UT Boasts 100 Percent Passage Rate for Nursing Students on Licensure Exam

The University of Tampa recently announced that — for the third year in a row — 100 percent of nursing graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) on the first try.

UT is one of the few Florida schools with a 100 percent first-time passage rate for 2015 graduates. Graduate of all the nursing schools in Florida, which includes BSN and associate’s degree in nursing programs take the NCLEX-RN exam. The 2015 national average of passage for first-time exam takers is approximately 88 percent. Florida schools have a 73 percent passing rate to date.

Forty-six UT graduates took, and passed, the comprehensive examination on the first try, according to Cathy Kessenich, director of the department of nursing.

Kessenich said the program’s rigorous structure, its dedicated faculty and students’ ability to gain real-world experience at a large range of quality health care facilities all contribute to the high passing rate on the NCLEX-RN. The UT Department of Nursing maintains affiliations with more than 250 Tampa Bay-area health care facilities.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing administers the NCLEX-RN used by its 60 member boards to test the entry-level nursing competence of candidates for licensure as registered nurses.

Although UT has offered the RN to BSN and the Master of Science in Nursing degrees for many years, its first class of graduates for the four-year BSN program was 2006. The program first saw a 100 percent pass rate for the class of 2009. The four-year BSN program is designed for students without nursing college credit.

UT’s nursing programs are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. National accreditation establishes that all of the nursing programs offered at UT meet national standards in curriculum, quality and preparation of faculty, teaching and learning resources, and achievement of established learning outcomes.

For more information, contact Kessenich at ckessenich@ut.edu or (813) 257-3160.