Can You Exclusively Rely on NCLEX Pass Rates When Researching Nursing Programs in California?

No. While NCLEX Pass Rates are a powerful determinant of program quality & rigor, you should consider them alongside other factors such as the program's accreditation status, clinical experience opportunities, cost of attendance, location, etc.

What Nursing School has the Highest NCLEX Pass Rate in California?

Based on the 2022 California NCLEX Pass Rates for BSN programs, the nursing school with the highest NCLEX pass rate is Western Governors University, which recorded 100%.

How Many Times Can You Take the NCLEX in California?

In California, you're allowed to take the NCLEX exam unlimited times- as often as you wish, but you need to wait 45 days between each attempt. You can take the test up to eight times a year.

What is the current pass rate for the NCLEX in California?

As of 2022, the pass rate for the NCLEX-RN exam in California was 84.47%, while the pass rate for the NCLEX-PN was 81.63%.

California NCLEX Pass Rates: State + School Data

In 2022, California’s NCLEX-RN Pass Rate was 84.47% and the NCLEX-PN Pass Rate was 81.63%.

In this article, we break down California NCLEX Pass Rates to understand how the state performed against the national average, and how individual nursing programs did.

Now, let’s delve into the numbers, shall we?

California NCLEX Pass Rates: Statewide Statistics

2022 NCLEX-RN

	No. of Candidates (2022)	Pass Rate (2022)	Pass Rate (2021)	Pass Rate (2020)
California	14,516	84.47%	87.5%	93%
National	188,005	79.90%	82.5%	86.6%

Key Takeaways:

In 2022, California recorded an 84.47% NCLEX-RN Pass Rate statewide vs. a 79.90% National Average.
In 2021, California recorded an 87.5% NCLEX-RN Pass Rate statewide vs. an 82.5% National Average.
In 2020, California recorded a 93% NCLEX-RN Pass Rate statewide vs. an 86.6% National Average.
California’s NCLEX-RN Pass Rate has been steadily declining between 2020 and 2022.
California’s NCLEX-RN Pass Rate has been above the National Average from 2020 through 2022.

2022 NCLEX-PN

	No. of Candidates (2022)	Pass Rate (2022)	Pass Rate (2021)	Pass Rate (2020)
California	8,710	81.63%	72%	77.1%
National	47,635	79.93%	79.6%	83.1%

Key Takeaways:

In 2022, California recorded an 81.63% NCLEX-PN Pass Rate statewide vs. a 79.93% National Average.
In 2021, California recorded a 72% NCLEX-PN Pass Rate statewide vs. a 79.6% National Average.
In 2020, California recorded a 77.1% NCLEX-PN Pass Rate statewide vs. an 83.1% National Average.
California’s NCLEX-PN Pass Rate declined from 2020 through 2021; it then rose from 2021 through 2022.
California’s NCLEX-PN Pass Rate was below the National Average in 2020 and 2021; but above the National Average in 2022.

California NCLEX Pass Rates: Entry Level MSN Programs

Here are the approved Direct Entry/Entry Level MSN programs in California, ranked by the Average NCLEX-RN Pass Rate in the last 4 years.

Rank	Entry Level MSN	No. of Candidates (2022)	Pass Rate (2022)	Average Pass Rate (2019-2022)
1	UC Irvine	21	95.24%	96.66%¹
2	University of San Diego/Hahn	65	96.92%	96.65%
3	University of San Francisco	125	88%	92.76%
4	UC San Francisco	77	87.01%	91.52%
5	Western University of Health Sciences	68	89.71%	91.37%²
6	San Francisco State University	43	86.05%	91.15%
7	UC Los Angeles	71	87.32%	88.88%
8	Charles Drew University	61	80.33%	85.59%
9	Samuel Merritt University	103	80.58%	85.04%
10	California Baptist University	37	83.78%	84.68%
11	UC Davis	48	83.33%	83.43%

¹2020-2022 Average Pass Rate
²2019, 2020, 2022 Average Pass Rate

Key Takeaways:

University of San Diego/Hahn has the highest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among Entry Level MSN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 96.65%.
University of San Diego/Hahn has the highest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among Entry Level MSN Programs, at 96.92%.
UC Davis has the lowest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among Entry Level MSN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 83.43%.
Charles Drew University has the lowest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among Entry Level MSN Programs, at 80.33%.

