This study was undertaken to investigate the general characteristics of students, which include the degree of satisfaction, motives of admission, the recognition of advantages and disadvantages, opinion of students on self-directed learning, and planning and anticipatory effects after graduation. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey over a period of four months, from May 1997 to August 1997. The subjects used for this study consisted of 322 RN students sampled from six RN-to-BSN programs in Korea using the census sampling method. Statistical methods employed for this study included discriptive statistics, M ANOVA, and F-test. The results of the study are as follows 1. The RN students' motives of admission to RN-to-BSN programs were ‘for personal advancement’, ‘to earn a BSN degree’, and ‘for professional development’ in this order. 2. The RN students' responses to the advantages of RN-to-BSN programs were ‘acquisition of new knowledge and a BSN degree’ and ‘to gain professional thinking and a broader view’, while as the disadvantages of RN-to-BSN programs were ‘geographical isolation of institutions’, ‘limitation of information’, and ‘underdeveloped school environments’ in this order. 3. The survey based on opinions toward self-directed learning showed that there was a need of detailed guidelines for self-directed learning. Most agreed that it was a very effective learning method for a RN student, and the self-directed learning method Increases motives for learning. 4. The students' anticipatory effect after graduation were ‘self-achievement’, ‘development of professional skills’, and ‘admission to post-graduate school or programs to study abroad’. 5. The students were very satisfied with the quality of faculty members, and satisfied with the quality of lectures and teaching. However, students were unsatisfied with rented lecture rooms, and very unsatisfied with self-directed learning methods. 6. School nurses showed higher statistical significances in the need for teaching material and anticipatory effect after graduation than other RN students working in hospitals and public health agencies. Also, school nurses, public health nurses, and industry nurses showed higher statistical significances in motives of admission than RN students working in hospitals. Further more, staff nurses, school nurses, and industry nurses showed higher levels of satisfaction toward a RN-to-BSN programs than nurses in higher positions, such as administrators or directors of nursing. 7 City residents were more satisfied with RN-to-BSN programs than rural residents. Otherwise, the rural residents had higher motives for admission, a bigger need for teaching materials, and recognition of the disadvantages of RN-to-BSN programs than city residents. Finally, RN students who earned below a monthly income of ￦1,000,000 showed higher motivation for admission than those who earned more than ￦1,000,000.