Washington state offers a strong and growing nursing education system anchored by the University of Washington in Seattle and a network of community colleges serving students across the state’s diverse geography – from the urban Puget Sound corridor to rural eastern Washington. The state consistently produces RNs in high demand: Magnet-designated hospital systems in Seattle and Tacoma set a high bar for BSN-prepared nurses, and the healthcare market stretching from Bellingham to Spokane continues to expand. One key licensing fact every prospective Washington nurse should know: Washington is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), and it arrived late. Governor Inslee signed SSB 5499 on April 21, 2023; Phase 1 took effect July 24, 2023, when nurses holding a multistate license from another compact state could begin practicing in Washington. Washington residents could not obtain a Washington multistate license of their own until Phase 2 opened on January 31, 2024, which is the date the compact records as Washington’s implementation.
Types of nursing programs available in Washington
ADN programs (2 years, post-prerequisites) Community and technical colleges across Washington offer ADN programs through the state’s network of 34 community and technical colleges. Shoreline Community College, Tacoma Community College, Spokane Community College, and Clark College in Vancouver all run ACEN-accredited ADN programs. These programs typically require 1–2 semesters of prerequisites before clinical coursework begins.
BSN programs (4 years) The University of Washington School of Nursing is the state’s flagship nursing school. Washington State University’s College of Nursing, Pacific Lutheran University, and Seattle Pacific University all offer CCNE-accredited BSN programs. Because most of Washington’s major hospital systems are Magnet-designated – including UW Medical Center, Providence Swedish, and MultiCare Health System – BSN-prepared nurses face stronger hiring demand in the Seattle-Tacoma metro than ADN-only graduates.
Accelerated BSN (12–18 months) For career changers with existing bachelor’s degrees, accelerated BSN options exist at the University of Washington, Pacific Lutheran University, and Seattle Pacific University. Washington’s ABSN programs are competitive; applicants typically need a GPA of 3.0–3.5 and prerequisite sciences completed within the past five years.
LPN programs LPN programs of 12–18 months are available at community colleges and vocational schools. LPNs in Washington can bridge to RN through LPN-to-ADN programs at several community colleges.
Online and hybrid options RN-to-BSN completion programs are available online through Washington State University and Western Governors University (WGU) for working nurses seeking BSN completion.
Admission requirements
Washington nursing programs share a core prerequisite framework across both ADN and BSN tracks.
Common prerequisites:
| Prerequisite | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| Anatomy & Physiology I & II | With lab; grade of C or better (B preferred) |
| Microbiology | With lab |
| Chemistry | General or introductory chemistry with lab |
| English Composition | Writing-intensive; C or better |
| Psychology | General or developmental |
| Statistics | Required for most BSN programs |
| Nutrition | Required by many programs |
| Human Development | Required by some programs |
Science prerequisites at Washington schools often must be completed within the past five to seven years.
Entrance exams: ATI TEAS is the most widely required entrance exam for Washington nursing programs. HESI A2 is accepted at some institutions. Competitive scores vary: community college ADN programs typically look for scores at or above the 60th–70th percentile; BSN programs at the University of Washington and other universities expect 75th percentile and above. See our guide to nursing school prerequisites by state for a state-by-state comparison.
GPA requirements: Minimum GPA of 2.5–3.0 is common, with competitive applicants to BSN programs presenting 3.3 and above. If your GPA is a concern, review nursing schools that accept lower GPAs for programs with more flexible admissions.
Application timeline: Most Washington programs accept applications on a once- or twice-per-year cycle. ADN programs at community colleges are often impacted – more applicants than seats – and many use a points-based selection process. Apply to multiple programs and plan for a 12–18 month lead time.
Notable nursing schools in Washington
University of Washington School of Nursing – Seattle The UW School of Nursing is CCNE-accredited and ranked among the top nursing schools in the country by US News & World Report. It offers BSN, accelerated BSN, MN, DNP, and PhD programs. Clinical placements run through UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center (the region’s Level I trauma center), and affiliated community health sites. Verify current NCLEX first-attempt pass rates for any program, including this one, against WABON’s published program tables rather than a school’s marketing materials.
Washington State University College of Nursing – Spokane (and statewide) WSU’s nursing college operates a distributed model with campuses in Spokane, Vancouver, Yakima, and the Tri-Cities, as well as an online RN-to-BSN completion program. CCNE-accredited. WSU’s nursing programs serve eastern Washington students who would otherwise face long commutes to Seattle-area institutions.
