Online RN to BSN Programs in California: Inside Top Schools for Current RNs
As a working RN in California with only an ADN (or maybe even just a nursing diploma), stepping up to a BSN can increase your earning potential, open new job opportunities, and pave the way for graduate-level nursing. This EduMed guide introduces you to some of the best online RN to BSN programs in California, and discusses funding, admissions, and how to maximize your credits to graduate fast.
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Nursing Nursing Ed.Inside Online RN to BSN Programs in California
You can earn your bachelor’s while maintaining your current job with an online RN to BSN degree program. Each program has its own combination of academic options and content delivery methods. What they all have in common is convenience and flexibility with the working RN in mind.
Because each program is different, it’s important to understand the curriculum, degree requirements, and delivery methods in detail before you enroll. We’ve spotlighted three current California online RN to BSN programs to show you how these programs can help you earn your degree.
California State University Long Beach
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Online RN to BSN program at CSU Long Beach consists of 29 credits of nursing-related coursework in subjects such as leadership and management, critical thinking and analytical reasoning, finance policies, and community-based nursing.
Students must also satisfy the minimum total of 120 credits (including general education coursework) needed to obtain a CSU Long Beach bachelor’s degree.
All didactic coursework is delivered entirely online through a combination of mostly asynchronous and some synchronous content. Students also complete clinical experiences in person at program-affiliated medical facilities.
Both full-time and part-time options are available. Financial aid is available to qualifying students and GI Bill benefits can be used for this program.
Duration: One year (full-time) or 18 months (part-time)
Mode: Fully online, except for clinical experiences
Cost: $600/credit
Admissions Requirements:
- California resident with active, unincumbered California RN license
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or evaluation of nursing diploma program for equivalency with an ADN program
- 56 to 70 transferable college credits including chemistry, critical thinking, oral and written communication, and statistics. Additional prerequisite coursework is also required
- Minimum 2.75 GPA on all community college courses completed for the ADN degree
- Criminal background check
- Maintain malpractice and health insurance throughout clinical coursework
- Fulfill the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)
Curriculum:
- NRSG 305: Pathophysiology for Nurses
- NRSG 309: Dimensions of Professional Nursing
- NRSG 312: Health Assessment
- NRSG 402: Community Health Nursing
- NRSG 450: Nursing Research
- NRSG 454: Professional Nursing Practice Preceptorship
- NRSG 456: Health Care Delivery Systems and Nursing Leadership
- PHIL 403: Medical Ethics
Programs that might interest you:
Sacramento State University
Sacramento State University’s hybrid-formatted RN to BSN program includes 33 credits of nursing coursework plus general education and major-related prerequisite courses either transferred in or completed.
The course of study culminates with the completion of a project in which students apply management and leadership principles within a community to determine a defined need and solve (or identify goals to solve) that need.
All didactic coursework is offered online with a combination of both asynchronous and synchronous content. Synchronous classes occur on Wednesdays, typically once per month.
All courses are eight weeks in length. Both full-time and part-time options are available, although full-time study is not recommended for students employed full-time. Multiple start dates are offered throughout the year.
Duration: Two semesters (12 months, full-time) or three semesters (15 months, part-time)
Mode: Hybrid
Cost: $489/credit
Admissions Requirements:
- Valid California RN license prior to the beginning of the second semester
- California state residency
- ADN degree from an accredited nursing program
- Cumulative GPA of 2.6 or higher on last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of graded transferable coursework
- Passing of a drug screening and criminal background check
- Completion of all prerequisite courses
- Priority given to applicants who are currently employed as an RN
Curriculum:
- NURS 170: Foundations for evidence-Based Nursing Practice
- NURS 171: Transitional Concepts: The Baccalaureate Nurse
- NURS 173: Theoretical Foundations for Leadership and Management
- NURS 174: Community Health Nursing: Concepts and Practice
- NURS 174C: Community Health Nursing: Clinical Elective
- NURS 178: Culminating Project
- NURS 179: Professional Communication and Reasoning Development
- Two upper-division general education courses.
San Jose State University
The RN to BSN program at San Jose State University combines online nursing theory courses that incorporate critical thinking, leadership, and research skills with off-campus and in-person community experiences.
Earning the BSN degree requires a total of 120 credits consisting of the 30 credits of the RN to BSN curriculum, plus 70 credits of previously completed community college coursework (earned in the student’s ADN program) and 20 credits awarded for passing the NCLEX-RN exam.
The program starts once annually in the fall and is designed to be completed in three semesters (fall, spring, summer) of full-time study. In addition, students are eligible to apply for the California Public Health Nursing Certificate following completion of the program.
Duration: Three semesters (15 months)
Mode: Online with limited in-person and off-campus community experiences
Cost: $467/credit
Admissions Requirements:
- Current California RN license or will have a California RN license before the end of the program’s first semester
- ADN degree
- Must be a U.S citizen or Permanent Resident with a valid green card. DACA students are eligible
- Completion of all prerequisite courses
Curriculum:
Semester 1
- NURS 100WE: Evidence Based Practice Writing Workshop
- NURS 112: Professional Practice Success I
- NURS 171: Theoretical Foundations
Semester 2
- NURS 172R: Community Health Theory for RN to BSN Program
- NURS 173: Community Health Practicum
- NURS 113: Professional Practice Success II
Semester 3
- NURS 178A: Leadership
- NURS 177A: Senior Preceptorship
- SJSU Upper Division GE (Area V)
- SJSU Open Elective
FAQs for California RN to BSN Online Students
While the spotlights above provide a look at specific program options, they may have raised a number of questions about California online RN to BSN programs. To help, here are the answers to five questions commonly asked by prospective RN to BSN students.
