Online nursing education means earning your nursing degree through coursework you complete online, with any required hands-on hours arranged in a location that is convenient for you. For licensed RNs, that often means a bachelor’s completion program like an online RN to BSN program. In this article, we walk you through how online nursing programs work, what to check before you enroll, and the questions nurses ask most.
Not everyone can attend classes in person. You might be working full time, caring for family, or living too far from campus for the commute to make sense. Online courses for nursing are a practical alternative to classroom learning, and they give nurses who are already practicing a way to build on what they know.
More nurses are earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In NCSBN’s 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey, the share of RNs first prepared with a BSN rose from 39% in 2015 to 46% in 2024. Enrollment in RN to BSN programs turned upward too, rising 2.0% to 92,447 students in 2025–2026 after five straight years of decline, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Online study is now routine across higher education. Nearly 5 million students were enrolled exclusively in distance education courses in fall 2023, per the National Center for Education Statistics.
What Is Online Nursing Education?
Online nursing education delivers your coursework, lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments through a learning platform you can reach from anywhere. Nursing is a hands-on profession, so nearly every program pairs that online coursework with in-person hours. For pre-licensure students, that means clinical rotations. For licensed RNs completing a BSN, it usually means a community health experience.
Programs also differ in how much sits online. Some are fully online, except for required practice hours. Others are hybrid, with scheduled days on campus. Ask any program you’re considering exactly what you’ll do online and what you’ll do in person.
Online coursework itself comes in two formats. Asynchronous classes let you work through lectures and assignments on your own schedule, within set deadlines, while synchronous classes meet live at scheduled times. Many programs blend both, so ask how each course you’ll take is delivered.
Online Nursing Degrees You Can Earn
Online nursing programs exist at nearly every degree level. The right fit depends on your license and the credits you already have. At WCU, we list every option on our online programs page:
- RN to BSN—a bachelor’s completion program for licensed RNs. It builds on the associate degree or diploma you already hold rather than starting you over.
- RN to MSN and MSN—graduate study for licensed RNs. Our RN to MSN and MSN programs offer six specialization tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care, Psychiatric-Mental Health, Nurse Educator, and Nurse Leader.
- Doctor of Nursing Practice—a practice doctorate for nurses working at the highest level of clinical practice, systems leadership, or evidence-based practice.
- Post-master’s certificates—added specialization for nurses who already hold an MSN.
Every one of these is built for nurses who already hold a license. If you’re not licensed yet, start with a pre-licensure program; those require in-person clinical rotations that can’t be completed online.
Compelling Benefits of Online Nursing Education
Nurses are busy people with full-time work. The keys to succeeding in the rigorous and demanding online nursing courses are allocating time, careful planning, and staying organized. There are many benefits of committing to an online nursing program. Check out these eight reasons why students today are choosing to study nursing online:
- Flexibility. Advances in online learning allow students to attend classes anywhere or anytime, making higher education available to more people than ever before. If you’re a single parent with no childcare or you need to work full time and schedule classes around your job, today’s online learning capabilities ensure that there are fewer barriers. The discipline you exhibit by balancing several commitments, is the same discipline you’ll draw on throughout your program.
- A more active role in your own learning. Advances in technology have enabled students to take a more active role in their own learning, employing technology in new ways to gather information and shape their learning experience. Students who learn this way tend to become more invested in the outcome and consequently retain more information.
- Convenience and flexibility. The primary benefit of online learning is convenience and flexibility. Online nursing programs let you set your own schedule. For students who are trying to balance a family, career, and other commitments, it offers the opportunity to earn a degree without sacrificing their other interests and obligations. It also helps people living in rural areas, for whom the distance and time to travel to an institution to pursue a course may be unrealistic.
- Coursework that connects to your practice. Assignments in an online nursing program often ask you to apply evidence-based practice to situations you’re already seeing at work. You bring a case from your unit, then examine it against current research and community health data.
- Asynchronous participation. Students can post their homework and contribute to discussions when it’s convenient to do so, especially for nurses who work shifts that make it difficult for them to attend traditional classes.
- Access to advanced nursing degrees. Your education doesn’t have to stop at the associate or bachelor’s degree level. Many online schools offer the highest degree levels available in nursing, including master’s degree programs and doctoral degree programs.
- A learning environment you control. Different people learn differently. You can create your own learning environment that best suits you.
- Fewer added costs. Studying online can remove some of the costs that come with attending on campus, like room and board and gas expenses, since you can learn from the comfort of your own home.
