A school's retention rate is the ratio of the number of students who graduate the nursing program to the number of students who originally enrolled in the program. As of 2006, on average nine out of every 10 students who enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program in 2005 were still enrolled. In contrast, the first-year retention rate for four-year U.S. undergraduate institutions was only 72 percent. Similarly, as of 2004, associate degree nursing programs had a first-year retention rate of 83 percent compared to a 64 percent retention rate for two-year institutions.
Another set of nursing school data that is just as important as retention rates is the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Obviously, it is not good if a nursing school's student retention rate is high, but its student NCLEX passing rate is low, because nursing school graduates must pass the NCLEX before being licensed to practice.
Unfortunately, there is little available published data concerning student retention rates for specific nursing schools. As a result, prospective nursing students or others interested in school retention rates will have to request such information from each individual institution. In contrast, most nursing schools and state boards publish NCLEX pass rates by school.
Some schools have low retention rates but high NCLEX pass rates; and some schools have high retention rates but low NCLEX pass rates. Obviously, a high retention and a high NCLEX pass rate would be optimal. As a result, assuming that the admissions process adequately screens out unqualified candidates, schools with low retention rates need to do a better job of teaching and providing support services to their students.