Vermont is the second least-populous state in the country – roughly 650,000 residents spread across a mountainous, rural landscape with a handful of small cities and many communities that depend on critical access hospitals and rural health clinics for care. That scale shapes its nursing education ecosystem: there are fewer programs here than in larger states, but the ones that exist are well-regarded, and Vermont’s compact license membership means graduates have broad interstate practice flexibility from day one. Vermont joined the Nurse Licensure Compact in 2022, adding to a labor market that already attracted nurses from across New England due to University of Vermont Medical Center’s regional reputation. Here is what prospective nursing students need to know about programs, costs, licensing, and careers in Vermont.
| Quick facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Program types available | LPN, ADN, BSN, accelerated BSN, MSN, DNP |
| Average tuition range (in-state) | $14,000–$45,000 depending on program type and institution |
| NLC compact status | Implemented compact member since February 1, 2022 (36th state) |
| 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 92.6% statewide, against 86.7% nationally |
| RN median wage (May 2025) | $97,460 |
| State board of nursing | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Nursing – 89 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Montpelier, VT 05620 |
| Primary nursing accreditors | CCNE, ACEN |
NLC compact membership
Vermont implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact on February 1, 2022, following legislation signed by Governor Phil Scott on June 7, 2021. Vermont was the 36th state to implement the compact. It is a full NLC member, administered nationally by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). RNs and LPNs who hold unencumbered Vermont licenses and maintain Vermont as their primary state of residence can practice in every implemented compact state without obtaining additional state licenses.
As of 2026 the compact has been enacted in 43 jurisdictions and implemented in 40 states. The distinction matters: Massachusetts has passed compact legislation but has not implemented it, so a Vermont multistate license carries no practice privilege there. Michigan, Minnesota, and New York are not compact states at all – compact bills have been introduced in each but never enacted, so a Vermont multistate license does not reach them either.
Vermont’s compact membership is particularly relevant given its geography, and the picture is mixed. New Hampshire, which borders Vermont to the east, is an implemented compact state, so nurses in the Upper Valley can cross the Connecticut River to work at Dartmouth Health facilities on a Vermont multistate license. New York borders Vermont to the west and is not a compact state – compact bills have been introduced in the legislature but never enacted, so nurses working across that line still require a separate New York license. Massachusetts, which borders Vermont to the south, has enacted the compact but has not set an implementation date, so it too requires a separate license for now. Vermont’s compact privilege therefore works best for nurses oriented toward New Hampshire, Maine, and compact states further afield, and does comparatively little for the New York and Massachusetts borders.
A multistate license does not lower the bar for initial licensure. Applicants must still complete an approved nursing education program, pass the NCLEX, and meet all Vermont Office of Professional Regulation requirements.
For a full overview of how compact licensure works across states, see our nursing license by state guide.
Types of nursing programs available
Vermont has a small but accredited set of nursing programs, concentrated at the University of Vermont in Burlington and Vermont State University. The state does not have a large community college ADN network, so students seeking the lowest-cost entry point have fewer options than in larger states.
| Program type | Typical length | Estimated total cost (in-state) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LPN certificate | 12–18 months | $8,000–$15,000 | Vermont State University and vocational programs |
| ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) | 2 years | $25,000–$35,000 | Vermont State University (formerly VTC) |
| BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) | 4 years | $50,000–$80,000 | UVM, Castleton, Norwich; higher cost due to smaller state infrastructure |
| Accelerated BSN | 12–16 months | $40,000–$65,000 | Castleton University; for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree |
| RN-to-BSN bridge | 12–18 months | $15,000–$25,000 | Vermont State University; online-flexible |
| MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) | 2–3 years post-BSN | $30,000–$55,000 | UVM, Norwich |
| DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) | 3–4 years post-BSN | $50,000–$80,000 | UVM |
Vermont’s nursing program landscape is smaller than neighboring states. Students who want the most affordable ADN pathway should evaluate Vermont State University’s programs carefully – and note that Norwich and Castleton, while private, offer scheduling flexibility that may suit working students. For an explanation of the ADN vs BSN decision, see our ADN degree guide.
