| Fact | Hondros College of Nursing |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit nursing college owned by American Public Education, Inc. (APEI); campus programs only, no online programs |
| Campuses | 8 in 3 states: 6 in Ohio, 1 in Indiana, 1 in Michigan |
| Credentials | Diploma in Practical Nursing (all campuses); Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (Ohio only) |
| Program length | PN as few as 12 months; ADN as few as 15 months |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission, as part of American Public University System, since 4 August 2026; NLN CNEA for the PN program; the ADN has no programmatic accreditation |
| State approval | Ohio Board of Nursing: ADN on provisional approval since March 2017 for low NCLEX pass rates |
| Federal aid | Yes (Pell grants, Direct loans, Federal Work-Study) |
| Founded | 1981, as a real estate school; nursing programs approved 2006; APEI owner since 2013 |
| 2026-27 cost | PN $24,995.94 to $25,328.94; ADN $35,518.89 (total direct cost) |
| Facts checked | 15 October 2026 |
An eight-campus nursing college, now part of APUS
Hondros College of Nursing trains practical nurses at eight campuses in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, and registered nurses at its six Ohio campuses. It began in 1981 as a real estate preparatory school; the Ohio Board of Nursing approved its PN and ADN programs in 2006, and the first nursing classes met in West Chester in January 2007. American Public Education, Inc. bought the college in 2013, and it took its current name in 2016. On 4 August 2026 it was combined into American Public University System and is now an academic unit of APUS, which is how it gained Higher Learning Commission accreditation. APEI’s annual report puts enrollment at about 4,000 students, roughly two-thirds of them in the PN program. For RN applicants, the key fact: the Ohio Board of Nursing’s July 2025 list showed the ADN on provisional approval, in place since 2017 for low NCLEX pass rates.
Two nursing credentials: the PN diploma and the Ohio ADN
| Program | Credential | Length | Schedule | Where | Prepares for | 2026-27 total direct cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing | Diploma; 48 quarter credits (49 in Indiana) | As few as 12 months; part-time in Ohio | Day, evening and weekend in Ohio; day only in Indiana and Michigan | All 8 campuses | NCLEX-PN (LPN) | $24,995.94 OH and MI full-time; $25,145.94 OH part-time; $25,328.94 IN |
| Associate Degree in Nursing | AAS; 61 credits at Hondros plus 48 for a completed PN program | As few as 15 months (5 quarters) | Day; nights and weekends at all Ohio campuses except Dayton | 6 Ohio campuses | NCLEX-RN (RN) | $35,518.89 (tuition $28,487) |
| Direct Entry ADN | Same AAS; an entry route for students without a PN | As few as 15 months full-time | As for the ADN | 6 Ohio campuses | NCLEX-RN (RN) | Not listed separately |
Hondros teaches only these two credentials. Medical Assisting, offered at three Ohio campuses from 2024, ended in spring 2026, and the RN-to-BSN program ran only from 2011 to 2018. The college has no BSN, MSN or nurse practitioner program; its September 2026 announcement about joining APUS promises pathways to further nursing study elsewhere in the university system but names no Hondros bachelor’s or graduate program. A few individual courses, such as ENG 200, are taught online, but every program is campus-based.
What the main programs cover
Practical Nursing diploma
The Ohio full-time program starts with a two-week module and then runs four 11-week quarters, about 46 weeks; the part-time version adds three quarters. The PN – Ohio catalog page lists courses including Fundamental Concepts of Practical Nursing I and II, Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology, IV Therapy, Mental Health, Adult Health, Clinical Judgement and a final Transition course. Clinicals begin in the second term, and labs use manikin simulation. Indianapolis and Bingham Farms run the program by day only; the Michigan campus expects about four days a week, with clinicals starting as early as 7 a.m.
Associate Degree in Nursing
The ADN is five quarters, about 55 weeks, and in practice works as an LPN-to-RN program: students take 61 credits at Hondros, 44 in nursing and 17 in general education, and receive 48 advance-standing credits for a completed approved PN program or equivalent college work, for 109 credits in all. It prepares for the NCLEX-RN. Day classes run at all six Ohio campuses; Akron, Columbus, Independence, Maumee and West Chester also run nights and weekends, Dayton does not. The ADN is not offered in Indiana or Michigan.
Direct Entry ADN
Direct Entry lets students who have not completed a practical nursing program start the ADN, finishing in as few as 15 months full-time at any of the six Ohio campuses. Applicants need 32 semester or 48 quarter credits of transfer coursework, with general education courses passed at C- or better, a cumulative college GPA of at least 2.50 and a score of 75 or higher on the HESI entrance exam. It leads to the same Associate of Applied Science and the same NCLEX-RN as the standard ADN.
