Your Guide to the Best Online RN to BSN Programs in MS

Exploring Mississippi’s Online RN to BSN Schools

If you’re an RN with an associate degree in nursing, you already have all the education and training you need to meet your clinical obligations. However, if you’re thinking of taking on greater responsibility at work — and taking home a bigger paycheck — you’ll need to go back to school to earn your bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree. Having a BSN opens the doors for you to specialize in a particular area of nursing practice, step into a management position, or even earn a graduate nursing degree someday.

Compared to other learning formats, online courses can make the process more flexible and convenient. Most — if not all — of your coursework will be online. Some courses are self-paced, others allow you to do classwork anywhere and anytime that fits your schedule, and still others accommodate full-time and part-time learners. Plus online learning can be more affordable than on-campus classes, with lower tuition and no commute to and from campus.

If an online RN to BSN program sounds like the right next step for you, keep reading to discover programs that stand out.

Frequently Asked Questions from Mississippi’s RN to BSN Students

Intrigued by the idea of a BSN but not quite ready to move ahead? Do you still have questions about your career potential in the state of Mississippi? It’s normal to have some lingering questions in this stage of your search. Get answers to your most pressing questions in our FAQ section below.

How long is an RN to BSN program in Mississippi?

The length of your online RN to BSN program depends on your preferred learning timeline and prior college coursework. If you’ve taken college classes in addition to your associate degree in nursing, then it’s possible to graduate in as little as one year at schools such as Mississippi College. The number of courses you take each term also affects the length of your program. Many RN to BSN online programs in Mississippi, such as Delta State University, offer a self-paced curriculum, including full-time and part-time program tracks that allow you to determine when, and how quickly, you progress through your degree.

How much do RN to BSN programs in Mississippi cost?

Tuition rates at the most affordable RN to BSN online programs in Mississippi vary based on several factors, one of which is whether the school charges out-of-state tuition rates to nonresident students. That said, many Mississippi schools, including the University of Southern Mississippi, choose to offer in-state tuition rates to all online students, no matter what state they call home. Mississippi University for Women offers a flat rate of $10,000 whether you study part-time or full-time, making budgeting much easier and allowing you to spread out the cost. Another variable to consider is how many credits you’ll need to complete. Even with an associate degree in nursing, you may need to take a number of credits outside your core nursing requirements, and that adds both to the cost of the program and the time you’ll need to complete it.

Is there financial aid available to Mississippi RN to BSN students?

Most schools do offer financial aid to their students, including students in online programs. Plus, scholarships and tuition reimbursement can go a long way toward helping you graduate debt free. Scholarships can be very competitive, as is the case with Belhaven University, which offers RN-BSN students in Mississippi a scholarship equal to 20% of the tuition of their nursing courses. You’ll also discover scholarships from nursing organizations, such as the National Student Nurses’ Association and from private organizations such as the Tylenol Future Care Scholarship and the scholarship from Cherokee Uniforms.

What requirements do I need to meet to apply for admission to RN to BSN programs in Mississippi?

At a minimum, you’ll need to complete an application and provide official copies of your college transcripts showing that you received an associate degree in nursing. If you’ve taken other classes as well, especially if they satisfy prerequisites, you’ll need to submit official transcripts and, in most cases, will need a GPA between 2.0 and 3.0. You’ll also likely need to show evidence of a valid RN license and necessary vaccines. What’s just as important as these requirements, though, is that you’re committed to dedicating sufficient time to your studies and that you have the technology in place to succeed in online classes.

What should I look for in an RN to BSN degree program in Mississippi?

When choosing from among the many RN to BSN online Mississippi nursing programs available today, it’s important to find a program that meets your specific needs. For example, if you need to work full-time while in school, you’ll want a program that lets you enroll as a part-time student and take fewer courses per term or that lets you complete your classes asynchronously.

If you already have college credits beyond an associate degree, you’ll want to apply to a program that allows you to transfer these credits toward your BSN. Not every school accepts the same number of transfer credits. In addition to your academic needs, you should only consider programs that are approved by the Mississippi Board of Nursing and an association that grants programmatic accreditation. Three of the most common programmatic accrediting bodies are the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, and the CCNE.

Mississippi’s RN vs. BSN Salary Trends

Earning your BSN comes with a cost; will higher earnings allow you to pay yourself back? The answer is yes — and the payback could come quickly. RNs with a BSN are qualified for roles as charge nurses, telemetry nurses who specialize in tracking and responding to changes in patient vital signs, nurse educators, and directors of nursing. BSNs allow nurses to achieve upper-level salaries.

It’s important to note that the following data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics covers RN salaries but doesn’t specifically break out RNs with a BSN. However, as it’s the closest reported information available, we can draw some fair conclusions. As an RN with a BSN, you’re qualified for higher level jobs with more responsibility. So within the RN salaries, it’s fair to surmise that the higher salaries are going to RNs with considerable experience or RNs with BSNs. First let’s take a look at the annual mean salary for an RN, which in Mississippi is $75,510. Going a level deeper, RNs earning at the 75th percentile median wage are bringing in $80,400 per year, and those at the 90th percentile creep into six figures at $100,160 per year.

The annual mean wage for RNs is highest at the northern tip of Mississippi adjacent to Memphis, coming in at $82,140; the area around Jackson, coming in at $80,970; and the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula area, coming in at $79,920. Looking deeper, RNs in the 90th percentile earn a mean wage of $104,790 for the Memphis area, $103,740 for the Jackson area, and $105,100 for the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula area.

Top Online RN to BSN Bridge Programs in Mississippi

A rankings list is only as good as the data that goes into creating it. For our rankings, we only consider schools with institutional accreditation that offer at least one online component in the featured program and that offer academic counseling and career placement services. The next level of evaluations is based on more detailed data, including the number of online programs, the percentage of students who participate in online learning, tuition, graduate rates, grant amounts, and student to faculty ratio. All this data comes together to create the “best of” list you see below.