The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) measures foundational knowledge and skills needed for safe nursing practice for entry-level nurses, regardless of academic background. There are two types of NCLEX exam offered: NCLEX-RN (for registered nurses) and NCLEX-PN (for practical nurses). SONHS students take the NCLEX-RN.
This February, the Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) released its 2023 NCLEX Report, an analysis of NCLEX pass rates for first-time exam takers. These first-time pass rates—commonly used as a measure of nursing program quality—must be reported and shared publicly. According to the FCN, Florida produced the nation’s highest number of first-time NCLEX-RN test takers in 2023, but the state’s pass rates ranked among the nation’s lowest—52nd out of 55 jurisdictions.
In stark contrast to that concerning news, the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) continues to deliver outstanding first-time pass rates. The SONHS average pass rate for its 215 first-time test takers in 2023 was 93.02%. Compare that to the statewide average of 76.75% and the national average of 88.56%. Among baccalaureate graduates alone, the first-time pass rate average was a bit better—87.47% for Florida and 90.17% nationwide—but still below the average pass rates SONHS graduates are achieving.
“Our students’ first-time pass rates have been solidly above state and national averages for long over five years, including through the pandemic,” says SONHS Dean and Professor Cindy L. Munro. “These new data mean SONHS continues its trend of getting registered nurses workforce-ready at rates well above regional, statewide and national averages, a significant result amid the current nursing shortage.”
In 2022, for example, 209 SONHS grads took the NCLEX-RN for the first time and their average pass rate was 94.74%. That same year, Florida’s first-time pass rate was 63.88% and nationwide it was 79.90%.
Not surprisingly, SONHS also stands head and shoulders above peers in its own geographic region, which FCN describes as Florida’s South Region, encompassing Monroe, Miami-Dade, and Broward counties. The South Region’s NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate for 2023 was 73.98% and just 55.97% in 2022.
As a tip to future first-time test-takers, FCN’s report states that candidates who took the NCLEX their first month after graduation had the highest pass rates. Conversely, the report continues, “The more time that passed from graduation to dates of test, the lower the pass rates.”
SONHS offers an accredited four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program from a private, non-profit, research-driven institution, as well as an accredited, highly competitive 12-month accelerated BSN program. For more information, visit www.sonhs.miami.edu.
2023 NCLEX Report By the #s
186,349 first-time test takers nationwide
18,178 first-time Florida (FL) test takers
5,644 first-time FL test takers from baccalaureate degree nursing programs
87.63% first-time pass rate for FL public schools
87.47% first-time pass rate for FL private, nonprofit schools
71.34% first-time pass rate for FL private, for-profit schools
