STLCC Nursing Program Gains Acclaim

RegisteredNursing.org named St. Louis Community College as the top nursing program in St. Louis City, outranking all programs in both the city and St. Louis County.

“I’m incredibly proud of this ranking and of the quality education we offer,” said Jordan Cooper, dean of nursing for STLCC. “The College has a long history of producing highly-qualified nurses that hospitals and other health care facilities depend upon to care for their patients.”

RegisteredNursing.org ranked St. Louis Community College at No. 7 in its survey of the top 20 programs in the state. The site assessed schools on several factors that represent how well a program supports students during school, toward licensure and beyond, including past and present first-time NCLEX-RN – also known as state board exams – passing rates.

STLCC offers nursing at its four main campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood. Approximately 260 nurses graduate each year; nearly 84% of STLCC nursing grads pass the state board exam, a rate higher than any college in Missouri. The national average is about 79%. The College offers the most cost-effective nursing education in the region and continues to expand. Enrollments expected to reach 804 nursing students per year by 2026.

Nurses are in high demand, with many new graduates offered large signing bonuses for their first jobs. According to the Missouri Hospital Association, vacancies for registered nurses in the St. Louis metro area increased to 20% in 2021 from 11% just a year earlier.