Top-Ranked BSN Program Sustains Growth and Graduate Readiness, Advancing Workforce Solutions Amid Maryland’s and the Nation’s Deepening Nursing Shortage

BALTIMORE — Morgan State University’s Department of Nursing continues to distinguish itself as a leader in nursing education, achieving a 100% first-time NCLEX-RN licensure examination pass rate among its 2025 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates and securing its position as a top-ranked nursing program in Maryland for the 2025-2026 academic year. This milestone, validated by the Maryland Board of Nursing in its 2026 fiscal year reporting cycle, reflects sustained excellence in program outcomes and positions Morgan among the highest-performing nursing programs nationally.

According to the 2025–2026 NCLEX-RN Program Report, the complete cohort of Morgan candidates testing during the current academic reporting period passed on their first attempt, outperforming statewide and national averages, which hovered near 87% and 86%, respectively. 

he University’s performance trajectory marks a new milestone for the program, netting a perfect pass rate for the calendar year 2025—a feat the program has neared in recent years, but not matched since it last achieved a 100% pass rate in the fall of 2018. A perennial producer of proficient healthcare professionals, this latest accomplishment reinforces Morgan’s consistency at the highest level of nursing education.

“This achievement affirms the strength, discipline and intentionality of a program that has steadily built toward this level of excellence,” said Kim Dobson Sydnor, Ph.D., dean of the School of Community Health and Policy. “A 100 percent pass rate is not simply a measure of academic success—it reflects the readiness of our graduates to enter the profession at a critical moment for healthcare.”

Morgan’s ascent to the top of Maryland’s nursing programs is based on recent data reported by Mountain Measurement, Inc., a leader in psychometrics, analytics and test development, specializing in nursing education data, specifically NCLEX-RN. For the 2025-2026 academic year, Mountain Measurement ranked Morgan in the 97th percentile among Maryland nursing programs—a competitive field encompassing 31 pre-licensure nursing programs, including bachelor’s and master’s entry-level programs in the state. The achievement, paired with a 100% pass rate, culminates a decade-long transformation. Longitudinal data confirms the program’s evolution from inconsistent outcomes to sustained excellence, establishing Morgan as a premier source for the region’s next generation of caregivers. 

“This moment represents both validation and responsibility,” said Maija Anderson, DNP, APRN, chair of the Department of Nursing at Morgan. “Our faculty and students have worked with focus and purpose to reach this level of performance, but we view it as a foundation—not a finish line. The goal is not only to sustain this success, but to build upon it in ways that further elevate our graduates and the profession.”

Beyond pass rates, Morgan graduates demonstrate strong competency relative to peers. The program’s median overall competency estimate of 0.44 logits —a measure used to assess graduate readiness—exceeds both Maryland and national averages, reinforcing a shared commitment to strengthening advanced clinical reasoning ensuring that graduates are prepared for increasingly complex, high-acuity healthcare environments. 

Morgan’s achievements arrive at a critical moment for the healthcare sector. The United States is confronting a deepening nursing shortage projected to exceed 263,000 registered nurses by 2026, driven by an aging population and workforce. Turnover remains high, with more than one in five newly hired nurses leaving the profession within their first year.

In Maryland, the challenge is especially acute. Hospital RN vacancy rates have reached approximately 16%, and the state is projected to require 13,800 additional nurses by 2035. These shortages are compounded by a growing need for a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves—particularly in urban centers such as Baltimore, where the population is predominantly Black and increasingly multicultural.

While the national nursing workforce has become more diverse in recent years, it still does not fully reflect the demographics of the communities it serves. Research consistently shows that greater diversity in healthcare improves patient outcomes and reduces disparities, particularly in underserved urban settings.

“Our graduates leave Morgan not only with the academic and clinical preparation required for practice, but with a clear understanding of the communities they will serve—bringing cultural awareness and patient-centered perspective to care that reflects the realities of diverse populations,” added Dr. Anderson.

Morgan’s program directly responds to this need, producing graduates who are prepared to practice in high-demand metropolitan areas and contribute meaningfully to reducing gaps in care.

The NCLEX-RN pass rate builds upon a legacy of excellence that defines Morgan Nursing, placing the program among the few institutions in Maryland to achieve perfect outcomes on the national licensure exam. From community, issues-based research to novel initiatives supporting degree attainment and career advancement, Nursing at Morgan is the exemplar. The program offers the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited baccalaureate degree program, advanced degrees at the master’s and Ph.D. levels, as well as an online, accelerated RN-to-BSN-to-MPH —"1+2" program designed to allow registered nurses with associate degrees to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) consecutively.