Budget Committee Meeting
May 7, 2025
OCCC Nursing Program Surges in Growth and NCLEX Success
Oregon Coast’s Nursing Program in top 25% nationwide
Oregon Coast Community College is guided in many ways by five Strategic Priorities. One of these is to become known as Lincoln County’s “First Choice, Best Choice” for higher education and career training. This week, yet another example proving the College is a “Best Choice” became clear, in national and state rankings released detailing the performance of graduates of OCCC’s Nursing & Allied Health Program. OCCC’s Nursing program continues its remarkable trajectory of growth and improvement, with the latest NCLEX program data revealing both a significant increase in graduate success and national recognition.
The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the exam all nursing graduates must pass to become licensed Registered Nurses, has long served as a benchmark of nursing program quality. According to new data, OCCC’s program has dramatically improved its NCLEX pass rates over the past five years — even as enrollment has grown by 50%.
The 2024-2025 report shows that 96.43% of OCCC nursing graduates passed the NCLEX, up from just under 79% in 2021-2022. The steady climb in success is the result of strategic curricular enhancements and the implementation of a robust mentoring program led by Dr. Crystal Bowman, OCCC’s Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, and her team.
“Five years ago, our program ranked 26th out of 29 in the state,” said Dr. Bowman. “Today, we’re ranked 7th out of all 32 nursing schools in Oregon, and among the top 25% of all nursing programs in the United States and U.S. territories.”
Dr. Bowman attributes this success to the focused efforts of faculty and staff and a deep commitment to student achievement. “When I joined OCCC, one of my key goals was to strengthen the curriculum, boost NCLEX pass rates, and offer more support to our students. We’ve done that — and more — while expanding access and opportunity through higher enrollment.”
The program’s growth is notable:
2020-2021:25% pass rate (16 graduates)
2021-2022:95% pass rate (19 graduates)
2022-2023:82% pass rate (22 graduates)
2023-2024:24% pass rate (21 graduates)
2024-2025:43% pass rate (28 graduates)
“These results reflect the hard work and heart of a small but mighty team,” Bowman said. “We’ve overcome real staffing and resource challenges and are proud to see that our efforts are making a difference not only in exam performance but in the number of students choosing OCCC for their nursing education. The Oregon nursing community is tight-knit, and our program is increasingly viewed as a top choice.”
OCCC’s Nursing Class of 2025 will celebrate graduation with the traditional Pinning Ceremony on June 13 at the Newport Performing Arts Center. While applications have closed for the 2025-2026 nursing program, interested students may wish to schedule a meeting with Blake Hagan, a student success coach focused on the Nursing & Allied Health programs, to discuss prerequisite requirements and how they can best get started in their pursuit of a career in healthcare. For more about OCCC’s nursing and allied health programs, visit www.oregoncoast.edu/nursing-program
