Last Updated: October 1, 2026
Program Overview
A 14-month, 74-credit accelerated BSN that integrates nursing theory, laboratory practice and simulation across four consecutive terms beginning in summer.
CSU Pueblo’s Degree-Plus Accelerated BSN is a full-time route for students with prior degrees and completed prerequisites. Its reality-based curriculum combines classroom and internet-supported learning with supervised clinical experiences.
The current Summer 2027 application specifies a prior bachelor’s degree in a health-science-related field. Students with other degrees should confirm eligibility with nursing advising before applying. The school coordinates clinical assignments; students provide transportation.
Accreditation
CSU Pueblo’s baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The university’s accreditation statement identifies its most recent baccalaureate decision as continuing accreditation. Graduates are prepared for the NCLEX-RN.
Admission Requirements
Admission is very competitive, with applicants assigned a score based on prerequisite GPA and holistic factors (first-generation status is considered, and completing prerequisites or a prior degree at CSU Pueblo earns special consideration). Requirements:
- Prior degree: The Summer 2027 accelerated application requires a conferred bachelor’s degree in a health-science-related field before the program starts.
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in nursing prerequisites; C or better in each (C− not accepted)
- At least 50% of prerequisites (14 credit hours) completed by the October 1 deadline; all prerequisites complete before the program starts
- Anatomy & Physiology I & II, Human Development, and Pathophysiology must be completed within five years
- Prerequisite courses may be repeated only once for admission eligibility
Apply to CSU Pueblo first, then submit the separate accelerated nursing application. The full-consideration deadline for Summer 2027 is October 1, 2026; late applications are considered as space permits. Contact nursing advising for eligibility and late-application instructions.
Accepted students must attend mandatory orientation and complete health and safety documentation: background screening, a 10-panel drug screen, CPR certification, a physical examination, immunizations, and health and malpractice insurance.
Required Prerequisites
- Anatomy & Physiology I & II, each with lab (within 5 years)
- Microbiology with lab
- Chemistry with lab
- Pathophysiology (within 5 years)
- Human Development (within 5 years)
- Statistics (Math or Statistics department prefix)
- World Language (institutional requirement)
Curriculum
The accelerated plan requires 74 nursing credits across summer, fall, spring and a second summer. For combined courses below, the credit total includes the required lecture, lab (L) and simulation (S) components; NSG 302 includes its lab. The Degree-Plus catalog plan confirms these semester assignments.
Required Courses and Credits
Summer 1 (17 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG 231 — Concepts for Professional Nursing | 2 | Introduces nursing history, theory, and essential concepts related to healthcare, professional integrity, and leadership. |
NSG 232 — Fundamentals of Nursing Care | 7 | Provides safe, patient-centered care using the nursing process and emphasizes collaboration, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement, with hands-on skill development and simulated patient-care scenarios. |
NSG 302 — Health Promotion and Assessment | 3 | Uses evidence-based practice to assess, analyze, and promote health across diverse populations and the lifespan, developing comprehensive assessment skills through clinical judgment. |
NSG 308 — Pharmacology in Nursing Practice | 3 | Covers pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics with a focus on safety, legal issues, and evidence-based medication management. |
NSG 331 — Healthy Aging | 2 | Applies evidence-based theories to promote healthy aging and support patient-centered care for older adults. |
Fall (20 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG 312 — Caring for Childbearing Family | 6 | Introduces care of the neonate and family during the perinatal period, with a focus on health promotion, high-risk management, and safety. |
NSG 322 — Caring for Adults I | 8 | Integrates assessment, pharmacology, and pathophysiology to deliver safe, evidence-based care to adults with acute and chronic needs. |
NSG 332 — Caring for Children/Families | 6 | Covers evidence-based care of children, adolescents, and families with an emphasis on health promotion and disease management. |
Spring (19 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG 351 — Evidence Based Nursing Practice | 3 | Analyzes and applies nursing research to practice and supports continuous quality improvement and patient-centered care. |
NSG 382 — Dynamics of Behavioral Health | 6 | Introduces evidence-based mental health concepts with a focus on health promotion and patient-centered behavioral health care. |
NSG 420 — Caring for Adults II | 8 | Provides evidence-based care for adults with complex health concerns and emphasizes teamwork in managing multiple patients. |
NSG 371 — Healthcare Informatics | 2 | Covers theory and ethical application of health informatics to support safe, effective, and efficient patient-centered care. |
Summer 2 (18 credits)
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG 442 — Global Public Health | 6 | Uses theory, research, and epidemiology to plan interventions for the health needs of diverse global populations. |
NSG 451 — Nursing Leadership and Issues | 3 | Explores leadership and management theories with an emphasis on quality improvement, evidence-based practice, integrity, and teamwork. |
NSG 452 — Synthesis of Nursing Practice | 9 | Prepares students for entry-level practice by integrating patient-centered care concepts for diverse health needs across the lifespan, managing multiple complex patients in various clinical settings. |
Students must earn B or better in every nursing course and maintain a 3.0 nursing GPA. A nursing-course failure leads to dismissal, with one opportunity to seek readmission under the published policy. The elective NSG 372/472 concentrated clinical practicum is for the basic BSN pathway and is not part of this accelerated plan.
Clinical Training
Clinical practice, skills laboratories and simulation continue throughout all four terms. The School of Nursing assigns clinical sections with partners in Pueblo, Colorado Springs and other southeastern Colorado communities; students do not arrange their own placements.
The currently linked undergraduate handbook permits day, evening, night and weekend clinical experiences. During the first three weeks of each semester, students must be available Monday through Sunday for clinical laboratories and agency orientations. Students supply transportation, and placement preferences based on work, childcare or carpooling are not guaranteed.
On-campus simulation provides realistic scenarios and equipment for developing clinical judgment before and alongside patient-care experiences. Actual schedules depend on the course and clinical agency.
Tuition
Estimated nursing tuition is $25,292.82 for eligible Colorado residents after COF, using the 2026–27 tuition schedule across the verified 17-, 20-, 19- and 18-credit terms. The estimate includes the $38.74-per-credit nursing differential, but excludes mandatory fees and living costs.
The resident student-share rate is $315.86 per credit after COF, with base student-share tuition capped at 18 credits per term. That produces $22,426.06 in base tuition plus $2,866.76 in nursing differential across all 74 credits. At the published nonresident base rate and cap, estimated tuition including that differential is $52,055.56.
Fees are additional and substantial. The fall/spring mandatory-fee table lists $1,971.54 at 18 credits per term; summer charges and any overload fees must also be included in an individual budget. The 2026–27 course-fee schedule lists a $220 nursing lab/simulation charge and a $300 undergraduate nursing-course charge per student; it does not establish a full-program total for those charges.
See the university’s tuition and fee schedules for resident, WUE and other categories. COF eligibility and authorization affect resident cost. These are current-rate estimates across a 14-month program; later rate increases, books, uniforms, tests, clinical clearances, CPR, insurance and living expenses can increase the amount paid.
Financial Aid
Complete the FAFSA annually and explore university scholarships, federal student loans and work-study according to eligibility. Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree generally do not qualify for Federal Pell Grants, so a general undergraduate aid budget should not be treated as a second-degree aid offer.
Contact Student Financial Services at financialaid@csupueblo.edu or 719-549-2753 for an individual assessment, including prior borrowing and remaining eligibility.