The UL Lafayette • Ochsner Accelerated BSN Program’s second cohort has matched the achievement of its first cohort – a 100% first-time passage rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.
This year, a total of 14 accelerated BSN nursing graduates passed the rigorous national licensure exam as first-time test takers, joining the 16 graduates who aced the exam in 2025.
The accelerated program is the result of a strategic partnership between UL Lafayette and Ochsner Lafayette General to address a need for registered nurses in the region.
Launched in 2023, the program is directed by the University's College of Nursing & Health Sciences and its LHC Group • Myers School of Nursing. It enables students who hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 15 months.
“The success of our first two cohorts demonstrates the University’s commitment to continually growing and evolving as a primary contributor to the region’s health care workforce,” said Dr. Lisa Broussard, dean of the College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
Perfect – or nearly perfect – pass rates for the college’s nursing graduates has been the standard for decades. This year is no exception. The University’s overall NCLEX-RN passage rate of 97.7% for graduates of its traditional and accelerated nursing programs surpasses the state average of 89% and the national average of 88.6%.
“That sort of sustained excellence isn’t an accident. Our students score so well on their licensure exams because our program is rigorous and thorough and it attracts a high caliber of students who enter the workforce prepared to become highly capable nurses,” Broussard explained.
Photo caption: The UL Lafayette • Ochsner Accelerated BSN Program’s second cohort has achieved a 100% first-time passage rate on the rigorous NCLEX-RN national licensure exam. Photo credit: University of Louisiana at Lafayette