Nursing programs in Vermont
University of Vermont (Burlington)
UVM’s Department of Nursing is the state’s flagship nursing program. The BSN, MSN, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs are all CCNE-accredited. The 124-credit BSN requires 594 hours of supervised clinical instruction, with placements at UVM Medical Center – the only academic medical center in Vermont and the primary tertiary care facility for Vermont, northern New York, and parts of New Hampshire. UVM’s graduate programs include NP specializations in family, adult-gerontology, neonatal, and psychiatric-mental health practice, plus nursing education and leadership tracks.
UVM Medical Center’s status as a Level I trauma center and a major regional referral hospital means BSN students here get clinical exposure to case complexity that most small-state nursing programs cannot replicate. In-state tuition runs approximately $18,890 per year for undergraduates, making UVM one of the more expensive state flagship schools in the country for Vermont residents – but the clinical environment and CCNE accreditation justify the premium for students targeting specialty or graduate nursing careers.
Vermont State University (Castleton and online)
Vermont State University (VTSU), formed through the merger of Vermont’s state college system including the former Vermont Technical College, offers an ADN program, an LPN certificate, and an RN-to-BSN bridge. The ADN is a 70-credit program, ACEN-accredited, with a career-ladder philosophy that allows students to progress from LPN to ADN to BSN within the same institution. VTSU’s annual tuition is substantially lower than UVM – approximately $14,000 per year for undergraduate students – and over 80% of students receive some form of financial aid.
The RN-to-BSN at VTSU is online-flexible and designed for working nurses, making it a practical option for ADN-prepared RNs already employed in Vermont’s hospital and long-term care sector.
Castleton University (Castleton)
Castleton offers three nursing pathways: a four-year BSN, a three-year accelerated BSN, and a two-year online RN-to-BSN. All are ACEN-accredited. Castleton’s location in southwestern Vermont gives students access to clinical sites in Rutland and the Champlain Valley. The accelerated three-year BSN is particularly appealing to students who want to reach RN licensure faster without committing to a 16-month ABSN post-baccalaureate program.
Norwich University (Northfield)
Norwich offers a traditional BSN, an accelerated BSN, an online BSN, and an MSN – all CCNE-accredited. Norwich’s military-affiliated culture and structured academic environment attract a specific student profile. The accelerated BSN condenses the degree significantly for students who already hold a bachelor’s in another field. Graduate programs include NP and nursing leadership tracks delivered largely online.
Admission requirements
Vermont State University ADN programs typically require a minimum 2.5 GPA on prerequisite science courses – anatomy and physiology I and II, microbiology, statistics. VTSU uses competitive admission with a points-based rubric that weighs GPA, TEAS scores, and healthcare work experience. Applicants with CNA or healthcare aide experience have an advantage.
UVM BSN admission is moderately selective. The program expects a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for the nursing major application, with competitive applicants presenting 3.3 or above on science prerequisites. UVM also evaluates extracurricular healthcare involvement and personal essays. The program admits a relatively small cohort – typically 60–70 students per year – making it meaningfully competitive.
Graduate programs at UVM require an active RN license, a BSN from a CCNE- or ACEN-accredited program, a minimum 3.0 graduate GPA, and a professional goal statement. Some NP tracks have specific clinical hour requirements in the target specialty.
For a complete picture of what programs look for, see our nursing school GPA requirements guide and nursing school prerequisites guide.
Nursing school cost in Vermont
Vermont nursing education costs tend to run higher than the national average for public universities, reflecting the state’s small size and limited public university infrastructure. UVM, despite being a public institution, charges in-state tuition of approximately $18,890 per year – among the higher rates for state flagships in the Northeast. Total cost of attendance including housing in Burlington runs $38,000–$42,000 per year for Vermont residents.
Vermont State University is the more affordable public option. Annual tuition of approximately $14,000 for in-state students makes the VTSU ADN program accessible at roughly $25,000–$35,000 total, including fees and supplies.
Private institutions – Norwich and Castleton – have tuition in the $45,000–$55,000 per year range before scholarships. Both offer merit aid, and Castleton in particular positions its accelerated BSN as a time-to-licensure investment.
Federal FAFSA-based aid, UVM’s institutional grant programs, and Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) grants are the primary financing mechanisms available to Vermont nursing students. UVM reports that approximately 91% of undergraduates receive some form of scholarships or financial aid. For a structured approach to financing your education, see our nursing school FAFSA guide.