California NCLEX Pass Rates: BSN Programs

Here are the approved BSN programs in California, ranked by the Average NCLEX-RN Pass Rate in the last 4 years.

Rank	BSN Program	No. of Candidates (2022)	Pass Rate (2022)	Average Pass Rate (2019-2022)
1	CSU Long Beach	143	97.20%	98.77%
2	CSU Bakersfield	61	98.36%	98.14%
3	CSU Stanislaus	105	96.19%	98.06%
4	CSU Fullerton	75	98.67%	98.05%
5	Concordia University Irvine	157	96.18%	97.45%
6	Western Governors University	27	100%	97.39%
7	CSU Sacramento	155	93.55%	96.70%
8	Sonoma State University	42	90.48%	96.23%
9	CSU Chico	83	92.77%	96.22%
10	CSU Los Angeles	95	94.74%	95.90%
11	CSU San Marcos	209	91.87%	95.70%
12	San Diego State University	150	90.67%	94.44%
13	CSU Channel Islands	79	91.14%	94.42%
14	Simpson University	46	91.30%	94.12%
15	Chamberlain College, Rancho Cordova	108	88.89%	93.96%
16	CSU San Bernardino	178	92.13%	92.92%
17	CSU Fresno	122	92.62%	92.68%
18	UC Los Angeles	50	84%	92.05%
19	CSU Northridge	86	84.88%	91.16%¹
20	The Valley Foundation School of Nursing at San Jose State University	119	93.28%	90.35%
21	Samuel Merritt University	433	85.45%	89.46%
22	UC Irvine	42	83.33%	89.26%
23	CSU East Bay	129	80.62%	89.10%
24	University of San Francisco	252	85.32%	88.19%
25	San Francisco State University	60	88.33%	88.07%
26	Loma Linda University	146	79.45%	88.04%
27	West Coast University	2,581	80.58%	87.37%
28	California Baptist University	161	85.09%	87.02%
29	National University	239	79.92%	86.93%
30	Biola University	40	77.50%	86.22%
31	Mount St. Mary’s University	136	77.21%	86.18%
32	Holy Names University	11	90.91%	85.23%
33	Dominican University of California	118	80.51%	85.03%
34	Point Loma Nazarene College	111	89.19%	84.57%
35	Unitek College	151	84.11%	84.11%²
36	Azusa Pacific University	514	80.16%	81.84%
37	American University of Health Sciences	103	75.73%	81.08%
38	Vanguard University	36	66.67%	79.17%¹
39	University of Phoenix at Modesto - LVN to BSN	44	72.73%	76.10%
40	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Concord	50	70%	70.00%²
41	University of Massachusetts Global	27	55.56%	55.56%²

¹2021-2022 Average Pass Rate
²2022 Pass Rate Only

Key Takeaways:

CSU Long Beach has the highest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among BSN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 98.77%.
Western Governors University has the highest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among BSN Programs, at 100%.
University of Phoenix at Modesto - LVN to BSN has the lowest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among BSN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 76.10%.
University of Massachusetts Global has the lowest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among BSN Programs, at 55.56%.

California NCLEX Pass Rates: ADN Programs

Here are the approved ADN programs in California, ranked by the Average NCLEX-RN Pass Rate in the last 4 years.

