NurseSavvy ranking · Maryland · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Maryland (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 26 RN programs in Maryland 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 Maryland, and what graduates earn a year out.
Notre Dame of Maryland 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 Maryland’s 26 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 Maryland
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 176score
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baccalaureate Degree· 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
- $19,169/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $83,354 1 yr out
- 271score
Chesapeake College
Associate Degree· 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
- $5,106/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 371score
Morgan State University
Baccalaureate Degree· Public
A 95.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.5%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $14,985/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $75,641 1 yr out
- 469score
Frostburg State University
Baccalaureate Degree· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 9 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 9
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $16,715/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $82,617 1 yr out
- 569score
Salisbury University
Baccalaureate Degree· Public
A 94.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94.9%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $17,743/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $76,477 1 yr out
- 668score
Washington Adventist University
Baccalaureate Degree· Private nonprofit
A 92% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 92%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,526/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $85,352 1 yr out
- 768score
Montgomery College
Associate Degree· Public
A 98.1% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98.1%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $8,027/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 866score
Baltimore City Community College
Associate Degree· 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
- $15,987/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $73,091 1 yr out
- 966score
Bowie State University
Baccalaureate Degree· Public
A 95% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $19,298/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,278 1 yr out
- 1066score
Towson University
Baccalaureate Degree· Public
A 91% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $17,413/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $80,344 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 Maryland 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: Frostburg State University (Baccalaureate Degree), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: Hagerstown Community College (Associate Degree), 37% on time.
- Lowest average net price: Carroll Community College, $2,725/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Prince George's Community College, $89,437 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Chesapeake College (#2 overall) and Notre Dame of Maryland University (#1 overall).
How we ranked Maryland’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Maryland 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 Maryland’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 Maryland?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Notre Dame of Maryland University (Baccalaureate Degree) ranks #1 of 26 RN programs in Maryland with a score of 76 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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 MarylandMaryland in one page: 34 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 99,790), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in MarylandNurse practitioners in Maryland earn a median of 131,110 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in MarylandRegistered nurses in Maryland earn a median of 99,790 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.