Last Updated: October 9, 2026
Program Overview
Allen’s campus-based 12-month ABSN starts in summer and fall and combines clinical and simulation learning with a final 225-hour RN-precepted internship.
Allen College in Waterloo offers a full-time Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing completed in three consecutive semesters. Students complete 54 nursing credits at Allen after satisfying the program’s general education requirements.
The degree requires 124 total credits: 70 general education credits and 54 nursing credits. Applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree complete only the prerequisite checklist’s starred requirements before entering the nursing sequence.
Allen is part of UnityPoint Health and provides patient contact beginning in the first semester. The accelerated track uses in-person coursework; the college’s separate two-year Hybrid BSN has a different format.
Summer and fall cohorts use rolling admission, with decisions generally issued three to four weeks after an application file is complete.
Accreditation
Allen’s baccalaureate nursing degree is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing. Allen College is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Iowa’s published calendar-year 2025 report lists a 92.11% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate among 94 Allen College BSN candidates. This is a school-level BSN result, not an accelerated-track-only result.
For historical context, Allen’s linked outcomes sheet reports 98.29% among 117 first-time BSN testers in 2022, compared with Iowa’s 82.42% and the national 82.48% that year. Use the reporting year and population when comparing results.
Admission Requirements
Allen College uses a holistic admission review balancing academic achievement, work experience, extracurricular involvement, leadership, community service, and diversity. Meeting the criteria does not guarantee admission — top applicants are accepted each term.
Academic Requirements
Transfer applicants must have at least 25 college credits before admission review, a 2.8 minimum cumulative college GPA and a 3.0 minimum GPA in the specified core courses. Core prerequisites require C or better; remaining general education courses require C− or better.
The core GPA includes composition, oral communication, introductory sociology and psychology, lifespan development, A&P I and II, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition and statistics. For applicants with a previous bachelor’s degree at application, the admissions document uses its starred courses for the core GPA: lifespan development, A&P I and II, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition and statistics.
A&P I, A&P II, chemistry and microbiology may each be attempted only twice. The separate early-admission route is for applicants with fewer than 25 college credits and requires a 3.0 cumulative high school GPA.
- Completion of 70 general education prerequisite credits at a regionally accredited institution
- Transcripts from outside the United States must be evaluated by Educational Perspectives as a Catalog Match
- Official AP score reports sent using code 3610 (if applicable)
- Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree at the time of application complete only the starred (*) prerequisite requirements
Professional Requirements
One of the following is required prior to starting the program:
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification
- Health Support Professional (HSP) certification
- Successful completion of Allen College NU 250 Clinical Skills I
Current LPNs may take a competency exam through NACE and may be exempt from NU 335 Fundamentals of Clinical Nursing. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. Under the Iowa Code, certain felony convictions may affect licensure eligibility (reviewed by the state board of nursing after program completion).
Application Process
Follow the official application checklist, including additional application questions emailed to the admissions office. All materials must arrive before review.
- Submit the online application through the application portal
- Pay the non-refundable $50 application fee
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges attended (and a high school transcript for Early Admission applicants)
- Applicants from another nursing program must provide a letter of good standing from the previous institution
- Files are reviewed on a rolling basis, with decisions 3-4 weeks after completion (all materials must be received before review)
Prerequisite Courses (70 credits)
Students complete 70 general education credits at another regionally accredited institution before beginning the BSN at Allen College. Applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree need only complete the courses marked with an asterisk (*).
Humanities (15 credits)
- Written Composition – Intermediate Level (3)
- Oral Communication (3)
- Humanities Electives (9) – art, music, theater, dance, English, foreign language, philosophy, history, cultures, civilization, literature, religion, or communication arts
Social Sciences (15 credits)
- Introduction to Sociology (3)
- Introduction to Psychology (3)
- Lifespan Growth and Development* (3)
- Psychology or Sociology Elective* (3)
- Other Social Science Elective (3)
Natural Sciences & Mathematics (18 credits)
- Anatomy & Physiology I with Lab* (3)
- Anatomy & Physiology II with Lab* (3)
- General Chemistry with Lab* (3)
- Microbiology with Lab* (3)
- Human Nutrition* (2)
- Statistics* (3)
- Natural Science Elective (1)
Additional Requirements (22 credits)
- Diversity Elective – a course exploring another culture (3)
- General Electives – any college-level coursework (19)
Applications can be submitted before all general education requirements are complete, but all prerequisite coursework must be finished before starting at Allen College.
Curriculum
The accelerated curriculum progresses from nursing foundations and assessment to specialty and complex adult care, then population health, leadership and the professional internship. The three-term nursing sequence totals 54 credits; the complete BSN requires 124 credits including 70 general education credits.