RN salary in Vermont
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data for May 2025, the median annual wage for registered nurses in Vermont is $97,460, effectively level with the national RN median of $97,550. Vermont’s percentile spread runs from $77,670 at the 10th percentile to $82,210 at the 25th, $105,210 at the 75th, and $126,100 at the 90th.
That distribution tells a specific story. Vermont’s 10th percentile sits well above the national entry-level floor, so new graduates here start comparatively well. The 90th percentile is the weaker end of the comparison – senior specialty nurses in large metropolitan markets out-earn their Vermont counterparts by a wide margin. Vermont pays a solid, compressed wage rather than a wide one, which suits nurses who plan to stay and disadvantages those chasing top-end specialty pay.
The Burlington–South Burlington metropolitan area, anchored by UVM Medical Center, offers the highest RN salaries in the state. The University of Vermont Medical Center is the dominant healthcare employer, followed by a network of rural hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and long-term care facilities. Vermont’s RN workforce is small in absolute terms, so healthcare systems compete hard for experienced staff.
The table below maps roles onto Vermont’s actual May 2025 percentile spread rather than to national averages. New-graduate figures track the 10th to 25th percentile band, experienced roles the median to 75th, and specialty roles the 75th to 90th.
| Role | Setting | Annual salary (Vermont, May 2025 basis) |
|---|---|---|
| New graduate RN | Hospital, med-surg | $77,670–$82,210 |
| Experienced RN (3–5 years) | Hospital, specialty | $97,460–$105,210 |
| ICU / ED RN | Acute care | $105,210–$126,100 |
| Travel RN (Vermont contract) | Various | Varies by contract; agency rates are set outside OEWS reporting |
| NP (Family) | Primary care / rural health | $127,340–$157,000 (state median $134,740) |
| LPN | Long-term care, clinic | $61,490–$78,230 (state median $69,930) |
Two rows are worth calling out. Vermont’s LPN median of $69,930 runs well above the national LPN median of $64,400, making Vermont one of the stronger LPN wage markets in the country. And the state’s NP median of $134,740 sits above the national NP median of $132,300, so the advanced-practice pathway is where Vermont’s earnings ceiling opens up.
Vermont’s rural healthcare infrastructure creates persistent demand for nurses outside Burlington. Facilities in the Northeast Kingdom – the state’s most rural region – and in communities without nearby hospital access frequently offer competitive packages to attract staff. Nurses willing to work outside Burlington will find a market that values their availability.
NCLEX pass rates
Vermont performs well above the national figure on both nursing licensure exams.
In 2025, 390 first-time, US-educated candidates tested for Vermont RN licensure and 361 passed – a 92.6% pass rate, against a national figure of 86.7%. That places Vermont among the strongest states in the country. The associate-degree cohort passed at 93.9% (215 of 229) and the baccalaureate cohort at 90.7% (146 of 161), so Vermont’s ADN graduates slightly outperformed its BSN graduates. Nationally the pattern runs the other way (BSN 87.6%, ADN 86.1%), which is a useful corrective to the common assumption that a BSN reliably produces better exam outcomes.
Vermont’s NCLEX-PN result is more striking still: 99.4% of first-time candidates passed in 2025 (178 of 179), the highest of any state and far above the national first-time PN figure of 86.6%.
Two caveats on reading these numbers. Vermont’s cohorts are among the smallest in the country – 390 RN candidates against 16,454 in Texas – so a single weak year at one program moves the state figure noticeably, and a state rank here is less stable than in a large state. Vermont’s rules also do not set a numeric performance floor: the Board of Nursing’s administrative rules require that every nursing education program be approved by the Board and accredited by CCNE, NLN CNEA, ACEN, or another Board-approved national accreditor, and program performance is held to the accreditor’s standards rather than to a pass-rate threshold written into state regulation. States such as Virginia, by contrast, write an 80% minimum directly into their code.
That makes program-level diligence worth doing even in a strong state. NCSBN publishes annual pass rate data by jurisdiction, and the Board of Nursing can supply program-level detail. When evaluating any Vermont program, request three-year rolling averages and ask how the program’s rates held up through the Next Generation NCLEX transition, which began in April 2023 and coincided with pass rate movement across many programs nationally. For context on how to interpret these numbers, see our NCLEX pass rates by state guide.
