NCLEX pass rate standards by state

NCLEX pass rate standards by state are set by each board of nursing, and they decide whether a prelicensure program keeps its approval. Most boards compare first-time NCLEX results against a fixed floor, commonly 75 or 80 percent, or against the national average for the same program type. This article sets out what several boards require, how each measures it, what happens below the line, and how the two main accreditors treat the same number.

Why boards of nursing set a pass rate floor

A board of nursing approves a program so that its graduates may sit for licensure. First-time NCLEX performance is the most direct public measure of whether that approval is warranted, because it is standardized, reported by the testing service, and comparable across programs. Boards therefore write a minimum into rule or statute.

NCLEX pass rate standards in nine states

The table below lists only the boards whose rule or statute text was reviewed for this article. It states the first-time pass rate expected, the period over which it is measured, and the consequence that the text describes. Other states vary, and rules are amended often, so treat the table as a starting point and confirm the current text with your own board.

How the consequences differ

Texas gives the clearest example of a long runway. The rule counts first-time NCLEX-RN candidates within an examination year and requires 80 percent. A program below that figure submits a self-study that evaluates the factors affecting graduates and describes corrective measures. Two consecutive years below 80 percent can bring a warning, three can bring conditional approval, and approval may be withdrawn if the program is still under 80 percent in the examination year after conditional placement.

Florida replaces a fixed floor with a relative one. A program is compared with the national first-time average for programs of the same type: bachelor's professional, associate professional, diploma professional, or practical. Two consecutive calendar years more than ten points below that average place it on probation, and the director must appear before the board with a remediation plan that includes benchmarks. The board may grant one extra year if the program met most of its benchmarks, and otherwise must terminate the program.

California and Illinois both use 75 percent. California asks for a written report after one year below it and a board-approval visit after two consecutive academic years, while Illinois issues a written warning after one year and probation after two.

Relative standards and the national average

Ohio, Florida and North Carolina tie the standard to the national average, so the effective floor moves when the national rate moves. Deans planning for the 2026 transition should read nclex 2026 test plan what changed alongside their own board's rule.

What ACEN and CCNE expect

Accreditation runs separately from state approval, but the two use similar numbers. ACEN's 2023 Standards, Criterion 5.3, ask programs to examine aggregate licensure pass rate data from the regulatory agency. The most recent annual pass rate, or the mean for the three most recent years, must meet at least one of three tests: 80 percent or greater for all first-time test-takers; 80 percent or greater for all first-time test-takers and repeaters; or at or above the national mean for the nursing program type.

CCNE's 2024 Standards, Key Element IV-C, state that a program demonstrates a licensure pass rate of 80 percent in any one of four ways. The rate for each campus or site and track must be 80 percent or higher for first-time takers in the most recent calendar year, for all takers in that year, for first-time takers over the three most recent calendar years, or for all takers over those three years.

Canada

In Canada, provincial and territorial regulators approve nursing programs and set their own review standards. No Canadian thresholds were verified for this article, so none are stated; obtain the current standard from your regulator.

Practical steps for program leaders

• Find the rule number, the population counted, and the measurement window used by your board.
• Track the rate on that window each quarter and compare it with the national figure for your program type.
• Confirm current rule text with the board before acting on any summary, including the table in this article.

Where practice tools fit

ngnsimulation offers unscripted AI patient encounters inside an EHR-style chart, including spoken OSCE practice, adaptive study and quizzing with a placement check, and faculty-facing competency analytics, and it runs alongside an existing LMS. Programs can see the options at the pilot process or review the cost model at the ROI estimator.