Algonquin College nursing programs: what to know before you apply
Algonquin College (Ottawa, Ontario) lists a Practical Nursing diploma, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Honours) and a degree pathway for registered practical nurses in its School of Health Sciences. Instruction is in English. This page summarizes what the college’s own program pages say, so you can compare before you apply.
What the school offers (nursing)
- Practical Nursing: an Ontario College Diploma, listed as two years (four levels) of full-time study with classroom, lab, simulation and clinical placement. The program page names the Ottawa, Pembroke and Perley Health campuses. ↗
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Honours): an honours degree offered in Ottawa and Pembroke, with an accelerated delivery listed at three years and four months. ↗
- BScN (Honours) Pathway for Registered Practical Nurses: for RPNs, with an accelerated delivery of three years and four months. The page lists current registration in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and recent RPN work experience among its entry requirements. ↗
One point to check: the University of Ottawa’s page on its former collaborative nursing program with Algonquin says that program is no longer accepting applications. Read Algonquin’s current BScN page for how the degree is delivered and awarded in your intake.
Becoming licensed after graduating
In Ontario, nurses are registered by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). CNO’s guidance for Ontario graduates says RN applicants write the NCLEX-RN, RPN applicants write the REx-PN, and everyone completes a separate jurisprudence exam. Algonquin’s program pages use the same language: Practical Nursing graduates are described as eligible to write the REx-PN and jurisprudence exam, and BScN graduates as eligible to write the NCLEX-RN and jurisprudence exam. Graduating does not itself grant a licence, and requirements can change, so confirm the current steps with CNO.
How to apply
Algonquin’s program pages direct Canadian applicants to ontariocolleges.ca, the Ontario colleges application service. The Practical Nursing and RPN-pathway pages mention a February 1 date for equal consideration for fall and winter admission, and the BScN page says international applicants use a separate portal. Dates and prerequisites change by intake, so confirm them on the program page.
How Fiabita’s Study Lab can help students here
Whether you start in the Practical Nursing diploma or move on to the RPN-to-BScN pathway, you will keep returning to the same material: assessment, medication knowledge and documentation. Study Lab can turn notes you paste in into practice questions and flashcards.
Related guides
Sources
Fiabita is not affiliated with Algonquin College. We summarized the pages below in October 2026 and link to them so you can check the current wording yourself.