NurseSavvy ranking · Kansas · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Kansas (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 46 RN programs in Kansas 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 Kansas, and what graduates earn a year out.
Garden City Community College 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 Kansas’s 46 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 Kansas
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 190score
Garden City Community College
Garden CityPN & ADN Programs (1 + 1) — ADN level· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- 96% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $8,244/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $61,593 1 yr out
Start to license: 96 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 275score
Fort Hays State University
HaysBSN Program· Public
A 97.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.4%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,569/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $67,435 1 yr out
- 373score
Coffeyville Community College
CoffeyvillePN & ADN Program (1 + 1) — ADN level· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $4,957/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $62,328 1 yr out
- 473score
Pittsburg State University
PittsburgBSN Program· Public
A 97.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.6%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,784/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $66,243 1 yr out
- 573score
Labette Community College
ParsonsPN & ADN Programs (Bi-Level) — ADN level· Public
A 96.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96.7%
- Students who finish
- 66% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $5,939/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $66,833 1 yr out
Start to license: 64 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 671score
Dodge City Community College
Dodge CityADN Program with LPN opt-out option· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $4,068/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 770score
University of St Mary
LeavenworthBSN Program· Private nonprofit
A 97.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.2%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $22,519/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,349 1 yr out
- 870score
Kansas Wesleyan University
SalinaBSN Program· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $22,671/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 968score
Washburn University
TopekaBSN Program· Public
A 91.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91.2%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,280/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,210 1 yr out
- 1068score
University of Kansas
Kansas CityBSN Program· Public
A 94.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94.5%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,059/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $65,347 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 Kansas 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: Garden City Community College (PN & ADN Programs (1 + 1) — ADN level), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: Garden City Community College (PN & ADN Programs (1 + 1) — ADN level), 96% on time.
- Lowest average net price: Dodge City Community College, $4,068/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Ottawa University, $76,207 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Garden City Community College (#1 overall) and Fort Hays State University (#2 overall).
How we ranked Kansas’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Kansas 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 Kansas’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 Kansas?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Garden City Community College (PN & ADN Programs (1 + 1) — ADN level, Garden City) ranks #1 of 46 RN programs in Kansas with a score of 90 out of 100 and a 100% 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 Kansas 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 Kansas 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 KansasKansas in one page: 45 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 79,320), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in KansasNurse practitioners in Kansas earn a median of 126,650 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in KansasRegistered nurses in Kansas earn a median of 79,320 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.