For Ryann Hinkle, the process of applying to nursing school as a first-generation college student was discouraging.

But after six state schools denied her, San Diego City College said yes.

“That’s what stood out to me,” Hinkle said. “They took into account other things rather than what’s your GPA.”

Now months into her first semester, the 22-year-old admits the program is strict, with high expectations.

But she sees why.

“I think that’s why it leads to such high pass rates,” Hinkle said. “You would expect there’s a lot of work to be done, but you can see that there’s a reason for it in the end.”

The San Diego City College nursing program is now one of the best in the county.

“The faculty, the staff, the students are the blueprint for this program,” Dometrives Armstrong, the associate dean of the nursing program said. “And I am so honored to have a collegiate team that works hard, has expectations.”

In a recent ranking by nursingprogress.org, an independent educational resource for prospective students, City was named the No. 1 associate degree in Nursing (ADN) program in San Diego for 2023.

This comes after news earlier in the year that the City nursing program ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 2 in California.

The ranking cited City College’s ADN program’s “impressive pass rates” on the NCLEX-RN exam which is the national licensure examination.

Of the 47 students who graduated in fall 2022, all passed the exam a year later, according to Armstrong.

The California Board of Registered Nurses monitors state nursing programs for the NCLEX pass rates. Programs that do not meet the specified pass rates can be shut down, according to Armstrong.

“(The City faculty) are accountable,” Armstrong said, “and they just go above and beyond.”

Armstrong hopes to expand the program to include a bachelor’s degree in the future, similar to the cyber defense and security program, which is accepting applications now for fall 2024.

Armstrong said it would be an amazing addition to an already “stellar program.”