Nursing Graduates Again Top State Average in Professional Licensing Exams

December 2, 2020

The 2020 graduating class from Hudson Valley Community College's Nursing program again ranked among the best in the state. Nearly 94 percent of Hudson Valley graduates passed the recent National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) for the first three quarters of 2020. The national average pass rate for the licensing exam was 83 percent.

The RN program also was listed seventh in New York State with RegisteredNursing.org - a nursing advocacy organization, which uses NCLEX pass rates over the past five years to rank the state’s Nursing programs. Program data was for 2015-2019 and reviewed 101 Nursing programs from colleges and universities around the state.

"Our Nursing program has an outstanding reputation, not just in the Capital Region but around the state," said President Roger A. Ramsammy. "That is proven by our consistently excellent results in the national licensing exam."

Among 2020 graduates who were allowed to test early to assist with the spring COVID-19 outbreak in New York State, 68 out 69 students (98.5 percent) passed on their first attempt. Overall, 75 out of the 80 graduates (93.7 percent) who took the test this spring passed on their first try.

The results were a continuation of success for the program, which is well respected in the region and beyond. In 2019, the pass rate was 96.1 percent; 2018 was 100 percent and, 2107 was 91.8 percent. The program consistently ranks among the state’s best in preparing students for the rigorous NCLEX. In 2020, the first-time NCLEX pass rate was 84.9 percent for New York State.

In 2019, the college added a One Year Advanced Placement Nursing option for students who already had a significant amount of credits toward a Nursing degree. That program continues to run alongside the more traditional two-year full-time and four-year part-time options for the associate degree.