Kentucky Community Colleges
Nursing Programs
Compare nursing programs across community colleges in this state. ADN, LPN, and pre-nursing pathways with section counts and transfer details.
14 colleges · 508 sections · 16 unique courses · Fall 2026 · Updated today
Kentucky community colleges are the most popular launchpad into nursing in the state — 14 KCTCS institutions offer the coursework and clinical hours required for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN exam, and many graduates step directly into staff-nurse roles at local hospitals without ever attending a four-year school. The associate degree in nursing (ADN) typically takes two years full-time; LPN programs run 12–18 months.
This term, the 508 sections across these 14 colleges span the full nursing pipeline: pre-nursing prerequisites like anatomy and microbiology, the clinical ADN sequence, and bridge-to-BSN pathways for nurses planning to continue toward a bachelor's. Programs vary in clinical site partnerships, NCLEX pass rates, and waitlist length, so it pays to compare each college's awards-per-year and graduate earnings below before choosing where to apply.
Earnings & outcomes for Nursing graduates
Federal College Scorecard data on what graduates of this program actually earn after completion. Where a school’s cohort is too small to publish, we show the national benchmark for the same field of study.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, per-program (4-digit CIP) data. CIP 5139 — Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants. School cohorts are suppressed by the federal source when fewer than ~30 completers in the reporting cohort.
Colleges offering Nursing
| College | Sections | Courses | Online | Awards/yr | 5-yr earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College | 107 | 8 | 11 | 1118 | $49,428 |
| Gateway Community and Technical College | 48 | 7 | 3 | 693 | — |
| Somerset Community College | 48 | 8 | — | 450 | $46,467 |
| Jefferson Community and Technical College | 45 | 5 | 19 | 748 | $64,438 |
| Owensboro Community and Technical College | 35 | 7 | — | 517 | — |
| West Kentucky Community and Technical College | 34 | 8 | 3 | 666 | — |
| Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College | 33 | 3 | — | 285 | — |
| Maysville Community and Technical College | 32 | 3 | 3 | 376 | $43,119 |
| Hazard Community and Technical College | 27 | 7 | — | 433 | — |
| Henderson Community College | 27 | 7 | — | 176 | — |
| Hopkinsville Community College | 26 | 10 | — | 170 | — |
| Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | 19 | 7 | — | 312 | — |
| Big Sandy Community and Technical College | 14 | 7 | — | 178 | — |
| Ashland Community and Technical College | 13 | 3 | 3 | 600 | $47,125 |
Nursing Availability Snapshot
How nursing sections are being offered across 14 colleges in Kentucky this term (508 sections total).
Delivery format
- in person405 (80%)
- hybrid61 (12%)
- online42 (8%)
When sections meet
- Morning (before noon)196
- Afternoon (noon–5 PM)88
- Evening (5 PM and after)10
- Asynchronous / TBA214
Start dates
Sections begin on 4 distinct dates. 26 late-start more than two weeks after the term's earliest start.
Instructor diversity
Taught by 97 distinct instructors across 14 colleges.
Common Nursing courses
- NSG 211Maternal Newborn Nursing(92 sections)
- NSG 101Nursing Practice I(83 sections)
- NSG 229Medical Surgical Nursing II(69 sections)
- NSG 212Behavioral Health Nursing(60 sections)
- NSG 213Pediatric Nursing(50 sections)
- NSG 239Medical/Surgical Nursing III(49 sections)
- NSG 219Medical Surgical Nursing I(44 sections)
- NSG 236Nursing Three(16 sections)
- NSG 195Transition to ADN(10 sections)
- NSG 206Nursing Two(9 sections)
- NSG 246Nursing Four(9 sections)
- NSG 106Nursing One(8 sections)
Career outlook for Nursing graduates
Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data for the primary career outcome of this program (2024 OEWS release). Compare Kentucky’s typical pay to the national picture before choosing where to study.
Kentucky's typical pay is about 6% below the typical state — common for lower cost-of-living states, but worth weighing against tuition savings.
Wage data reflects all workers in the occupation, not just recent CC graduates — entry-level pay is typically lower. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I become a registered nurse from a community college?
- Yes. An associate degree in nursing (ADN) from any accredited Kentucky community college qualifies you to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam — the same exam BSN graduates take. ADN-prepared RNs work in the same hospitals and earn the same starting wage as BSN-prepared RNs at most Kentucky employers, though some larger health systems prefer or require a BSN within 5 years of hire.
- How long does the nursing program take?
- The ADN is typically a 2-year full-time program (4 semesters of core nursing courses after prerequisites). Most Kentucky community colleges expect students to complete 1–2 semesters of prerequisites — anatomy, physiology, microbiology, English, statistics — before applying to the competitive nursing cohort, so the total time from first enrollment is often 3 years.
- Do nursing credits transfer to a bachelor's program?
- Yes. Every KCTCS ADN program has at least one RN-to-BSN bridge partnership with a four-year university — usually the closest state university. ADN graduates can typically complete the BSN online in 12–18 months while continuing to work as an RN, often with their employer covering tuition.
- What's the demand for nurses in Kentucky?
- Strong and growing. BLS projects RN employment to grow 6% nationally through 2032 — faster than the average occupation — and Kentucky faces the same aging-population pressure driving demand. Most Kentucky ADN graduates have job offers before completing the program; rural hospitals and long-term care facilities offer signing bonuses and tuition forgiveness to recruit RNs.
Compare Nursing programs in other states
Same comparison view, different state systems. Useful if you’re considering an out-of-state community college or just want to see how Kentucky’s nursing programs stack up.
Other programs in Kentucky
Some programs may not be offered at every college — pages render only when the program meets a coverage threshold for the state.