How do I know how many years of college I would need to become a nurse?

Hi Franchesca, first, thank you for considering nursing. The number of years in college depends on the type of degree you want. An Associates degree is 24 months and a Bachelors Degree 4 years. If you eventually want an advanced degree at a Masters level or higher, of course, it requires more time.
It is sometimes possible depending on what is offered in the colleges and high schools in your area but it may be possible for you to qualify for and successfully complete courses in HS that apply to college credit shorting your college time.
Hope this is helpful.
Good luck
Sara

There are different requirements depending on what level you want to attain. There are Associate degree nurses (2 years) called LPNs, and there are 4 year nurses with a Bachelors degree. There is a difference in level of responsibility and pay with each. If you think you may be passionate about nursing and plan to make that your career, I would strongly suggest to go for your BSN because it opens so many more opportunities. Additionally, if you later are interested in furthering your career, the options include Clinical nurse specialist, Nurse practitioner, Clinical Nurse Leader, Nurse case manager, and more. Whatever you decide, you can be sure that nursing is an exciting and vast field with plenty of opportunities!