Rank	ADN/LVN-to-ADN Program	No. of Candidates (2022)	Pass Rate (2022)	Average Pass Rate (2019-2022)
1	Sierra College	63	100%	100.00%
2	Chabot College	33	96.97%	99.24%
3	San Diego City College	63	98.41%	99.22%
4	Grossmont College	70	95.71%	98.93%
5	Gavilan College	21	100%	98.61%
6	Moorpark College	70	97.14%	98.04%
7	Monterey Peninsula College	32	96.88%	97.61%
8	Glendale Community College	76	97.37%	97.53%
9	Victor Valley College	64	96.88%	97.19%
10	LA Harbor College	55	94.55%	97.01%
11	Rio Hondo College	53	98.11%	96.54%
12	Saddleback College	92	96.74%	96.51%
13	Stanbridge University - ADN	84	96.43%	96.48%
14	Mira Costa College	52	92.31%	96.46%
15	Cuesta College	82	97.56%	96.39%
16	Ohlone College	35	100%	96.36%
17	Sacramento City College	67	94.03%	96.21%
18	Los Angeles Pierce College	47	95.74%	95.82%
19	Ventura College	85	94.12%	95.76%
20	College of Marin	39	94.87%	95.74%
21	Bakersfield College	172	93.02%	95.26%
22	Santa Barbara City College	79	91.14%	95.15%
23	Riverside City College	177	96.05%	95.12%
24	Imperial Valley College	28	92.86%	94.99%
25	Hartnell College	38	92.11%	94.90%
26	Evergreen Valley College	81	97.53%	94.69%
27	American River College	52	94.23%	94.49%
28	Mendocino College	31	96.77%	94.14%
29	Mt. San Antonio College	103	94.17%	93.72%
30	El Camino College	77	93.51%	93.53%
31	Merritt College	9	77.78%	93.36%
32	Antelope Valley College	96	90.63%	93.35%
33	Mt. San Jacinto College	44	84.09%	93.20%
34	Santa Rosa Junior College	117	87.18%	93.15%
35	De Anza College	51	86.27%	92.77%
36	College of San Mateo	53	92.45%	92.61%
37	Yuba College	65	96.92%	92.55%
38	Madera College	12	83.33%	91.99%
39	Santa Monica College	71	91.55%	91.96%
40	Chaffey College	41	80.49%	91.94%
41	Pasadena City College	96	89.58%	91.90%
42	City College of San Francisco	83	91.57%	91.89%
43	Shasta College	70	90%	91.80%
44	Modesto Junior College	129	83.72%	91.77%
45	LA County College of Nursing & Allied	87	87.36%	91.75%
46	Pacific Union College	92	90.22%	91.73%
47	Long Beach City College	67	85.07%	91.72%
48	College of the Sequoias	100	87%	91.64%
49	West Hills College Lemoore	51	90.20%	91.58%
50	American Career College	62	88.71%	91.53%
51	LA Valley College	61	90.16%	91.37%
52	College of the Canyons	79	96.20%	91.30%
53	College of the Desert	80	90%	91.08%
54	College of the Redwoods	60	85%	91.08%
55	Golden West College	76	97.37%	90.99%
56	Santa Ana College	87	90.80%	90.92%
57	Marsha Fuerst School of Nursing at Glendale Career College	107	92.52%	90.77%
58	Cerritos College	73	87.67%	90.66%
59	Palomar College	86	86.05%	90.35%
60	Weimar University	12	75%	90.18%
61	Southwestern College	63	88.89%	89.43%
62	Citrus College	30	93.33%	89.21%
63	Copper Mountain College	27	74.07%	89.21%
64	Contra Costa College	36	83.33%	89.08%
65	Napa Valley College	32	71.88%	88.91%
66	LA City College	78	74.36%	88.71%
67	Solano Community College	47	80.85%	88.48%
68	Los Medanos College	36	97.22%	88.33%
69	Butte Community College	125	82.40%	87.96%
70	San Joaquin Valley College	91	91.21%	87.41%
71	Porterville College	30	76.67%	87.22%
72	San Joaquin Delta College	133	81.20%	87.09%
73	Merced College	62	82.26%	87.00%
74	Cypress College	51	78.43%	86.05%
75	California Career College	39	79.49%	85.81%
76	CNI College	208	86.06%	85.62%
77	Allan Hancock College	33	87.88%	84.73%
78	San Bernardino Valley College	114	78.95%	83.48%
79	Compton College	62	79.03%	83.45%¹
80	Xavier College	28	71.43%	83.22%²
81	LA Trade-Tech College	70	82.86%	82.64%
82	Fresno City College	210	75.24%	81.84%
83	LA Southwest College	43	79.07%	80.10%
84	Carrington College	74	83.78%	76.69%
85	Cabrillo College	71	64.79%	75.76%
86	Mission College	33	69.70%	74.53%
87	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Fresno	107	63.55%	73.89%
88	Pacific College	64	73.44%	73.44%³
89	East Los Angeles College	47	76.60%	72.08%
90	Career Care Institute	30	56.67%	69.84%¹
91	Mount St. Mary’s University	103	70.87%	66.40%
92	Unitek College	5	60%	59.93%

