Last Updated: September 30, 2026
Program Overview
ASU offers a 12-month accelerated BSN at Downtown Phoenix and West Valley, with a community-based Learn Where You Live option that combines live remote instruction and local hands-on learning.
The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s accelerated pathway includes 50 nursing credits across three consecutive terms, including summer. Those credits combine theory, laboratory work, experiential learning and clinical practice; they are not all direct patient-care credits.
The program primarily serves students earning a second bachelor’s degree. Eligible first-degree students may also be considered through a separate advancement route. Admission is competitive, and preferred locations depend on available clinical capacity.
Admissions Requirements
Postbaccalaureate applicants must be admitted to ASU and complete the College’s separate clinical nursing advancement process. Use the current advancement application and applicant guides, which distinguish postbaccalaureate and first-degree requirements.
For spring 2027, the postbaccalaureate guide requires:
- A completed qualifying bachelor’s degree, or documented fall 2026 degree completion by December 14, 2026.
- A 3.00 prerequisite GPA, with C or better in prerequisite courses.
- At least seven of ten prerequisites completed when applying, including three of five designated sciences.
- No more than three prerequisites in progress, including no more than two sciences; final grades must reach ASU by December 14, 2026.
- A completed Course Information Worksheet, official transcripts and a valid TEAS result.
- Compliance with ASU enrollment, academic-standing and health-and-safety requirements.
ASU calculates the prerequisite GPA without plus/minus grades. The guide permits individual review below 3.00 when space remains, but the final prerequisite GPA must reach 3.00 to retain placement. Applicants who advance typically exceed the minimum; meeting it does not guarantee admission.
TEAS and Selection
Competitive applicants need a minimum TEAS score of 58.7%. Scores remain valid for two years, attempts must be at least 14 days apart, and ASU considers the highest valid score.
The competitive advancement score weights prerequisite GPA and TEAS equally. Submit official results early enough to meet the applicable deadline; remote-exam results may take three business days. First-degree applicants should follow their own guide rather than assume the postbaccalaureate requirements apply unchanged.
Starts and Deadlines
- January: Downtown Phoenix and selected Learn Where You Live communities; September 1 priority advancement deadline.
- August: West Valley; February 1 advancement deadline.
ASU’s spring 2027 guide lists January 11, 2027 entry and community choices in Ganado, Parker, Payson/Gila County and Tucson. Late spring applications may receive space-available review if all requirements can be met before entry. Check the current cycle rather than treating a recurring date as an assurance that seats remain available.
Prerequisites and Transfer Credit
The postbaccalaureate guide identifies ten prerequisite subjects totaling 35 credits:
- BIO 201 and BIO 202: anatomy and physiology I and II with laboratories, eight credits combined.
- CHM 101: introductory chemistry with laboratory, four credits.
- MIC 205 and MIC 206: microbiology with laboratory, four credits combined.
- HCR 240: human pathophysiology, four credits.
- CDE 232 or PSY 341: human development or developmental psychology, three credits.
- HCR 220: health professions and the U.S. healthcare system, three credits.
- NTR 241: human nutrition, three credits.
- PSY 101: introductory psychology, three credits.
- Statistics: three credits.
Transfer equivalents require approval before the advancement deadline. ASU’s Transfer Guide supports course-by-course evaluation; general education certification or a prior degree does not automatically satisfy nursing prerequisites. Discuss substitutions and repeat-course options with an Edson advisor.
Curriculum
The accelerated curriculum develops nursing competence from beginning through developing and accomplished levels. It integrates health-and-illness concepts, professional responsibilities, clinical practice and application of evidence.
ASU’s published accelerated nursing major map illustrates the course sequence below. Follow the assigned catalog and cohort plan for registration.
Beginning Nursing Practice
- NUR 310: introduces health and illness concepts.
- NUR 320: develops clinical practice.
- NUR 330: addresses professional nursing attributes.
- NUR 331: provides experiential learning.
- NUR 400: integrates concepts across the lifespan.
Developing Nursing Practice
- NUR 315: covers nursing research and its application.
- NUR 321: extends clinical practice.
- NUR 332: extends experiential learning.
- NUR 327: develops health and illness concepts.
- NUR 401: integrates concepts across the lifespan.
Accomplished Nursing Practice
- NUR 322: deepens clinical practice.
- NUR 328: addresses management of complex conditions.
- NUR 333: develops experiential learning.
- NUR 350: develops professional attributes for transition into practice.
- NUR 402: integrates care across the lifespan.
The published map assigns ten credits to clinical-practice courses and ten to experiential-learning courses. These are academic credits, not a statement of direct clinical hours. It specifies C grades for graded nursing courses and Y for the clinical-practice courses.
Clinical Experience and Attendance
Students should plan for a schedule comparable to full-time employment. ASU’s guide describes lectures one to three days weekly, clinical practice at least one day and simulation or experiential learning at least one day, varying by term.
Campus cohorts use clinical organizations throughout metropolitan Phoenix. Shifts may occur on weekdays or weekends, during days, evenings or overnight; a typical 12-hour shift can require about 13 hours on site. Placements and schedules may change within a semester, and students supply their own transportation.
Simulation occurs at Grace Center locations at the Health Futures Center or Downtown Phoenix–Mercado, with possible mobile-unit experiences. Downtown Phoenix students may have courses at the Health Futures Center depending on the semester.
The Learn Where You Live option combines scheduled ASU Sync instruction with in-person clinical, simulation and experiential learning. Students must reside and be physically located in Arizona. Confirm the community’s attendance sites before enrolling; remote lectures do not make the program fully online or eliminate travel.
Applicants use Complio for health compliance. Requirements include immunization documentation, CPR, screening and health clearance, with staged deadlines; the spring 2027 guide places most initial health requirements before October 1, 2026 and later instructions for selected students’ remaining clearances.
Tuition and Costs
Quick Facts shows $6,089 per semester for Arizona-resident base tuition, using ASU’s fall 2026 rate for seven or more credits. This is not the price of the full three-term ABSN, and it excludes mandatory fees and the substantial nursing program charge.
The fall 2026 tuition schedule separately lists a $175 tuition surcharge, $404 student-initiated fee and $100 advanced technology fee at that enrollment level. Postbaccalaureate nursing has a separate program fee; do not assume the generic college-fee column represents the entire nursing charge.
ASU’s postbaccalaureate nursing cost guidance lists $5,500 per semester in program fees, additional to tuition and mandatory registration fees. Across three terms, that is $16,500 in program fees alone at the listed rate.
Summer is billed differently: the summer 2026 resident schedule lists $591 per credit with no tuition cap, before applicable fees. That is a summer 2026 rate, not a guaranteed summer 2027 charge. Use ASU’s tuition estimator with the correct program, residency and enrollment for each term.
Nonresident charges differ. Budget separately for books, equipment, uniforms, health compliance, transportation and living expenses. Tuition and fees may change; financial aid and nursing scholarships depend on individual eligibility.
Accreditation and NCLEX-RN
ASU’s baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the Arizona Board of Nursing. Graduates prepare for the NCLEX-RN and must meet licensure requirements in the state where they intend to practice.
The Arizona Board’s calendar-year 2025 report lists 79.63% first-time NCLEX-RN passage for ASU Accelerated BS: 86 of 108 candidates. This identifies the accelerated reporting group and year; it is not a guarantee of an individual student’s result. See the Board’s RN results.