Tennessee Tech nursing graduates earn near-perfect 95% NCLEX pass rate, lead peers in workforce impact
Graduates of Tennessee Tech University’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing are once again at the top of their class.
Newly released data shows that Tech nursing graduates earned a near-perfect 95% first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) in 2025, tying with Vanderbilt University and far outpacing both the Tennessee average of 91% and the national average of 86.7%.
The results continue a strong trend of success for Tech’s nursing program and underscore its reputation for producing highly prepared health care professionals.
Kim Hanna, dean of the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing (WHSON), said the outcomes reflect a sustained commitment to student success and academic excellence.
“We are proud to see our graduates continue to perform at such a high level on the NCLEX,” said Hanna. “These results speak to the dedication of our students and the intentional preparation they receive from our faculty and staff. Under the leadership of our director, Barbara Jared, and our outstanding faculty, the School of Nursing remains focused on equipping students with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to succeed and serve.”
NCLEX data also shows that Tech continues to stand apart for training and graduating more nurses than many of its peers. The latest figures show that 125 Tech students took and passed the NCLEX in 2025 — more than Austin Peay State University, Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, among others — underscoring Tech’s critical role in strengthening Tennessee’s health care workforce.
Tech’s nursing curriculum emphasizes licensure readiness, including a dedicated NCLEX preparation course in students’ final semester, along with wraparound support services designed to help students persist to graduation. The university has also invested in initiatives such as a nursing student assistance fund to help remove financial barriers and keep students on track.
The strong pass rate comes amid continued growth for the WHSON. As of fall 2025, the school enrolled 884 students — its highest total in more than a decade.
That growth aligns with a broader upward trajectory for the program. Last fall, Tech’s online nurse practitioner program was ranked the top program of its kind in Tennessee by NursePractitionerOnline.com. The same year, the WHSON secured a landmark $1.5 million federal grant to expand training for sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), helping improve access to specialized care for survivors across the region.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nearly 190,000 vacant job openings for registered nurses nationwide each year over the coming decade, underscoring the importance of programs like Tech’s in preparing the next generation of health care professionals.
“Everything we do is centered on preparing graduates who are ready to serve with competence and compassion,” Hanna added. “Our goal is to educate nurses who we would trust to care for our own families, and that standard continues to guide our work every day.”
Beginning this fall, the WHSON has added a direct admission pathway — allowing eligible students to be directly enrolled in the nursing major right out of high school, rather than applying to the program after completing freshman and sophomore prerequisite courses.
Students applying to Tech for fall 2026 enrollment with a GPA of 3.4 or higher and an ACT score of at least 23 are eligible for direct admission to the School of Nursing and guaranteed scholarships of up to $8,000 per year through Tech’s Presidential Scholars program.
Learn more about Tech’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing at www.tntech.edu/nursing.