¹2020-2022 Average Pass Rate
²2021-2022 Average Pass Rate
³2022 Pass Rate Only

Key Takeaways:

Sierra College has the highest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among ADN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 100%.
Sierra College, Gavilan College, and Shawnee College have the highest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among ADN Programs, at 100%.
Unitek College has the lowest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among ADN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 59.93%.
Career Care Institute has the lowest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among ADN Programs, at 56.67%.

California NCLEX Pass Rates: LVN Programs

Here are the approved LVN programs in California, ranked by the Average NCLEX-RN Pass Rate in the last 4 years.

Rank	LVN Program	No. of Candidates (2022)	Pass Rate (2022)	Average Pass Rate (2019-2022)
1	Annenberg School of Nursing	7	100%	100.00%
2	College of the Siskiyous	12	100%	100.00%¹
3	Imperial Valley College	18	100%	100.00%²
4	North-West College, Anaheim	5	100%	100.00%³
5	Pacific College, Cerritos	2	100%	100.00%⁴
6	Bakersfield Adult School	16	94%	98.50%
7	Sri Sai Krish Institute	39	95%	98.00%
8	Southwestern College	1	100%	97.67%⁵
9	College of Nursing and Technology	18	94%	97.50%
10	Bakersfield College	10	100%	97.25%
11	Allan Hancock College	29	97%	97.00%
12	Stanbridge University, Irvine	159	99%	96.50%
13	Grossmont Health Occupations Center	37	100%	96.50%
14	Riverside City College	37	100%	96.50%
15	Santa Barbara City College	25	96%	96.50%
16	Inland Career Education Center	14	100%	96.00%
17	Cuesta College	N/A	N/A	95.33%⁶
18	Long Beach City College	34	91%	94.50%
19	Xavier College	51	96%	94.25%
20	Antelope Valley College	19	84%	94.00%
21	Gavilan College	16	81%	93.67%¹
22	Citrus College	37	86%	93.50%
23	American Career College, Los Angeles	278	86%	92.50%
24	San Joaquin Valley College, Visalia	42	95%	92.25%
25	Palo Verde College	7	86%	92.25%
26	North Orange County Regional Occupational Program	31	94%	92.00%
27	YWCA Los Angeles Job Corps Center	1	100%	91.67%²
28	Stanbridge University, Los Angeles	46	91%	91.33%⁵
29	Lassen Community College	10	90%	91.25%
30	Pasadena City College	13	77%	91.25%
31	Moriah Medical College	11	91%	91.00%⁴
32	Butte College	24	92%	90.67%¹
33	Rio Hondo College	20	85%	90.50%
34	San Joaquin Valley College, Santa Maria	13	77%	90.50%
35	Tulare Adult School	22	100%	90.50%⁷
36	Lynwood Community Adult School	21	81%	90.25%
37	Medical Career College	10	80%	90.00%³
38	Mission College	26	92%	90.00%
39	Cerro Coso Community College	18	94%	89.67%¹
40	American Career College, Anaheim (Orange County)	238	82%	89.00%
41	College of the Redwoods, Del Norte	1	100%	89.00%
42	Homestead Schools, Inc.	14	79%	88.50%
43	Concorde Career College, San Diego	101	91%	88.25%
44	Hartnell College	32	91%	88.25%
45	Institute of Technology, Modesto	74	91%	88.25%
46	Beaumont Adult School	29	93%	88.00%
47	Ukiah Adult School	N/A	N/A	88.00%⁸
48	Unitek College, South San Francisco	119	79%	88.00%
49	Unitek College, Sacramento	234	80%	88.00%
50	Napa Valley College	2	100%	87.50%
51	Nurses Development Center	3	100%	87.50%³
52	Career Development Institute, Inc	78	81%	87.25%
53	American Career College, Ontario	227	84%	86.75%
54	Clovis Adult Education	43	91%	86.50%
55	College of the Desert	1	100%	86.50%
56	Angeles Institute	44	80%	86.00%
57	Contra Costa Medical Career College	14	86%	86.00%⁴
58	Smith Chason School of Nursing, Los Angeles	55	76%	85.50%
59	College of the Redwoods, Eureka	N/A	N/A	85.00%⁷
60	Quest Nursing Education Center	53	81%	84.00%
61	Allied Medical & Health Services, Inc	6	83%	83.25%
