American River College

American River College in Sacramento is a public community college in the Los Rios Community College District that offers two RN pathways: a traditional Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and an LVN to RN Career Mobility (LPN to ADN) option for California LVNs who enter with advanced placement. The RN curriculum is structured as a two year sequence taught across four consecutive semesters, combining general education with nursing courses and related lab and clinical experiences. The program is impacted, meaning there are more qualified applicants than available seats, and admission uses a multi criteria process with a selection pool.

Students should plan for non tuition program expenses in addition to regular college costs. ARC lists startup program costs around $7,000 to $7,400, with students typically paying for items such as uniforms, lab fees, malpractice insurance, required equipment, and transportation to off campus clinical locations. For licensure, ARC notes about $575 in fees to take the RN licensing exam.

Coursework is concept based and organized as Nursing, Patient, and Healthcare Concepts I through IV (NURSE 400, 410, 420, 430). LVN to RN students complete a summer transition bridge course (NURSE 305) before moving into the second year sequence. Expect clinical scheduling to vary by site and semester, including morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend assignments, sometimes with limited notice. Progression requires a grade of C or better in each nursing course.

American River College’s RN graduates have an average weighted NCLEX-RN pass rate of 95.7%, which is above the 2024 California state average of 92.7%.

ARC is located in Sacramento, serving students commuting from across the metro area. Because clinical rotations are off campus and schedules can include early starts or evenings and weekends, many students plan for reliable transportation and extra commute time throughout the program.