UTRGV School of Nursing accreditation and outcomes
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits UTRGV's BSN, MSN, DNP and post-graduate APRN certificate programs, and the Texas Board of Nursing approves the BSN. UTRGV reports its nursing licensure (NCLEX) results each year against a 90% goal, but publishes no pass rates for the FNP or PMHNP certification exams. Here is what each statement covers, and where UTRGV's own pages disagree.
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CCNE accreditation, program by program
UTRGV's accreditation page puts it in one sentence: “The BSN, MSN, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at UTRGV are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.” The BSN program page repeats the CCNE statement for the bachelor's program. None of UTRGV's pages gives a date for the accreditation or for its next review.
| UTRGV program | Covered by the CCNE statement as | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| BSN (generic, ABSN and RN to BSN) | BSN | Also approved by the Texas Board of Nursing |
| MSN-FNP | MSN | The only MSN in the 2026-27 catalog |
| Post-master's FNP certificate | Post-graduate APRN certificate | Campus based in Edinburg |
| Post-master's PMHNP certificate | Post-graduate APRN certificate | Also named in the PMHNP flyer's CCNE line |
| DNP | DNP | First cohort began online in Fall 2022 |
The accreditation page uses the singular “certificate” although UTRGV runs two; the School's About page words the same statement in the plural, as certificate programs. UTRGV also leans on CCNE status itself: anyone applying to the post-master's FNP certificate must already hold a nursing master's or doctorate earned in a CCNE-accredited program.
What the Texas Board of Nursing approves
As UTRGV states it, Texas Board of Nursing approval belongs to the BSN. The School's About page says the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is approved by the Texas BON, the School's home page pairs that approval with CCNE accreditation, and the undergraduate catalog says BSN graduates are eligible to apply to the Texas BON to take the NCLEX.
UTRGV makes no Texas BON approval statement about its graduate programs. The Board's Chapter 219 rules, which govern advanced practice nursing education, limit Board approval to programs seeking initial approval that do not otherwise hold national accreditation, and UTRGV's graduate programs are CCNE-accredited. Neither UTRGV nor the Board spells out how the chapter applies to UTRGV, but UTRGV's syllabi follow its preceptor standards closely; see Texas BON preceptor rules.
The NCLEX rates UTRGV reports
UTRGV's student achievement page sets a goal that 90% of students taking the nursing licensure exam pass within one year of graduation, and reports each year's result against it. The figures below are UTRGV's own, labeled on its page as drawn from the 2025 NCLEX Report.
| Fiscal year | UTRGV rate | Statewide average | UTRGV goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2021 | 94.2% | 91.0% | 90% |
| FY 2022 | 92.1% | 87.7% | 90% |
| FY 2023 | 89.0% | 84.2% | 90% |
| FY 2024 | 93.7% | 92.7% | 90% |
| FY 2025 | 87.0% | 90.6% | 90% |
Our reading of that table: UTRGV cleared its 90% goal in FY 2021, 2022 and 2024 and fell short in FY 2023 and 2025, and it beat the statewide average every year from 2021 through 2024 before trailing it in 2025. The PDF linked from the page, titled as including all test takers, adds FY 2020 at 92.9%.
These are RN licensure results, so they describe the BSN. They say nothing about how UTRGV's nurse practitioner graduates fare on their board exams.
No certification pass rates for the NP programs
UTRGV publishes no FNP or PMHNP certification pass rates. None of the pages reviewed for this guide (the catalog entries, program pages, PMHNP flyer, School of Nursing pages and accreditation page) names a certifying board for its NP graduates either.
That leaves the outcome NP students care about most as a question to put to the program directly. Useful ones: how recent FNP and PMHNP graduates have done on their boards, which exams most of them take, and how clinical hours are documented if a board or another state asks.
For what the boards look like from a UTRGV student's side, and how the closing FNP semester leads into them, see NP certification exams.
Where UTRGV's own pages disagree
- How many master's programs. The About page and the accreditation page both describe three MSN programs, but the 2026-27 catalog lists one, the MSN-FNP; Nursing Education and Nursing Administration are gone.
- Which programs the flyer names. The PMHNP flyer's CCNE sentence covers only the BSN, the master's in nursing and the PMHNP certificate, while the accreditation page adds the DNP.
- Singular or plural. The accreditation page says post-graduate APRN certificate; the About page says certificate programs.
- CCNE's address. The PMHNP flyer and the About page give an older CCNE street address (One Dupont Circle) than the accreditation page (655 K Street). If you write to CCNE, go by the accreditation page.
None of these changes the substance: every program UTRGV offers today falls under its CCNE statement.
Why this matters for your clinicals and your license
UTRGV's catalog marks each graduate nursing program as leading to a profession that requires an occupational license under the Texas Occupations Code. Its state authorization page adds that licensure programs are designed to meet Texas requirements, and tells students heading for another state to check with that state's licensing board.
That second point is the live one for PMHNP students outside Texas. UTRGV takes part in NC-SARA, and its list covers every state except California, but SARA concerns enrollment; approval by a nursing board is a separate matter, and the PMHNP flyer advises applicants to confirm their home board has approved UTRGV. PMHNP clinicals outside Texas walks through it, and RN license rules covers licenses.
Preceptors ask about the program, too. When our placement desk introduces you to a preceptor, we describe your UTRGV course, its hours and its accredited program accurately, so the site knows exactly what it is agreeing to.
Questions UTRGV students ask
Is UTRGV's DNP accredited if it only started in 2022?
By UTRGV's statement, yes. The accreditation page lists the DNP among its CCNE-accredited programs, and the first DNP cohort, 14 students, began online in Fall 2022. UTRGV does not publish the date the DNP was accredited or when its next review falls, so ask the School if you need those dates.
Does UTRGV publish first-time NCLEX pass rates?
Partly. The rates in UTRGV's main table count all test takers, per the title of the PDF it links, so the figures are not limited to first attempts. That same PDF breaks out first-time takers by gender and ethnicity. For the bachelor's clinical side, see BSN clinicals.
Is the MSN-FNP approved by the Texas Board of Nursing?
UTRGV's Texas BON approval statement names only the BSN; for its graduate programs UTRGV points to CCNE accreditation. Texas still matters after graduation, since FNP graduates who practice in Texas are licensed as APRNs by the Board. Texas NP practice covers what follows.
Which UTRGV nursing programs are no longer offered?
MSN Nursing Education and MSN Nursing Administration, both online, appear in the 2023-24 graduate catalog but not in 2024-25 or later. The School's org chart and the Clinical Request Form still show traces of them. Today's graduate lineup: one MSN (the FNP), a post-master's certificate each for FNP and PMHNP, and the DNP.
Does CCNE accreditation settle whether my PMHNP certificate counts in my state?
Not on its own. Whether a home-state board accepts the UTRGV certificate for licensure is a question for that board. The removed PMHNP FAQ told graduates to contact their state's board about licensure with the certificate, and UTRGV publishes no state-by-state licensure findings.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against UTRGV's own catalog, course syllabi, School of Nursing pages and Texas Board of Nursing rules. Your course faculty and the School of Nursing have the final word.
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