NurseSavvy ranking · Arizona · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Arizona (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 43 RN programs in Arizona that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Arizona, and what graduates earn a year out.
Grand Canyon University comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Arizona’s 43 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Arizona
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 174score
Grand Canyon University
PhoenixBSN· Private nonprofit
A 97.1% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 305 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.1% of 305
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $22,472/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $92,781 1 yr out
- 273score
Grand Canyon University
TucsonBSN-Accelerated· Private nonprofit
A 98% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 50 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98% of 50
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $22,472/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $92,781 1 yr out
- 370score
Grand Canyon University
PhoenixBSN-Accelerated· Private nonprofit
A 94.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 125 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94.4% of 125
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $22,472/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $92,781 1 yr out
- 468score
Grand Canyon University
ChandlerBSN-Accelerated· Private nonprofit
A 92.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 95 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 92.6% of 95
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $22,472/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $92,781 1 yr out
- 567score
University of Arizona
TucsonBSN· Public
A 92.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 288 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 92.7% of 288
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $16,674/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $78,168 1 yr out
- 667score
University of Arizona
GilbertBSN· Public
A 92.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 288 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 92.7% of 288
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $16,674/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $78,168 1 yr out
- 766score
Pima Community College
TucsonADN· Public
A 95.1% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 144 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.1% of 144
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $3,405/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $73,629 1 yr out
- 866score
Grand Canyon University
Sun CityBSN-Accelerated· Private nonprofit
A 90.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 122 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 90.2% of 122
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $22,472/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $92,781 1 yr out
- 965score
Cochise College
Sierra VistaADN
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 32 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 32
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 1064score
Eastern Arizona College
ThatcherADN· Public
A 97.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 71 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.2% of 71
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $9,197/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,074 1 yr out
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Arizona leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Cochise College (ADN), 100% first-time.
- Lowest average net price: Pima Community College, $3,405/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Grand Canyon University, $92,781 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Pima Community College (#7 overall) and Grand Canyon University (#1 overall).
No Arizona RN program in our data has published its own completion rate yet, so every program here scores the completion fill-in.
How we ranked Arizona’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Arizona board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Arizona’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Arizona?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Grand Canyon University (BSN, Phoenix) ranks #1 of 43 RN programs in Arizona with a score of 74 out of 100 and a 97.1% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Arizona nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Arizona board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in ArizonaArizona in one page: 32 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 99,500), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in ArizonaNurse practitioners in Arizona earn a median of 134,420 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in ArizonaRegistered nurses in Arizona earn a median of 99,500 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.