New grad RN jobs and nurse residency programs, state by state

Most application rounds are short

Can you work before you pass the NCLEX?

Every state at a glance

Guides

• When do nurse residency applications open?Every hospital sets its own rounds, and most are short: half of the 33 rounds we confirmed this cycle were open 10 days or less. How the timing works and how not to miss one.
• How to get into a nurse residency programA step-by-step plan for new grad nurses: when to start, what programs ask for, how to prepare your resume and interview, and what to do if you are not picked.
• Nurse residency or new grad RN job?How a nurse residency differs from a regular new grad RN job, what ANCC PTAP and Vizient/AACN mean, and how to choose between them.
• New grad nurse resume and cover letter tipsWhat to put on a new grad RN resume and in what order, how to write a short cover letter for each hospital, and how to get ready for the interview that follows.
• New grad nurse interview questions and how to answer them33 questions new grad RNs hear in residency interviews, grouped by what the panel is testing, with what each one listens for, how to build answers from your clinicals, and what to ask back.
• New grad RN salary by stateWhat registered nurses earn in every state, from the federal OEWS survey (May 2025), with the 25th percentile as a guide to starting pay. National median: $97,550.
• The Nurse Licensure Compact for new gradsWhich states are in the Nurse Licensure Compact, how a multistate license works for a new graduate, and what to do if you want to work in one of the 10 places outside it.
• Can new grads work before passing the NCLEX? Every stateIn 29 of the 50 states and DC, a new graduate can work under supervision on a permit before passing the NCLEX; in 14 you wait for your license. Each state's rule, read on its own law or board page.
• NCLEX-RN pass rates by state, 2025In 2025, 86.7% of 192,916 first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passed the NCLEX-RN. The rate in every state and DC, from NCSBN's own figures, and what it does and does not tell you.
• The best states for new grad nurses, by the numbersEvery state ranked on two numbers a new grad cares about: starting-level RN pay (BLS 25th percentile) and how many first-time NCLEX candidates there are for each new-grad program we track. California, Alaska and Oregon lead.

By specialty

• New grad ICU and critical care residenciesSome hospitals hire new graduates straight into intensive care through a residency with a critical care track.
• New grad emergency (ER) residenciesEmergency departments do hire new graduates, usually through a residency with an emergency track.
• New grad labor and delivery residenciesLabor and delivery is one of the hardest units to start on as a new graduate.
• New grad pediatric and NICU residenciesChildren's hospitals and pediatric units run some of the best-known new-grad residencies, and many hire for the NICU and pediatric ICU as well as general pediatrics.
• New grad operating room (perioperative) residenciesOperating rooms hire new graduates through perioperative residencies that teach circulating, and sometimes scrubbing, over several months.
• New grad med-surg residenciesMedical-surgical units hire more new graduates than any other area, and most residencies include med-surg spots.

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