Florida was one of the lowest-ranked jurisdictions in the country in passing rates for the 2024 national nursing exam. However, USF scored around 12% above the state average.

A report released by the Florida Center for Nursing in January showed that although the national passing rate for the exam was 91.16%, Florida’s rate was 84.9%.

USF, however, ticked up its passing rate from 2023’s 95.42% rate to 97%.

The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) has to be taken by students to become registered nurses, according to the exam’s official website.

Rayna Letourneau, an associate professor at the USF College of Nursing, said the high passing rate among USF students comes from the quality opportunities offered to them by the school’s nursing program.

“A big part of nursing is to make sure that we have those clinical experiences that give students an opportunity to take what they’re learning in the classroom and apply it in clinical settings,” said Letourneau, who is also the executive director of the Florida Center for Nursing.

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Florida Gulf Coast University came in first in the state with a 100% passing rate, while the University of Florida and the University of West Florida both had a 98% rate, according to the report. USF came in with the fourth best ranking in Florida.

Letourneau said the reason Florida was ranked so low when some of its schools had high passing rates individually is “very complex.”

“There’s not just one simple answer,” she said. “We have high-performing schools, but we also have some schools that are very much struggling.”

USF’s College of Nursing is currently going through an expansion set to be finished in spring 2026, which will include new facilities students can make use of during their time at USF.

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Sophia Verduzco graduated from USF in 2024 and is a registered nurse at a post-op surgical unit at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital in Jacksonville.

Verduzco said the NCLEX wasn’t challenging because her USF professors helped her prepare, even when it came to overcoming the stress of taking the exam.

“They were very real about everything that we were gonna experience, and I really did appreciate that there were no jump scares or anything like that,” Verduzco said. “USF was very forward with how things were.”

Letourneau said the exam is based not only on content but also on practice and critical thinking. She said the practical and theoretical parts of nursing are emphasized by professors when helping students prepare.

During her time at USF, Verduzco got hands-on practice with simulations and skills lab, as well as traditional studying, such as practice tests. 

She said these experiences prepared her for the exam and the daily challenges she now faces as a nurse.

“The simulations were helpful because it gave you a sense of how real life would be,” she said. “You’re all alone in a room with a patient, and you have to figure out what to do. It helped a lot with promoting independence and trusting your gut.”

The learning opportunities USF offers to students make its nursing program “one of the best” in the state, Letourneau said.

“We balance our didactic education with clinical and experiential learning,” she said.

Tetiana Arfaras, a student in her second year of USF’s Accelerated Second Degree pathway, is set to take the NCLEX this summer after graduating.

When it comes to exam preparation, Arfaras said she expects her confidence to grow in the two final semesters of the program.

She said although it can be tough for new nursing students to get used to NCLEX-style questions, the program’s progression helps them get used to it.

The NCLEX is a computerized adaptive test, which means the level of difficulty adapts to the student’s performance as they take the exam.

“In level one, you feel like you’re drowning in it,” she said. “Sometimes it feels like you will never, ever be able to do everything that they ask you to. But it definitely gets better.”

Arfaras said the nursing path can be tough, with long lab hours and a heavy load of coursework. However, she said she feels USF is preparing her well for her future career.

“I haven’t really taken a bad course in this program or something that I feel is unnecessary,” she said. “Everything is there to prepare us.”