Pacific Lutheran University Department of Nursing – Tacoma PLU is CCNE-accredited and offers BSN and accelerated BSN programs. Located in Tacoma, it has strong clinical partnerships with MultiCare Health System and CHI Franciscan. Class sizes are smaller than UW, which some students find a better fit for close faculty mentorship.
Tacoma Community College Nursing Program – Tacoma TCC’s ADN program is ACEN-accredited and well-regarded in the South Sound. Competitive admission; the program uses a points-based selection process. Strong NCLEX pass rates and clinical placements throughout the MultiCare and CHI Franciscan networks.
Shoreline Community College Nursing Program – Shoreline Shoreline’s ADN program is a common entry point for students in the North Seattle area. ACEN-accredited. ADN admission is competitive and uses a point-based system. Graduates enter RN practice and often bridge to BSN completion online.
Spokane Community College Nursing Program – Spokane SCC’s ADN program serves eastern Washington students in the Spokane area. ACEN-accredited with consistent NCLEX performance. Spokane’s growing healthcare market – anchored by Providence Sacred Heart and MultiCare Deaconess – provides strong clinical placement for students.
NCLEX pass rates and licensing
The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) oversees RN and LPN licensure. In 2025, first-time US-educated candidates from Washington programs passed the NCLEX-RN at 84.9% (2,599 of 3,062), against a national first-time US-educated rate of 86.7% (NCSBN, 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics). Washington sat 1.8 points below the national figure that year, so the state is a slightly weaker NCLEX performer than its reputation suggests.
The degree-type split undercuts a common assumption. Washington’s associate-degree candidates passed at 84.6% and its baccalaureate candidates at 85.2%, a gap of just 0.6 points and far narrower than the multi-point BSN advantage that program marketing often implies. Washington’s NCLEX-PN result was considerably stronger: 90.6% of first-time US-educated PN candidates passed, against a national PN rate of 86.6%.
Note that Washington sets no numeric NCLEX pass-rate floor in regulation. WAC 246-840-500 through 246-840-583 govern program approval through curriculum, faculty qualifications, clinical ratios, and accreditation requirements, but unlike Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, all of which write an 80% first-time pass rate into rule, Washington’s administrative code contains no percentage threshold a program must clear. That places the burden of scrutiny on you rather than on the regulator. Compare programs using WABON’s published pass rate data and see NCLEX pass rates by nursing school for additional detail. For preparation strategies, see NCLEX first-attempt strategy.
Compact status: Washington is an NLC member state, implemented January 31, 2024. A Washington RN license issued as a multistate license is valid for practice in the other implemented compact jurisdictions. If you hold a multistate license from another compact state and move to Washington, that license covers practice here under standard NLC rules. Confirm your license type with WABON, since a Washington multistate license requires Washington to be your primary state of residence; a Washington-licensed nurse living in Oregon holds a single-state license only.
One regional caveat matters more here than anywhere else in the country. Oregon is not a compact state and has taken no action to join. A compact bill was introduced in 2025 and did not pass, leaving Oregon alongside California and Nevada as the three states outside the compact entirely. A Washington multistate license therefore does nothing for you in Portland. Nurses working the Vancouver–Portland corridor need a separate Oregon license by endorsement, and the same applies in reverse. Idaho, by contrast, has been an implemented compact state since January 19, 2018, so the Spokane–Coeur d’Alene market is covered. As of 2026, 43 jurisdictions have enacted the compact and 40 states have implemented it. For license portability details, see nursing license requirements by state.
To apply for RN licensure in Washington, submit through WABON’s online portal at doh.wa.gov. Requirements include nursing program completion, NCLEX-RN via Pearson VUE, and a background check.
Salary and job market
Washington is one of the best-paying states in the country for registered nurses. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 put the Washington RN median annual wage at $124,200, roughly $26,650 above the national RN median of $97,550. The state percentile spread runs $89,630 at the 10th percentile, $103,100 at the 25th, $134,240 at the 75th, and $161,910 at the 90th, so even entry-level Washington RN pay sits close to the national median.
