NEWBURGH, N.Y. – During the first quarter of 2024, 46 graduates from the SUNY Orange Newburgh campus nursing program’s December 2023 graduating class took and passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on their first attempt, posting a 100 percent first-time pass rate.

The graduates’ perfect pass rate during the first three months of 2024 beat the national pass rate for associate degree programs (90.02 percent) and the New York State pass rate (91.06 percent) for those taking the exam for the first time, according to the National Council State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Nationally, the combined first-time pass rate for associate degree and bachelor’s degree programs was 94.15 percent.

“We are so proud of our recent Newburgh program graduates,” said Dr. Patricia Russell, chair of the College’s nursing department. “Their success is a direct result of their hard work in the classroom, in clinicals and in preparing for the NCLEX. Our nursing faculty and staff deserve credit as well for sharing their expertise and supporting our students every step of the way.”

The NCLEX is the national nursing licensing examination and is designed to test the knowledge, skills and abilities essential for the safe and effective practice of nursing at the entry level. A passing grade means the graduate is licensed to practice nursing within the state where the test was taken.

Accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the SUNY Orange nursing program enjoys a rich history and a six-decade tradition of caring. In 1952, Orange County Community College became the first college in the nation to offer a two-year associate degree program in nursing. The College offers students the opportunity to pursue a nursing degree either through a daytime program or evening-based program on the Middletown campus, as well as a daytime program solely on the Newburgh campus.