Virginia 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.
18 colleges · 701 sections · 14 unique courses · Fall 2026 · Updated today
Virginia community colleges are the most popular launchpad into nursing in the state — 18 VCCS 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 701 sections across these 18 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 5138 — Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reynolds Community College | 68 | 12 | 2 | 176 | $75,781 |
| Rappahannock Community College | 62 | 11 | 16 | 250 | $35,303 |
| Northern Virginia Community College | 61 | 11 | — | 250 | $81,383 |
| Tidewater Community College | 61 | 11 | 4 | 124 | $73,293 |
| Southside Virginia Community College | 59 | 8 | 4 | 203 | $46,449 |
| Virginia Highlands Community College | 48 | 8 | — | 141 | $73,350 |
| Wytheville Community College | 44 | 6 | — | 73 | $62,245 |
| Laurel Ridge Community College | 42 | 6 | 6 | 171 | $73,312 |
| New River Community College | 41 | 6 | — | 93 | $65,021 |
| Mountain Empire Community College | 35 | 13 | 6 | 102 | $64,330 |
| Piedmont Virginia Community College | 31 | 12 | 8 | 114 | $77,265 |
| Virginia Peninsula Community College | 28 | 12 | 4 | 145 | $72,894 |
| Patrick & Henry Community College | 26 | 11 | — | 48 | $70,042 |
| Blue Ridge Community College | 25 | 6 | — | 128 | — |
| Brightpoint Community College | 24 | 2 | — | 206 | $75,019 |
| Southwest Virginia Community College | 23 | 6 | 2 | 101 | $62,015 |
| Mountain Gateway Community College | 22 | 6 | — | 82 | $68,565 |
| Eastern Shore Community College | 1 | 1 | — | 54 | — |
Nursing Availability Snapshot
How nursing sections are being offered across 18 colleges in Virginia this term (701 sections total).
Delivery format
- in person548 (78%)
- hybrid101 (14%)
- online40 (6%)
- zoom12 (2%)
When sections meet
- Morning (before noon)369
- Afternoon (noon–5 PM)126
- Evening (5 PM and after)16
- Asynchronous / TBA190
Start dates
Sections begin on 15 distinct dates. 27 late-start more than two weeks after the term's earliest start.
Degree requirements by college
Expand a college to see the courses required for graduation. Data sourced from each college's official catalog.
Blue Ridge Community College1 program
Recommended Course Sequence
8 creditsSource: College catalog
Brightpoint Community College4 programs
Camp Community College4 programs
Central Virginia Community College1 program
Please Complete Program Requirements in the Order Listed:
- SDV 101Orientation to Health Professions9 sections
- ENG 111College Composition I36 sections
- BIO 141Human Anatomy and Physiology I20 sections
- HLT 230Principles of Nutrition7 sections
- HLT 143Medical Terminology9 sections
- PSY 200Principles of Psychology9 sections
- PSY 230Developmental Psychology11 sections
- ELEC XXXPre-Allied Health CSC - 20 creditsnot offered
Source: College catalog
Danville Community College3 programs
Eastern Shore Community College4 programs
Germanna Community College4 programs
Laurel Ridge Community College4 programs
Mountain Empire Community College7 programs
Mountain Gateway Community College4 programs
New River Community College5 programs
Northern Virginia Community College1 program
Powered by Modern Campus Catalog™.
Prerequisites:
Total 14 credits
14 creditsSee catalog for course list
1st Semester–LEVEL 1 Nursing
Total 14 credits
14 creditsSee catalog for course list
2nd Semester-LEVEL 2 Nursing
Total 13 credits
13 creditsSee catalog for course list
3rd Semester-LEVEL 3 Nursing
Total 13 credits
13 creditsSee catalog for course list
4th Semester-LEVEL 4 Nursing
Total 13 credits
13 creditsSee catalog for course list
Source: College catalog
Patrick & Henry Community College4 programs
Piedmont Virginia Community College3 programs
Rappahannock Community College7 programs
Reynolds Community College3 programs
Southside Virginia Community College4 programs
Southwest Virginia Community College5 programs
Virginia Highlands Community College2 programs
Virginia Peninsula Community College1 program
Requirements Prior to Nursing Program Application
- ELEC XXXThe following courses must be successfully completed before admittance into the program.not offered
- BIO 141Human Anatomy and Physiology I27 sections
- ENG 111College Composition I67 sections
- MTH 154Quantitative Reasoning34 sections
- PSY 230Developmental Psychology12 sections
- SDV 101Orientation tonot offered
- SDV 100College Success Skills26 sections
- ELEC XXXNOTE: SDV 101 is the preferred course.not offered
Fall 1
Spring 1
Fall 2
Spring 2
Source: College catalog
Virginia Western Community College4 programs
Wytheville Community College2 programs
Common Nursing courses
- NSG 200Health Promotion and Assessment(104 sections)
- NSG 106Competencies for Nursing Practice(101 sections)
- NSG 211Health Care Concepts II(100 sections)
- NSG 210Health Care Concepts I(99 sections)
- NSG 100Introduction to Nursing Concepts(93 sections)
- NSG 170Health/Illness Concepts(50 sections)
- NSG 152Health Care Participant(44 sections)
- NSG 130Professional Nursing Concepts(36 sections)
- NSG 270Nursing Capstone(29 sections)
- NSG 230Advanced Professional Nursing Concepts(14 sections)
- NSG 252Complex Health Care Concepts(14 sections)
- NUR 135Drug Dosage Calculations(12 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 Virginia’s typical pay to the national picture before choosing where to study.
Virginia's typical pay is about 4% above the typical state — a strong sign of healthy local demand.
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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 VCCS 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 Virginia?
- Strong and growing. BLS projects RN employment to grow 6% nationally through 2032 — faster than the average occupation — and Virginia faces the same aging-population pressure driving demand. Most Virginia 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 Virginia’s nursing programs stack up.
Other programs in Virginia
Some programs may not be offered at every college — pages render only when the program meets a coverage threshold for the state.