Washington LPNs earn a median of $83,150 (SOC 29-2061, May 2025), well above the national LPN median of $64,400. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro ranks among the top metros for RN compensation nationally, though the region’s housing costs absorb a substantial share of that premium, so compare offers against local rent rather than against the national wage.
| Career stage | Approximate Washington RN wage | Percentile basis |
|---|---|---|
| New graduate RN | $89,630–$103,100 | 10th to 25th |
| Established RN (3–5 years) | $103,100–$124,200 | 25th to median |
| Experienced / specialty RN | $124,200–$134,240 | Median to 75th |
| Senior, charge, or high-acuity specialty RN | $134,240–$161,910 | 75th to 90th |
Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025 Washington percentiles for SOC 29-1141 mapped onto typical career stages; they are wage distribution points rather than employer-published salary bands.
Major healthcare employers in Washington:
- UW Medicine – University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, and community clinics. The premier academic medical employer in the state.
- Providence Health & Services – Large regional system operating Swedish Medical Center and Providence hospitals across western Washington and Spokane
- MultiCare Health System – Tacoma-based system with hospitals across Pierce, King, Thurston, and Yakima counties, including Tacoma General and Good Samaritan
- CHI Franciscan (now Virginia Mason Franciscan Health) – Operates St. Joseph Medical Center and other facilities in the South Sound
Washington’s Magnet hospital concentration in the Seattle-Tacoma corridor means BSN-prepared nurses are preferred in many acute care hiring decisions. New grad RN programs at these systems are competitive – strong NCLEX preparation and demonstrated clinical competency are essential.
Nationally, BLS projects RN employment to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 189,100 openings per year over the decade. Most of those openings come from replacing nurses who retire or leave the occupation rather than from net new positions, which is why hiring volume stays high even though the percentage growth looks modest. Washington’s demand is supported by population growth in the Puget Sound region and persistent rural workforce shortages in eastern Washington.
How to choose the right program
BSN preference in Washington’s major markets: Because Magnet-designated hospital systems dominate hiring in Seattle and Tacoma, a BSN confers a meaningful hiring advantage. ADN graduates can address this through online RN-to-BSN completion, but BSN-prepared new grads enter with a competitive edge.
NCLEX pass rates: Use WABON-published data to compare programs. Because Washington sets no regulatory pass-rate floor, treat the 80% threshold that Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia write into their rules as a reasonable minimum, and read a program’s rate against the 2025 state figure of 84.9% rather than against a national benchmark. Ask for three-year figures, since a single small cohort can swing an annual rate several points.
Accreditation: All programs considered should carry ACEN (ADN programs) or CCNE (BSN and above) accreditation. Accreditation affects employer recognition, RN-to-BSN transfer acceptance, and financial aid eligibility.
Geographic fit: Washington’s geography matters. If you’re in eastern Washington, WSU’s Spokane or Yakima campuses and Spokane Community College serve that market. Western Washington has significantly more options in the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia triangle.
Cost: Community college ADN programs in Washington are subsidized through the state’s community college system and are significantly less expensive than private university BSN programs. RN-to-BSN completion online is a cost-effective bridge. For a full cost-benefit analysis, see is nursing school worth the debt?.
For a full framework on choosing a program, see how to choose a nursing school.
References
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics,” Research Brief Vol. 96, June 2026 (Table 8, first-time US-educated candidates by jurisdiction; Table 14, NCLEX-PN by jurisdiction).
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “Nurse Licensure Compact: Implementation Status by Jurisdiction,” NurseCompact.com, accessed July 2026.
- Washington State Board of Nursing, “Implementation of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC),” nursing.wa.gov, 2023.
- Washington State Legislature, Substitute Senate Bill 5499, Multistate Nurse Licensure Compact, signed April 21, 2023.
- Washington Administrative Code, Chapter 246-840 WAC, Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, sections 246-840-500 through 246-840-583 (nursing education program approval standards).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, “Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141),” Washington state estimates, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, “Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (SOC 29-2061),” Washington state estimates, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Registered Nurses,” employment projections 2024–2034.
- Washington State Board of Nursing, “Approved Nursing Education Programs” and program NCLEX pass rate tables, nursing.wa.gov, accessed July 2026.
Next steps
- Apply for RN licensure through WABON at doh.wa.gov after completing your nursing program.
- Register for NCLEX-RN through Pearson VUE once you receive Authorization to Test (ATT).
- Plan your license strategy carefully – Washington is an NLC compact state, so confirm whether you qualify for a multistate license if you intend to work across state lines.
- Review nursing school prerequisites by state to compare Washington program entry requirements against other states you may be considering.