Are RN to BSN programs in California available in a 100% online format?
Many California-based online RN to BSN programs allow students to earn their bachelor’s degrees mostly online. Though didactic coursework may be completed 100% online, clinical requirements are required in person. Some programs also require an on-campus lab.
Clinical requirements typically take place in program-approved nursing practice settings. These hands-on experiences provide students with the opportunity to apply academic knowledge to real-world situations.
During your program search, you’ll find that course content may be delivered asynchronously, synchronously, or in a combination of formats:
- Asynchronous delivery: allows you to complete assignments and view lectures at any time
- Synchronous delivery: requires attendance at scheduled times typically via Zoom or another live-stream platform
It’s critical to clearly understand the specific delivery methods used by any program you’re considering before you enroll.
Expert Insight
If your RN to BSN program requires you to take a skill-based course, such as health assessment, you can expect on-campus visits. Because performing a health assessment is a hands-on skill, you most likely will need to demonstrate this skill in person with an instructor/evaluator in order to pass the course. And this is most likely to occur on campus.
How affordable are online RN to BSN programs in California?
Many online RN to BSN programs in California are affordable. These lower-cost programs tend to come from community colleges and public universities.
It’s also important to keep in mind that you may be eligible for help in paying for your education through any of a number of financial aid resources. This is especially important if you’re considering RN to BSN programs from private colleges and universities that often come with (often substantially) higher costs than their public school counterparts.
How long will it take me to finish my online RN to BSN program in California?
Completion times for online RN to BSN programs can vary. And while there are a few “fast-track” programs out there that claim program lengths of as few as nine months, you’ll find that the average completion time for online RN to BSN programs in California is around 15 months. Actual program lengths range from one to two years, though, so be sure to carefully check the specific completion times of all the programs you’re considering.
What are the typical admissions requirements for online RN to BSN programs in California?
Admissions requirements for online RN to BSN programs in California vary somewhat from program to program, but all programs share two basic requirements:
- Possession of an active, unincumbered registered nursing license. It’s important to note that some programs will only admit applicants with a California-issued RN license while others will accept licenses from other states as well.
- Graduation from an accredited Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program with a stated minimum GPA on coursework transferred into the program. Specific minimums vary from 2.0 to 3.0 depending on the specific program. Some programs will also consider applicants with a nursing diploma on a case-by-case basis.
Other typical requirements include completion of certain prerequisite courses. These can include anatomy, chemistry, communications, critical thinking, microbiology, and statistics. Many programs (particularly those offered by public colleges and universities) admit California residents only.
How can I be assured that I’m choosing a quality online RN to BSN program in California?
Through confirmation of proper institutional and programmatic accreditation. Accreditation is an independent process through which nursing programs and the schools that offer them are vetted for academic quality.
- Institutional accreditation concerns an assessment of the school as a whole and is administered by a number of regional and national accrediting bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Programmatic accreditation focuses on the academic quality of specific types of postsecondary degree programs.
The two primary accreditors of RN to BSN programs in the U.S. are the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). You’ll typically find current accreditation information listed on a program’s website. If you don’t see it there, you can use this DOE accreditation search engine.
Salary & Career Comparison: RN vs. BSN
California's mandatory nurse-to-patient ratio law means hospitals need bodies on the floor no matter what degree is on the diploma, which has opened more doors for associate-degree RNs than you'd see almost anywhere else. That keeps entry-level pay closer to the lower half of this table's range. Even so, specialty units and Magnet-recognized facilities are still writing "BSN preferred" into most of their postings, and California's powerful nursing unions tend to push those wages toward the top.
It's one of the few states where a BSN changes which door you walk through more than it changes the number on your paycheck.
Registered Nurses
| Area | 10th Percentile | Median | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $87,760 | $128,810 | $162,020 |
| California | $101,260 | $140,270 | $213,320 |
| Chico, CA | $103,400 | $127,360 | $160,170 |
| El Centro, CA | $84,500 | $103,450 | $150,990 |
| Fresno, CA | $89,890 | $125,420 | $167,160 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $102,410 | $128,160 | $157,910 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $100,980 | $135,560 | $174,200 |
| Merced, CA | $95,070 | $131,620 | $165,580 |
| Modesto, CA | $102,770 | $132,590 | $197,800 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $94,360 | $131,160 | $169,780 |
| Redding, CA | $96,990 | $134,350 | $168,480 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $100,510 | $133,940 | $172,900 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $100,630 | $171,460 | $218,780 |
| Salinas, CA | $102,300 | $134,910 | $176,990 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $102,480 | $139,520 | $175,210 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $119,290 | $186,610 | $223,770 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $124,140 | $216,740 | $235,190 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $100,560 | $138,820 | $199,540 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $97,980 | $170,960 | $210,870 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $101,260 | $137,360 | $169,240 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $110,800 | $174,550 | $225,940 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $101,390 | $134,580 | $212,700 |
| Vallejo, CA | $122,140 | $203,290 | $218,590 |
| Visalia, CA | $97,560 | $125,180 | $160,680 |
| Yuba City, CA | $98,270 | $149,320 | $178,300 |
Source: Registered Nurses, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025
Data does not reflect school-specific information.