2026-27 cost by program and state
Hondros prices each program by state, with no in-state or out-of-state tiers. The table shows 2026-27 total direct costs from the catalog’s tuition and financing page, effective 1 July 2026. They exclude CPR certification, a physical exam and immunizations, and tuition can be lower with transfer credit. APEI says it raised PN and ADN tuition and fees by 5% in late 2025.
| Item | PN full-time, Ohio and Michigan | PN part-time, Ohio | PN, Indiana | ADN, Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $19,440.00 | $19,440.00 | $19,845.00 | $28,487.00 |
| Program administration fee | $495 | $495 | $495 | $495 |
| Technology fee | $200 | $350 | $200 | $250 |
| Lab and incidental fees | $750 | $750 | $750 | $1,200 |
| Textbooks and materials (estimate) | $3,241.94 | $3,241.94 | $3,241.94 | $4,217.89 |
| FBI/BCI background check fees | $72 | $72 | not listed | $72 |
| Technology package | $697 | $697 | $697 | $697 |
| Graduation fee | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 |
| Total direct cost | $24,995.94 | $25,145.94 | $25,328.94 | $35,518.89 |
Financial aid
Hondros takes federal student aid: Pell grants, Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and PLUS loans, and Federal Work-Study. Its financial aid page also lists Ohio’s Nurse Education Assistance Loan Program, WIOA and Trade Adjustment Assistance funding, employer tuition reimbursement, Hondros Grants and private loans, without amounts for any of them. APEI’s annual report says each of its schools met the federal 90/10 rule for 2025.
Admissions and start dates
- Programs start four times a year, in January, April, July and October; the college says there are no waitlists, although the Bingham Farms campus says seats are limited and enrollment can take three to six months.
- The first step is an information session with an admissions representative. Applicants take the HESI entrance exam; Direct Entry ADN applicants need a score of 75 or higher.
- The standard ADN route requires a completed practical nursing program; Direct Entry applicants need prior college credit and a 2.50 GPA (see above).
- Example term: the fall 2026 quarter runs 5 October to 19 December, with the PN module starting 21 September.
HLC accreditation and state nursing board approval
Since 4 August 2026 Hondros has been part of American Public University System, which the Higher Learning Commission has accredited since 2006. The HLC record for APUS, checked 15 October 2026, lists the eight Hondros locations, shows no sanctions and puts the next reaffirmation in 2030-31. Before the combination, ABHES was the college’s institutional accreditor.
APEI’s annual report for 2025 said that once the combination was complete the college would no longer keep its separate ABHES accreditation, and the 2026-27 catalog no longer mentions ABHES.
NLN CNEA has accredited the Practical Nursing program since 2018. The accreditation is granted at the Columbus main campus and the catalog’s accreditation page lists the other seven campuses under it. The ADN has no programmatic accreditation from ACEN or CNEA. The Ohio Board of Nursing approves the Ohio PN and ADN programs; the Indiana State Board of Nursing gave the Indianapolis PN initial accreditation in November 2019, and the Michigan Board of Nursing gave the Bingham Farms PN initial approval.
The ADN’s provisional approval in Ohio
The Ohio Board of Nursing has listed the Hondros ADN on provisional approval as of March 2017 because of low NCLEX pass rates. Its approved RN program list dated 23 July 2025 still showed that status, with the program’s site at 1105 Schrock Road in Columbus. We found no later list, so check the Board’s current list before you enroll.
The Board’s 2024 pass rate report places the program among those with five or more years of NCLEX-RN pass rates below 95% of the national average. In 2024 that line was 86.60%, and the Hondros Ohio ADN rate was 84.4%.
NCLEX pass rates, retention and placement
These are first-time NCLEX pass rates by calendar year, as Hondros publishes them on its campus outcome sheets, for example the Columbus sheet (checked October 2026). The Ohio rows combine all six Ohio campuses.
| Program and scope | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADN (NCLEX-RN), all Ohio campuses | 84.7% | 84.4% | 75.7% |
| PN (NCLEX-PN), all Ohio campuses | 85.5% | 84.5% | 88.5% |
| PN, Indianapolis, IN | 87.5% | 81.1% | 83.2% |
| PN, Bingham Farms, MI | 66.7% | 85.5% | 79.9% |
The same sheets give campus rates for 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, using the formulas on the college’s rate calculation sheet. Their “licensure” rates count graduates who pass on any attempt, so they run well above the first-time rates above and are not NCLEX first-time pass rates. Placement counts a graduate as placed after 15 days in a job; it ranged from 72% to 87% by campus and program.