62	Unitek College, Concord	162	81%	82.75%
63	Angeles College, City of Industry	31	90%	82.50%³
64	Unitek College, Hayward	141	74%	82.25%
65	Carrington College, Sacramento	86	86%	82.25%
66	High Desert Medical College, Lancaster	60	78%	82.00%
67	Copper Mountain College	14	64%	81.75%
68	Shasta College	18	78%	81.67%²
69	City College of San Francisco	17	71%	81.50%
70	MiraCosta College	18	94%	81.33%¹
71	Career Care Institute, Lancaster	48	77%	81.25%
72	The Nurse Academy	12	75%	80.50%³
73	Feather River College, Quincy	8	100%	80.33%¹
74	Marian College, Los Angeles	75	75%	80.25%
75	National Career College	53	77%	80.25%
76	Marian College, Van Nuys	38	79%	80.00%
77	Carrington College, San Jose	25	68%	79.50%
78	Fresno Adult School	17	76%	79.50%
79	California Nurses Educational Institute	63	70%	78.75%
80	Concorde Career College, Garden Grove	106	84%	78.75%
81	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Modesto	190	83%	78.50%
82	Sacramento City College	37	81%	78.50%
83	Hacienda La Puente Adult Education, Willow Campus	11	82%	78.25%
84	North-West College, Riverside	37	78%	78.25%
85	North-West College, Long Beach	38	79%	78.00%
86	Professional Medical Careers Institute	51	78%	77.50%
87	Smith Chason School of Nursing, Ontario	45	64%	77.50%
88	North-West College, Van Nuys	37	92%	77.50%
89	Unitek College, Fremont	249	71%	77.50%
90	Merced College	29	76%	77.33%¹
91	Institute of Technology, Clovis	94	85%	77.25%
92	Career Care Institute, Moreno Valley	32	72%	77.25%
93	Charles A. Jones Career and Education Center	22	91%	76.50%
94	North-West College, Pomona	50	80%	76.50%
95	Angeles College, Los Angeles	37	86%	76.00%
96	Career Care Institute, Oxnard	69	59%	76.00%
97	North-West College, West Covina	78	76%	76.00%
98	California Career Institute, Garden Grove	86	83%	75.75%
99	Glendale Career College	51	73%	75.25%
100	Northern California Nursing Academy	8	75%	75.00%⁴
101	LAUSD-Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center	N/A	N/A	74.67%⁶
102	Chaffey College	30	83%	74.50%
103	Concorde Career College, San Bernardino	101	71%	74.50%
104	Community Enhancement Services College	36	83%	73.75%
105	Los Medanos College	27	78%	73.25%
106	Unitek College, Bakersfield	128	70%	73.25%
107	Pacific College, Costa Mesa	123	67%	73.00%
108	Unitek College, San Jose	251	67%	73.00%
109	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, San Mateo	35	80%	72.75%
110	Platt College, Alhambra	19	53%	72.50%
111	San Joaquin Valley College, Bakersfield	71	75%	72.50%
112	Blake Austin College	114	52%	72.00%
113	Concorde Career College, North Hollywood	151	62%	71.75%
114	San Joaquin Valley College, Rancho Mirage	18	83%	71.25%
115	Medical Allied Career Center, Inc	12	50%	69.50%
116	CNI College	19	89%	69.00%
117	High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield	38	63%	69.00%
118	Institute of Technology, Redding	106	69%	69.00%
119	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Concord	225	68%	68.75%
120	El Monte-Rosemead Adult School	N/A	N/A	68.67%⁶
121	Tri-County Regional Occupational Program	19	58%	68.67%
122	Madera Community College	24	75%	68.25%
123	Baldy View Regional Occupational Program	20	80%	67.00%
124	Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Fresno	93	74%	66.75%
125	Visalia Adult School	N/A	N/A	66.67%⁶
126	Downey Adult School	48	73%	65.75%
127	Summit College, El Cajon	17	71%	65.50%³
128	Healthcare Career College	3	67%	65.00%
129	Summit College, San Bernardino	142	63%	64.75%
130	University of Antelope Valley	18	72%	64.00%
131	California Career College, Canoga Park	N/A	N/A	55.67%⁶
132	Integrity College of Health	3	0%	46.25%
133	Southeast California College	7	57%	34.25%

