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RN programs in Columbus, Ohio

11 RN (registered nurse) programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

8 schools offer these RN programs with classes in the Columbus area, and every one is approved for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care and teach patients and their families about health conditions. To work as one, you graduate from an approved nursing program (a bachelor's or associate degree in nursing, or a hospital diploma) and pass a licensing exam for your state nursing license.1 The exam is the NCLEX-RN from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which the nursing boards of every state, DC and four US territories use in deciding who gets a license.2

In Columbus, 2 of the 11 programs take students without a high school diploma, 4 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 5 ask for earlier courses first.

By kind, the 11 programs here are RN associate degree (ADN, 6 programs), RN bachelor's degree (BSN, 2 programs), RN program (level not stated, 1 program), LPN to RN bridge (associate degree, 1 program), and 1 more of one other kind.

See the 11 programs

All 118 RN programs in Ohio, including online programs

How much do RN programs cost in Columbus?

Two-year degrees (7 programs)
$20,175 to $49,390most of them
Bachelor's degrees (3 programs)
$91,928the one with a price

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it. "Most" is the middle half of the programs with a price.

In the typical program

Finished the program
58%
Working 6 months later
84%
Earned a year, estimated
about $38,600
Length
Not reported
None of the 11 programs report it

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Columbus may also offer RN programs. How these figures are made

Are there free RN programs in Columbus?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 11 RN programs in Columbus approved for WIOA funding

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11 programs

How to pay for RN programs in Columbus

WIOA funding can pay for RN programs in Columbus

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for RN programs

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for RN programs

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Other training in Columbus

How RN programs compare with the rest of nursing and patient care across Ohio: Nursing and patient care programs in Ohio

Where the Columbus RN program numbers come from

Which Columbus RN programs are on this list?

These are the RN programs with classes in the Columbus area that are approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Online programs are left out here; they are on the Ohio page. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what the area offers.

How the prices and results of Columbus RN programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about RN programs in Columbus

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses
  2. National Council of State Boards of Nursing: U.S. Members
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List