Best Nursing Schools in Tampa, FL Revealed – Full RN Program Scorecard
Tampa Nursing Programs – 2024 NCLEX First-Time Results
Tampa's nursing programs posted a formidable showing in 2024, sending 910 of 984 first-time NCLEX candidates across eight campuses straight into the workforce – an overall success rate of 92.5%. The city's two heavy hitters, University of South Florida (96.6%) and University of Tampa (97.4%), delivered both high volume and elite accuracy.
Private entrants weren't far behind: Arizona College of Nursing and Jersey College each cleared the 93% mark, while Keiser University crossed the 90% threshold on the largest cohort in its system (92). Even Hillsborough Community College, the group's sole two-year provider, kept 86% of its testers on the pass side of the ledger. In short, Tampa supplies hospitals with a deep, diverse pipeline of practice-ready RNs, anchored by flagship universities and reinforced by strong-performing private and community colleges.
| School Name | Exams Delivered | Passed | Failed | Pass Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tampa | 76 | 74 | 2 | 97.37 |
| University of South Florida | 348 | 336 | 12 | 96.55 |
| Arizona College of Nursing | 63 | 59 | 4 | 93.65 |
| Jersey College | 78 | 73 | 5 | 93.59 |
| Keiser University | 92 | 84 | 8 | 91.30 |
| Lincoln Memorial University | 31 | 28 | 3 | 90.32 |
| South University | 41 | 37 | 4 | 90.24 |
| Hillsborough Community College | 255 | 219 | 36 | 85.88 |
| Total (All Tampa Programs) | 984 | 910 | 74 | 92.52 |
Comparing Tampa Nursing Schools to Other Florida City Nursing Schools
| City | Exams Delivered | Passed | Failed | % Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 1,818 | 1,510 | 308 | 83.06% |
| Tampa | 984 | 910 | 74 | 92.48% |
| Orlando | 888 | 818 | 70 | 92.12% |
| Jacksonville | 831 | 762 | 69 | 91.70% |
| Ft. Myers | 696 | 649 | 47 | 93.25% |
| St. Petersburg | 674 | 616 | 58 | 91.39% |
| Pensacola | 517 | 476 | 41 | 92.07% |
| Gainesville | 479 | 461 | 18 | 96.24% |
| Ocala | 511 | 432 | 79 | 84.54% |
| Tallahassee | 475 | 396 | 79 | 83.37% |
| Boyton Beach | 472 | 378 | 94 | 80.08% |
| West Palm Beach | 359 | 326 | 33 | 90.81% |
| Coconut Creek | 389 | 294 | 95 | 75.58% |
| Boca Raton | 342 | 288 | 54 | 84.21% |
| Daytona Beach | 292 | 286 | 6 | 97.95% |
What Jumps Out About Tampa RN Programs
- Big-league volume, elite efficiency. With 984 first-time sittings and 910 passes, Tampa delivers the second-largest cohort of new RNs in Florida and still posts a stellar 92.48% pass rate, easily surpassing the statewide top-15 average of 88.22%.
- Only far smaller Fort Myers edges Tampa in percentage. In short, no other large market balances scale and success this well.
- USF is the engine – yet depth matters. University of South Florida supplies 336 of Tampa's passes, but the city still adds 574 more from Hillsborough Community College, Jersey College, Keiser, Lincoln Memorial, South University, and Arizona College of Nursing. Seven different campuses score 90%+ pass rates, underscoring a broad, not just one school, strength.
- Low attrition keeps hospitals happy. Only 74 first-time failures across nearly a thousand attempts translates to one of the lowest "re-test" burdens in the state, a metric local health systems love when forecasting staffing pipelines.
Best Tampa ADN Programs for 2025
| School Name (ADN) | Exams Delivered | Passed | Failed | % Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey College | 78 | 73 | 5 | 93.59% |
| Keiser University | 51 | 45 | 6 | 88.24% |
| Hillsborough Community College | 255 | 219 | 36 | 85.88% |
| Lincoln Memorial University | 13 | 10 | 3 | 76.92% |
| Total (All Tampa ADN) | 397 | 347 | 50 | 87.42% |
How Tampa ADN Programs Stack Up
| Region | Exams Delivered | Passed | Failed | Pass Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa (all ADN/ASN) | 397 | 347 | 50 | 87.4 |
| Florida statewide (all ADN/ASN) | 9,654 | 8,264 | 1,390 | 85.6 |
- Above-average success. With an aggregate 87% first-time pass rate, Tampa's ADN cohort outperforms the statewide ADN benchmark by roughly five percentage points.
- Large clinical pipeline. Nearly 400 new graduates sat for the NCLEX from Tampa ADN campuses—enough to rival many of Florida's much larger metros for raw RN output.
- Room to grow. While the city beats the state average, Tampa still trails ADN hotspots such as Seminole State (Altamonte Springs, 98%) and Galen College (Gainesville, 99%). Closing that final gap could make Tampa the undisputed leader in Florida associate-level nursing preparation.
Best Tampa BSN Programs for 2025
| School Name | Total Delivered | Total Passed | Total Failed | % Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona College of Nursing | 63 | 59 | 4 | 93.65 |
| Keiser University | 41 | 39 | 2 | 95.12 |
| Lincoln Memorial University | 18 | 18 | 0 | 100.00 |
| South University | 41 | 37 | 4 | 90.24 |
| University of South Florida | 348 | 336 | 12 | 96.55 |
| University of Tampa | 76 | 74 | 2 | 97.37 |
| Total | 587 | 563 | 24 | 95.9 |
How Tampa BSN Programs Stack Up
| Region | Exams Delivered | Passed | Failed | Pass Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa (all BSN) | 587 | 563 | 24 | 95.9 |
| Florida statewide (all BSN) | 4,996 | 4,579 | 417 | 91.7 |
- Top-tier pass-rate: nearly 96%. Tampa's six bachelor's programs outperform the statewide BSN average by ~5.5 percentage points, putting the city firmly in Florida's upper echelon for first-time success.
- Hefty graduate volume. With 587 first-time test-takers in 2024, Tampa generated almost 10 % of every BSN exam delivered in Florida, second only to the giant Orlando–Miami corridors.
- No weak links. Every Tampa BSN campus cleared the 90% mark, and three schools (Lincoln Memorial University, University of Tampa, USF) flirted with, or achieved 97%+.
- Work-force upside. The city's combination of high throughput and industry-beating quality means local hospitals can recruit almost 600 practice-ready RNs per year.
If you'd like to continue your research on available programs in the state, consider heading over to our complete guide of Florida nursing schools. You can also get a complete, detailed list of all Tampa nursing programs.
*Data derived from the latest Florida Board of Nursing metrics.
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