Required Courses and Credits
Term 1 — 16 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NU 253 — Perspectives of Professional Nursing | 3 | Professional roles, person-centered and population care, scholarship, quality, safety and teamwork. |
NU 280 — Health Assessment | 3 | Adult health histories and examinations, interpreting findings, lifespan and cultural variations, communication and patient education; 2 theory and 1 lab credit. |
NU 290 — Pathophysiology | 4 | Acute and chronic physiological responses to illness at cellular, tissue and whole-system levels. |
NU 335 — Fundamentals of Clinical Nursing | 6 | The nursing process, clinical judgment, safe adult care and evidence-based skills; 3 theory, 1 lab and 2 clinical credits. |
Term 2 — 19 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NU 320 — Pharmacology | 3 | Drug classes, medication effects, safe administration, monitoring and patient and family education. |
NU 360 — Mental Health Nursing | 3 | Mental illness, coping, therapeutic communication and clinical interventions; 2 theory and 1 clinical credit. |
NU 401 — Maternal-Child Nursing | 5 | Family-centered maternal and pediatric care, development, prevention, ethics and social determinants; 4 theory and 1 clinical credit. |
NU 408 — Adult and Aging Adult Nursing | 8 | Complex adult and older-adult care, clinical judgment, loss, grief and end-of-life needs; 6 theory and 2 clinical credits. |
Term 3 — 19 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NU 427 — Professional Nursing Concepts | 5 | Research appraisal, evidence-based practice, policy, healthcare economics, delivery systems and quality improvement. |
NU 450 — Community and Public Health Nursing | 3 | Community assessment, prevention, health planning, disparities and population care, including service-learning; 2 theory and 1 clinical credit. |
NU 460 — Nursing Leadership and Management | 3 | Leadership, communication, management, professionalism and evidence-based clinical decisions. |
NU 493 — Transition to Professional Practice: Internship | 8 | Professional transition, prioritization, delegation, time management and NCLEX preparation; 3 theory and 5 clinical credits. |
Current LPNs may take a NACE competency examination before entry and may qualify for exemption from NU 335. NU 250 Clinical Skills I is a preparatory option for the CNA/HSP admission requirement, rather than an extra required course in the 54-credit ABSN sequence.
Clinical Experience
The accelerated track includes 540 hours of hands-on clinical and simulation experience across acute care, specialty care, and community-based agencies, with patient contact beginning in the first term. Clinical components run through all three semesters — fundamentals in Term I; mental health, maternal-child, and adult/aging adult in Term II; and community/public health (with service-learning) plus the professional-practice internship in Term III.
The program culminates in a 225-hour internship during the final semester, working one-on-one with an assigned RN preceptor to build clinical judgment, time management, prioritization, and delegation.
Pediatric clinical learning takes place at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, and students develop skills in the college’s Simulation Center for Clinical Excellence before and alongside live rotations.
Tuition and Costs
2026–27 tuition: $39,366. Allen’s published ABSN cost sheet lists $729 per credit; 54 nursing credits at that rate equal $39,366. The published budget spreads tuition over three 18-credit semesters, while the curriculum assigns 16, 19 and 19 credits.
Fees are additional. The official budget estimates $5,820 in fees and $132 in federal student loan fees, for $45,318 in direct costs. This budget is an estimate rather than an individualized bill; Allen notes that charges differ when students do not register for 18 credits per semester.
- Lab/clinical-component fee: $61 per applicable credit hour.
- Graduation fee in the final semester: $275.
- NCLEX Complete Package: $3,310, charged between the first two semesters and subject to vendor cost.
- Professional membership: $40 annually.
- Lippincott, Iowa licensing and NCLEX registration charges: $473 listed separately as student-paid expenses that may apply after graduation and vary by state.
The $67,242 total cost-of-attendance budget includes books, housing, food, transportation, personal expenses and credential costs. It is not tuition. Prerequisite tuition, uniforms, CPR, background checks, travel and other course expenses can add to the cost.
The published assistance options include Iowa Tuition Grant, Pell and SEOG grants, institutional and outside scholarships, federal and private loans, nursing student loans and work-study. Eligibility varies; a student with a prior bachelor’s degree should confirm which aid programs apply.
Allen’s 2023–24 achievement report also describes Rural Tuition Grant and Last Dollar Scholar assistance. These historical awards do not establish current eligibility or funding; ask the financial aid office about availability.
This tuition calculation uses current 2026–27 rates for the full sequence. A fall-start cohort can extend into a later academic year; future rate changes may increase its actual charges.
Related Programs
Beyond the ABSN, Allen College offers a Traditional BSN (2-year, on-campus), a Hybrid BSN (2-year, online with limited onsite immersions; Iowa residents only), and graduate nursing programs (MSN, post-graduate certificates, and DNP pathways). The NU 250 Clinical Skills I course is available as an option for meeting the CNA admission requirement.