Career outlook
Vermont’s nursing job market is stable and demand-driven. The state has an aging population – Vermont has one of the oldest median ages in the country – generating sustained need for geriatric, home health, and long-term care nursing. Rural healthcare access gaps create persistent shortages in outlying communities. UVM Medical Center, as the state’s only Level I trauma center and academic medical center, drives demand for specialty nurses in Burlington, while critical access hospitals in places like Newport, Morrisville, and St. Johnsbury struggle to maintain staffing.
Vermont’s compact membership, in place since February 2022, has modestly improved nurse recruitment by making interstate movement easier – nurses holding a multistate license from another implemented compact state can work in Vermont without a separate licensure application. That flexibility works in reverse too: Vermont nurses can pursue contracts in New Hampshire, Maine, and the other implemented compact states. It does not extend to New York, which has never enacted the compact, or to Massachusetts, which has enacted it without implementing it.
Nationally, BLS projects 5% RN employment growth between 2024 and 2034, faster than the average across all occupations, with roughly 189,100 openings per year. Most of those openings reflect replacement demand as nurses retire or leave the profession, which is why hiring volume stays strong even where the headline growth rate looks modest. In a state with one of the oldest median ages in the country, that replacement dynamic is more pronounced than average.
For nurses interested in rural shortage areas, Vermont has Health Professional Shortage Areas that qualify for NHSC loan repayment. Rural nursing in Vermont can mean meaningful work in communities with deep healthcare access gaps, backed by financial tools that make it viable.
For admission strategy guidance, see our nursing school acceptance rates guide and how to get into nursing school with a low GPA.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vermont an NLC compact state?
Yes. Vermont implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact on February 1, 2022, after Governor Phil Scott signed the legislation in June 2021. RNs and LPNs with unencumbered Vermont licenses who maintain Vermont as their primary state of residence have multistate practice privileges across all current NLC member states.
Which nursing school in Vermont has the best NCLEX pass rates?
Vermont as a whole posted a 92.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate in 2025, well above the national 86.7%, and its associate-degree cohort (93.9%) edged out its baccalaureate cohort (90.7%). Because Vermont’s total candidate pool is under 400, program-level results swing more than in larger states. Ask each program directly for three-year rolling averages rather than relying on a single year’s figure or on the state average as a proxy for any one school.
How long does it take to become an RN in Vermont?
Vermont State University’s ADN takes approximately two years after prerequisites. A traditional BSN at UVM, Castleton, or Norwich takes four years. Castleton’s accelerated three-year BSN condenses the timeline. Accelerated post-baccalaureate BSN programs run 12–16 months for students who already hold a degree in another field.
What is the average RN salary in Vermont?
BLS OEWS data for May 2025 puts the median annual wage for registered nurses in Vermont at $97,460, essentially level with the national RN median of $97,550. The state range runs from $77,670 at the 10th percentile to $126,100 at the 90th. Burlington-area positions at UVM Medical Center are the highest-paying in the state. Rural and critical access hospital positions may include signing bonuses and loan repayment that improve total compensation beyond the reported wage.
References
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics,” Research Brief Vol. 96, June 2026. Table 8 (first-time, US-educated NCLEX-RN candidates by degree type and jurisdiction) and Table 14 (NCLEX-PN by jurisdiction).
- Administrative Rules of the Vermont Board of Nursing, May 11, 2023, Part 5 (Vermont Nursing Education Programs), Rules 5-1 through 5-5; Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State.
- Vermont Act 64 of 2021 (S.48), enacting the Nurse Licensure Compact, signed June 7, 2021; 26 V.S.A. § 1584.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “Vermont Implements the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC),” February 1, 2022, and NLC implementation status by jurisdiction, 2026.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 29-1141 (Registered Nurses), Vermont state estimates.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 29-2061 (Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses) and SOC 29-1171 (Nurse Practitioners), Vermont state estimates.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Registered Nurses,” employment projections 2024–2034.
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, accredited program directory, and Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, accredited program directory, 2026.
- Health Resources and Services Administration, Health Professional Shortage Area designations and National Health Service Corps loan repayment program eligibility, 2026.