Ninety-seven out of 101 nursing graduates from Gwynedd Mercy University passed their licensing exam on the first attempt this year, giving the school's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program a 96.04% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN.
A Record-Setting Class
The NCLEX-RN is the national examination required for anyone seeking to become a registered nurse. Gwynedd Mercy University reported a 96.04% first-time pass rate for its BSN program in 2026, according to Gwynedd Mercy University. As PHILADELPHIA.Today reported, the university's direct entry MSN program also posted a 100% first-time pass rate for the second year running. The school's own site has previously reported pass-rate figures — back in 2023, GMercyU's first-time pass rate stood at 91.39%, which the university called its highest-ever rate at the time, per the same gmercyu.edu announcement. Jane Tang is dean of GMercyU's Frances M. Maguire College of Nursing & Health Professions.
How the Numbers Stack Up
Nearby Immaculata University reported a 94.34% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate for its nursing graduates during the 2025-26 academic year, with a five-year average of 92.18% from 2021 through 2025, according to Immaculata University. That same announcement cited a national average first-time pass rate of 87.80% for BSN graduates over that same five-year span, based on data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
National figures for 2025 tell a similar story. Nationally, U.S.-educated RN-baccalaureate candidates passed at an 87.6% rate, with 87,814 of 100,258 candidates succeeding. The NCSBN notes that the pass rate serves as a good indicator of how many new nurses are entering the profession in the U.S., according to its own exam statistics page.
Inside the Curriculum and Campus Investment
Gwynedd Mercy University says NCLEX preparation is woven throughout its BSN curriculum rather than concentrated at the end, and the school points to its more than 100 regional healthcare affiliations as a source of clinical training opportunities for students, per gmercyu.edu. The university has graduated more than 1,200 nursing students since fall 2020 and says it has led healthcare education for nearly 70 years, according to the PHILADELPHIA.Today article.
That growth has come with new campus infrastructure. The Frances M. Maguire '55 Healthcare Innovation Center opened in August 2025 and is now the largest academic building on the Gwynedd Mercy campus, built with the goal of preparing students to meet both present and future healthcare needs while improving access and equity to high-quality, compassionate care, per the PHILADELPHIA.Today report.
Multiple Paths Into Nursing
GMercyU currently offers several routes into its nursing programs, including a three-year BSN option, a 16-month accelerated BSN, and a 20-month direct entry MSN program, according to the same report.
Eligible students may also receive up to $65,000 in loan repayment from a new employer.
Looking ahead, Gwynedd Mercy University is accepting applications for Fall 2026 for its MSN nurse educator track, a post-master's certificate in nursing education, and an Ed.D. in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education with a nurse education focus. Those programs are designed to help BSN- and MSN-prepared nurses move into teaching and leadership roles across academic, clinical, and professional settings, according to the report.
