Trinity Valley Community College ADN costs $10,605. Here is what it pays back.
An associate degree in nursing (ADN) in Kaufman, 2 years (4 long semesters). In 2025, 120 of its 137 first-time test takers passed the NCLEX-RN.
The short version
- Trinity Valley Community College ADN costs $3,773 more than Dallas College ADN, the lowest-cost RN path in the area, and $104,334 less than Arizona College of Nursing BSN.
- Its 2025 pass rate of 87.6% was within 1.0 points of the Texas average. In 2024 it was 0.1 points below.
These findings are generated from the numbers on this page and change when the data does. How we write them
Is it a fit for you?
Based on the program's schedule, length and requirements.
- Good fit: You have finished, or can finish, the 2 prerequisite courses.
- Less of a fit: You need a bachelor's degree at graduation.
Where the money goes
Three of every four dollars goes to tuition and fees, levels i to iv, 49 credit hours (in district). In-district generic pathway estimate from the 2025-26 handbook. Prerequisites (11 hours) are listed separately at $1,038, for a printed total of $11,643. The program page gives a rounder undated estimate of about $10,000 in district and $15,000 out of district. Licensure fees are not itemized and may fall under the $800 miscellaneous Level IV line.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, Levels I to IV, 49 credit hours (in district) | $8,166 |
| Books and syllabi (nursing courses) | $680 |
| Skills lab kit, uniforms, lab scrubs, shoes, scissors, stethoscope, lab coat, watch, patches and name badge | $480 |
| Immunizations, physical, TB, background check, document manager and fingerprints | $414 |
| Miscellaneous Level IV expenses | $800 |
| Extra HESI diagnostic exam (if needed) | $65 |
| Total 1 | $10,605 |
Not included: prerequisite courses and living costs. 2025-26 estimate.
When it pays you back
If you set aside 10% of the Dallas RN median wage, about $845 a month, the $10,605 cost is covered in about 1.0 years of work.
Before taxes and loan interest, and assuming work starts right after licensing. Red is money still owed to yourself; green is money ahead. Why we use 10%
The real cost of getting licensed
The program price is not the whole bill. Here is what stands between today and a license, with what we know and what we don't.
| Piece | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisites (2 courses, plus an entrance exam) | $1,038 | Data coming soon |
| Trinity Valley Community College ADN | $10,605 | 2 years (4 long semesters) |
| Living costs while in school | Not included | |
| Total before living costs | $11,643 | 2 years (4 long semesters) |
Prerequisite courses at Trinity Valley Community College's own rates, from the same cost sheet. Taking them elsewhere can cost more or less. How we count cost
Will graduates pass the NCLEX-RN?
In 2025, 120 of Trinity Valley Community College's 137 first-time test takers passed the NCLEX-RN. Its rate fell from 92.6% in 2024 to 87.6%, a larger drop than the statewide average. 2
Bars start at 75% so small differences are visible. National rates are on the methodology page. Earlier years: 3456
What nurses earn around Dallas
Payback time uses the middle wage. Here is the wider picture.
How it compares in the Dallas area
The 10 programs in the area that lead to an RN license.
| Program | Cost | Pass rate | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas College ADN | $6,832 | 90.5%181 of 200 | 0.7 yrs |
| Trinity Valley Community College ADN (this program) | $10,605 | 87.6%120 of 137 | 1.0 yrs |
| Navarro College ADN | $11,475 | 90.3%65 of 72 | 1.1 yrs |
| Chamberlain College of Nursing BSN, Irving | $101,080 | 82.4%84 of 102 | 10.0 yrs |
| West Coast University Texas BSN | $113,979 | 92.2%213 of 231 | 11.2 yrs |
| Arizona College of Nursing BSN | $114,939 | 69.1%65 of 94 | 11.3 yrs |
| Collin College ADN | Not published | 94.7%230 of 243 | Can't calculate: cost |
| South College Dallas ADN | Not published | Data coming soon | Can't calculate: cost |
| Baylor University BSN | Not published | 96.1%348 of 362 | Can't calculate: cost |
| East Texas A&M University BSN | Not published | 79.2%38 of 48 | Can't calculate: cost |
Similar programs
Picked by rule from programs with published data, never by payment.
Program facts
- Length
- 2 years (4 long semesters)
- Schedule
- In person at the Terrell Health Science Center, about 3 to 4 days a week; clinicals in Terrell, Kaufman and Dallas
- Starts
- Fall
- Before you apply
- BIOL 2401 and PSYC 2301 or EDUC 1300 completed or in progress, BIOL 2402 before nursing courses, TSI completion, and HESI A2 scores of 79% Reading and 75% Math and Grammar.
- Entrance exam
- HESI A2
- Credential
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), eligible for NCLEX-RN
- Board approval status
- Data coming soon
- Accreditation
- Data coming soon
- Sector
- Public community college
The lowest-cost LVN program ($3,966) costs less than the lowest-cost RN program ($6,832).
What changed
- Nov 2026Total cost recorded from the school's estimate (2025-26 estimate): $10,605.
- Apr 20262025 pass rate added: 87.6% (120 of 137).
- Apr 20252024 pass rate added: 92.6% (113 of 122).
- Apr 20242023 pass rate added: 92.6% (125 of 135).
- Apr 20232022 pass rate added: 87.9% (87 of 99).
- Apr 20222021 pass rate added: 90.4% (104 of 115).
Sources and dates
- Trinity Valley Community College, Health Science Center Handbook 2025-26 (PDF), ADN estimated expenses, 2025-26 estimate.
- Texas Board of Nursing, Report of 2025 NCLEX-RN Examination Pass Rates (Board Meeting, April 2026, item 3.2.13), April 2026.
- Texas Board of Nursing, Report of 2024 NCLEX-RN Examination Pass Rates (Board Meeting, April 2025, item 3.2.12), April 2025.
- Texas Board of Nursing, Report of 2023 NCLEX-RN Examination Pass Rates (Board Meeting, April 2024, item 3.2.15), April 2024.
- Texas Board of Nursing, Report of 2022 NCLEX-RN Examination Pass Rates (Board Meeting, April 2023, item 3.2.5), April 2023.
- Texas Board of Nursing, Report of 2021 NCLEX-RN Examination Pass Rates (covers Oct. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2021) (Board Meeting, April 2022, item 3.2.6), April 2022.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, May 2025.
Every number was checked against its source on Nov. 1, 2026. Spot an error? Report it. Program Outcomes is independent and not affiliated with any school or the Texas Board of Nursing. Our independence policy