote one. Your cost depends mainly on whether the school is public or private and how many credits you still need after credit for your LPN training. For context, the College Board’s average published tuition and fees for 2025–26 were $4,150 a year at public two-year colleges (in-district) and $11,950 at public four-year colleges (in-state).
Add program fees, NCLEX-RN registration ($200 before 1 February 2027, then $350, per NCSBN) and any lost hours if you cut back at work. Funding can offset part of it: the maximum Pell Grant for 2026–27 is $7,395, and up to $5,250 a year of employer educational assistance can be excluded from income (IRS Publication 970). Part 2 has the full checklist.
Who is eligible?
Each school sets its own admission rules. Commonly:
- a current, unencumbered LPN/LVN license (some programs also admit recent graduates awaiting licensure);
- completed prerequisite courses, often anatomy and physiology, microbiology, English and maths;
- a minimum GPA and sometimes an entrance exam;
- some programs ask for LPN work experience. This varies by school, so check the published requirements.
How long does it take?
There’s no official national figure for LPN-to-RN program length. The time depends on how much credit you receive for LPN training, whether prerequisites are already done, and whether you study full- or part-time. Ask each program for a written course plan showing your expected completion date, and look at its published completion rates.
Online options: what “online” really means
Many bridges put the theory coursework online, but becoming an RN requires supervised clinical experience, so expect in-person clinical hours. Before you enrol in an online or hybrid bridge, ask:
- how and where clinical hours are completed, and who arranges the placements;
- whether the program is approved by the board of nursing in the state where you plan to be licensed (see below);
- whether it is accredited by ACEN or CNEA, and what its first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is.
General information, not legal, financial or immigration advice. Rules vary by state/province; check the official source or a licensed professional.
See also
In short: the RN–LPN median gap is $33,150 nationally. Price your bridge from credits needed and fees, expect online coursework but in-person clinicals, and confirm state board approval before you enrol.
Common program types
- LPN-to-ADN (associate degree): the most common bridge, often at community and technical colleges.
- LPN-to-BSN: a longer route that leads directly to a bachelor’s degree.
- Advanced-placement entry: some ADN programs don’t run a separate “bridge” but admit LPNs into a later semester.
- Hybrid or online-theory programs: online coursework with in-person labs and clinical placements.
Approval and accreditation are two different checks
1. State board of nursing approval (essential). Programs that prepare students to take the NCLEX-RN for the first time are pre-licensure programs, and they must be approved by the board of nursing in their state. Check your board’s list of approved programs. If you study in one state and want a license in another, ask the destination board whether it accepts graduates of that program.
2. National nursing accreditation (strongly recommended). The US Department of Education recognises three nursing accreditors:
| Accreditor | Accredits associate degree programs? | Accredits baccalaureate programs? |
|---|---|---|
| ACEN | Yes | Yes |
| NLN CNEA | Yes | Yes |
| CCNE | No | Yes |
For an LPN-to-ADN bridge, look for ACEN or CNEA. For an LPN-to-BSN, any of the three can apply. Accreditation can affect your ability to transfer credit later, for example into an RN-to-BSN program, and some employers and graduate schools look for it.
How to verify in practice
- Find the program on your state board of nursing’s approved list.
- Search the ACEN or CNEA directory (or CCNE for a BSN) for the specific program, not just the college.
- Confirm the college’s institutional accreditation on the US Department of Education’s DAPIP database.
- Ask for the program’s NCLEX-RN pass rates. Many boards publish pass rates by program, and NCSBN publishes national and state totals.
A benchmark for pass rates
In 2025, according to NCSBN, first-time, US-educated candidates passed the NCLEX-RN at these rates:
| Program type | Candidates | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate degree | 89,549 | 77,061 | 86.1% |
| Baccalaureate | 100,258 | 87,814 | 87.6% |
| Diploma | 2,671 | 2,226 | 83.3% |
| All first-time US-educated | 192,916 | 167,272 | 86.7% |
A program whose first-time pass rate is well below these national figures deserves extra questions.
Questions to ask about clinical placements
- Who arranges clinical placements: the school, or you?
- Where are the clinical sites, and how far will you need to travel?
- Can clinical hours be scheduled around your current LPN job?
- Are clinicals at your own workplace allowed, and in what role?
Clinical scheduling is often the deciding factor for working LPNs, so get the answers in writing before you enrol.
See also
In short: check state board approval first, then ACEN or CNEA accreditation and the program’s NCLEX-RN pass rate. The national first-time ADN benchmark in 2025 was 86.1%.