| Campus | PN: retention / licensure (any attempt) / placement | ADN: retention / licensure (any attempt) / placement |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 73% / 91% / 76% | 73% / 93% / 81% |
| Akron | 74% / 96% / 79% | 67% / 89% / 75% |
| Dayton | 70% / 99% / 87% | 73% / 98% / 85% |
| Cleveland (Independence) | 70% / 87% / 75% | 76% / 84% / 72% |
| Toledo (Maumee) | 70% / 99% / 87% | 68% / 94% / 77% |
| Cincinnati (West Chester) | 72% / 97% / 78% | 76% / 95% / 82% |
| Indianapolis | 86% / 91% / 75% | not offered |
| Detroit (Bingham Farms) | 85% / 90% / 76% | not offered |
On its student outcomes page, the college reports a federal (IPEDS) graduation rate of 40% (80 of 198) for first-time, full-time degree-seeking students who started in 2022, measured at 150% of normal time, and first-year retention of 49% for the fall 2022 full-time cohort.
Before you enroll
- The Ohio Board of Nursing listed the ADN on provisional approval as of March 2017 for low NCLEX pass rates, and its July 2025 list still did; the Ohio-wide first-time NCLEX-RN rate fell from 84.4% in 2024 to 75.7% in 2025. Check the Board’s current program list before enrolling in the ADN.
- The ADN has no programmatic nursing accreditation (no ACEN or CNEA); only the PN program is accredited by NLN CNEA.
- The RN degree is taught only in Ohio. The Indianapolis and Bingham Farms campuses teach the PN diploma only, by day.
- Hondros has no bachelor’s or graduate nursing program. Its RN-to-BSN ended in 2018, and the 2026 move into APUS so far brings only promised pathways elsewhere in the university system.
- The school’s campus “licensure” rates count passes on any attempt. For comparing schools, use the first-time NCLEX rates.
Hondros’s eight campuses
- Akron, OH: 755 White Pond Drive, Akron, OH 44320
- Columbus, OH: 1105 Schrock Road, Suite 701, Columbus, OH 43229
- Cincinnati (West Chester), OH: 7600 Tyler’s Place Blvd., West Chester, OH 45069
- Dayton, OH: 6520 Poe Ave., Dayton, OH 45414
- Toledo (Maumee), OH: 1695 Indian Wood Circle, Suite 200, Maumee, OH 43537
- Cleveland (Independence), OH: 5005 Rockside Road, Suite 130, Independence, OH 44131
- Indianapolis, IN: 3500 DePauw Boulevard, Suite 1070, Indianapolis, IN 46268
- Detroit (Bingham Farms), MI: 30700 Telegraph Road, Suite 4400, Bingham Farms, MI 48025
Each campus is listed under the city of its street address. All eight teach Practical Nursing; the six Ohio campuses also teach the ADN. Two Ohio campuses moved in 2024: Columbus from Westerville to Schrock Road, and the Toledo-area campus to Indian Wood Circle in Maumee. The Dayton campus moved from Fairborn in 2023. The college’s Central Support office, at 1105 Schrock Road, Suite 650, Columbus, is an administrative office, not a campus. Hondros has no student housing.
What students say on Niche
On Niche, Hondros has 3.96 out of 5 from 429 reviews (checked 15 October 2026), covering the whole college, since Niche has no separate campus pages. Reviewers praise hands-on clinicals and simulation from early on, supportive and accessible instructors, and small classes. Complaints center on scheduling and communication problems, cost and financial-aid confusion, such as unexplained jumps in monthly payments and credits that did not transfer, and the lack of campus life. At least one review appears to describe a different school, and we could not check whether reviews came in bursts or were invited, so treat the score as a rough guide.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Practical Nursing (LPN) Diploma
- Associate Degree in Nursing (RN), Ohio
- Direct Entry ADN, Ohio
Campus Locations
Akron, OH 755 White Pond Drive, Akron, OH 44320
Columbus, OH 1105 Schrock Road, Suite 701, Columbus, OH 43229
Cincinnati (West Chester), OH 7600 Tyler's Place Blvd., West Chester, OH 45069
Dayton, OH 6520 Poe Ave., Dayton, OH 45414
Toledo (Maumee), OH 1695 Indian Wood Circle, Suite 200, Maumee, OH 43537
Cleveland (Independence), OH 5005 Rockside Road, Suite 130, Independence, OH 44131
Indianapolis, IN 3500 DePauw Boulevard, Suite 1070, Indianapolis, IN 46268
Detroit (Bingham Farms), MI 30700 Telegraph Road, Suite 4400, Bingham Farms, MI 48025