¹2019, 2020, 2022 Average Pass Rate
²2019, 2021, 2022 Average Pass Rate
³2021-2022 Average Pass Rate
⁴2022 Pass Rate Only
⁵2020-2022 Average Pass Rate
⁶2019-2021 Average Pass Rate
⁷2020, 2022 Average Pass Rate
⁸2019, 2021 Average Pass Rate

Key Takeaways:

Annenberg School of Nursing has the highest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among LVN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 100%.
Annenberg School of Nursing, College of the Siskiyous, Imperial Valley College, North-West College Anaheim, Pacific College Cerritos, Southwestern College, Bakersfield College, Grossmont Health Occupations Center, Riverside City College, Inland Career Education Center, YWCA Los Angeles Job Corps Center, Tulare Adult School, College of the Redwoods Del Norte, Napa Valley College, Nurses Development Center, College of the Desert, and Feather River College Quincy have the highest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among LVN Programs, at 100%.
Southeast California College has the lowest average NCLEX Pass Rate in California among LVN Programs between 2019 and 2022, at 34.25%.
Integrity College of Health has the lowest 2022 NCLEX Pass Rate in California among LVN Programs, at 0%.

Data Sources

California BRN NCLEX-RN Pass Rates - First-Time CA Educated Exam Testers
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) 2022 NCLEX Pass Rates Summary Data
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) 2021 report
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) 2020 report

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California NCLEX Pass Rates: Statewide Statistics

2022 NCLEX-RN

Key Takeaways:

2022 NCLEX-PN

Key Takeaways:

California NCLEX Pass Rates: Entry Level MSN Programs

Key Takeaways:

California NCLEX Pass Rates: BSN Programs

Key Takeaways:

California NCLEX Pass Rates: ADN Programs

Key Takeaways:

California NCLEX Pass Rates: LVN Programs

Key Takeaways:

Data Sources

Frequently Asked Questions