What Should You Know Before Enrolling in an Online Nursing Program?
Not all online nursing programs are alike, and students should research before they enroll. Four things are worth checking closely.
Accreditation
It is in your best interest to explore nursing programs that are accredited, as State Boards of Nursing usually only accept credits from accredited schools.
Look for two layers. Institutional accreditation applies to the school as a whole. The U.S. Department of Education retired the old regional-versus-national distinction in 2020, so “institutional accreditation” is the current term. Programmatic accreditation applies to the nursing program itself, and for BSN and graduate nursing programs that generally means CCNE or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
It is unlikely that credits obtained from a non-accredited program or school will be accepted by the Board of Nursing, and this can result in the denial of licensure. West Coast University is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, and our nursing programs hold programmatic accreditation. You can review all of our accreditations and approvals in full.
Reputation and Fit
The reputation and how a school ranks should be factors for consideration. While it is important to look at the reviews, it is also important to remember that rankings and reviews should be evaluated based on your needs and goals.
Advances in technology have made it possible for nurses to obtain an excellent education, from anywhere at any time. Choosing to pursue a nursing degree online is commendable – whether your motive is to provide quality patient care, be on the forefront of medical advancement or to provide financially for your family. By ensuring the online school you are interested in is accredited and fits your needs personally, financially, and professionally, you are making the informed decision needed for your educational goals.
State Availability
Online programs aren’t automatically open to students in every state. Confirm that a program can enroll you where you live and, if you’re pre-licensure, that your state board recognizes it. WCU distance education programs are delivered from our California and Texas campuses and may not be available to residents in all states.
Transfer Credits
Ask how transfer credits are handled; your previous coursework may apply toward your new program. WCU reviews your transcript and applies eligible credits toward your program.
Support
Then ask what support comes with the program. Who advises you? What happens if a term gets away from you? At WCU, you work with our faculty, your own Student Success advisor, and our Career Services team from your first term through your last.
Making the Decision That Fits You
Advances in technology have made it possible for nurses to obtain a quality healthcare education, from anywhere at any time. Choosing to pursue a nursing degree online is commendable, whether your motive is to provide quality patient care, help move patient care forward or to provide financially for your family. By ensuring the online school you’re interested in is accredited and fits your needs personally, financially, and professionally, you’re making the informed decision needed for your educational goals.
Ready to take the next step? Explore WCU’s online nursing programs or request info to talk with one of our admissions advisors about degrees, paces, transfer credits, and start dates. Classes are starting soon.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Nursing Education
How do online nursing classes actually work?
Most coursework is asynchronous, which means you post assignments and join discussions on your own schedule instead of logging in at a set hour. That’s what makes online study workable around 12-hour shifts. You still have weekly deadlines, and shorter terms keep the pace steady. WCU runs on 8-week terms.
Do online nursing programs include clinical or in-person hours?
Almost always, yes. Nursing is a hands-on profession, so the coursework is online but the practice hours are not. Pre-licensure students complete clinical rotations in a healthcare facility. Licensed RNs completing a bachelor’s degree usually complete a community health experience instead, which you arrange locally rather than travelling to campus.
Can you become a nurse entirely online?
No. You can complete most of your coursework online, but every state board requires supervised clinical hours before you sit for the NCLEX-RN. What you can do online is build on a license you already hold, completing a bachelor’s or graduate degree after you’re already practicing.
Is an online nursing program accredited the same way as a campus program?
Accreditation standards don’t change based on delivery format. A nursing program is reviewed against the same standards whether students attend on campus or online. What matters is that the school holds institutional accreditation and the nursing program holds programmatic accreditation from a body such as CCNE or ACEN.
What nursing degrees can I earn online?
Bachelor’s completion, master’s, and doctoral degrees are all widely available online for nurses who already hold a license. At WCU, that means an RN to BSN, an RN to MSN or MSN with six specialization tracks, a Doctor of Nursing Practice, and post-master’s certificates.
What is an online RN to BSN program?
An online RN to BSN is a bachelor’s completion program for nurses who already hold an active RN license. Typically have earned an associate degree or a diploma in nursing. Coursework is delivered online, and the program builds on credits you’ve already earned rather than repeating them.
How do I know whether an online nursing program is available in my state?
Ask the school directly, because online programs aren’t automatically authorized in every state. WCU distance education programs are delivered out of the California and Texas campuses and may not be available to residents in all states.
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
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