Last Updated: October 9, 2026
Program Overview
Drake’s campus-based ABSN begins in fall and combines a 51-credit, 12-month nursing curriculum with approximately 600 hours of clinical, lab and simulation learning and a final preceptor experience.
Drake University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Des Moines spans fall, spring and summer. Applicants enter after completing at least 70 undergraduate credits and the required prerequisites; a previous bachelor’s degree is not the sole admission route.
The program blends concept-based instruction, nursing skills and clinical practice. Students work across outpatient, community and acute care settings, with Broadlawns Medical Center identified as the primary clinical partner.
No admission exam is required, and NursingCAS applications receive rolling review until the class and waitlist are filled. Drake emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical care, health equity and patient advocacy.
Accreditation
The Iowa Board of Nursing has fully approved Drake’s ABSN, qualifying graduates to take the NCLEX-RN. Drake University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
The ACEN directory currently lists the baccalaureate program as a candidate for initial accreditation, effective May 14, 2025, with candidacy expiring May 14, 2027. Candidacy is not accreditation. ACEN listed an initial site visit for October 6–8, 2026; a scheduled visit does not establish that accreditation has been granted.
Drake states that, if ACEN grants initial accreditation through this candidacy process, the effective accreditation date will be May 14, 2025. Applicants should check the directory for the current decision and confirm licensure requirements for their intended state.
Published ABSN Outcomes
- 2025 inaugural graduating class, first-time NCLEX-RN: 72.2% (13 of 18).
- 2025 overall NCLEX-RN: 83.3% (15 of 18).
- 2025 on-time completion: 90% (18 of 20).
- 2025 job placement: 100% among the 15 graduates who obtained licensure (15 of 15), not all entrants or all graduates.
These are the university’s reported 2025 ABSN outcomes. Iowa’s calendar-year 2025 first-time licensure report separately records 72.22% among 18 Drake ABSN candidates. Drake’s website still labels 2026 results as pending; no 2026 rate is presented here.
Admission Requirements
Candidates are evaluated on the fit between their personal goals and the program’s mission, with prior education, work experience, honors, awards, service, and leadership all considered. Prior shadowing in a nursing setting is helpful but not required, and no admission exam is required.
- Submit an application through the Centralized Application for Nursing Programs (NursingCAS), including the Drake-specific questions
- Request official transcripts from all colleges attended, sent to NursingCAS
- Complete at least 70 credit hours of undergraduate coursework
- No minimum GPA is required, though a 3.0 (as calculated in NursingCAS) is considered competitive
- Complete all prerequisite coursework with a grade of C or higher by the end of the summer term before entering the program (AP scores require a 4 or higher)
- A maximum of 66 credit hours may transfer from two-year institutions combined
Drake admits one fall cohort annually. NursingCAS applications receive rolling review until the class is full and a sufficient waitlist is established; submit early rather than treating a start date as a deadline.
Prerequisite Courses
Drake requires at least 70 undergraduate credits before ABSN entry. For students entering in fall 2025 or later, the defined prerequisite areas below total 33 minimum credits, and the catalog specifies 37 general elective credits for students completing developmental psychology.
Required Prerequisites
- Anatomy and Physiology: two semesters with labs, either separate anatomy and physiology or the complete combined sequence — 8 credits.
- Microbiology with lab — 4 credits; a healthcare-major course is recommended.
- General/inorganic Chemistry with lab — 4 credits.
- General Psychology — 3 credits; must support entry to developmental psychology.
- Developmental Psychology across the lifespan — 3 credits; a combined child/adolescent and adult/aging sequence is accepted only when both courses are completed.
- Ethics or Sociology — 3 credits; nontraditional courses can be submitted for syllabus review.
- Nutrition — 2 credits; a healthcare-major course is recommended.
- Statistics — 3 credits; business, psychology and biological-science statistics are accepted.
- College-level English writing/composition — 3 credits; discipline-specific writing courses may be submitted for review.
The catalog also retains a generic 40-elective-credit statement alongside its 37-credit developmental-psychology note. Plan against the 70-credit minimum and obtain a transfer evaluation; individual equivalents can carry more credits than these minimums. Applicants must also satisfy Drake’s applicable university curriculum and graduation requirements.
Curriculum
The 2026–27 ABSN catalog requires 51 nursing credits across the 12-month fall–spring–summer sequence. Students move from professional foundations and assessment to specialty care, research and medication management, then complex and population care and professional transition.
The current requirements include dedicated specialty-population and second pharmacology courses, an integrated research/informatics course and population/community health. The table lists required courses without assigning an unsupported semester schedule.
Required Courses and Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 151 — Introduction to Professional Nursing | 3 | Nursing history, theoretical frameworks, professional responsibilities and interprofessional roles. |
NURS 152 — Pathophysiology and Pharmacology | 4 | Disease processes and foundational drug therapy, including dosage calculations, medication safety and patient teaching. |
NURS 154 — Health Assessment | 3 | Health histories and examinations across the lifespan, culture and social factors, documentation, lab practice and simulation. |
NURS 156 — Leadership and Transition to Professional Nursing | 4 | Ethics, delegation, collaboration, conflict and change management, professional transition and a clinical quality-improvement project. |
NURS 157 — Nursing Care of Specialty Populations | 3 | Pediatric, maternal/newborn and mental-health nursing, family-centered care, equity and developmentally appropriate interventions. |
NURS 158 — Pharmacology II | 3 | Medication management for specialty and critical-care populations, drug effects, safety, dosage calculation and access to treatment. |
NURS 159 — Nursing Research, Informatics, and Technology | 4 | Research appraisal and evidence-based care, electronic records, information systems, privacy, data security and emerging healthcare technology. |
NURS 160 — Care Management Concepts I | 3 | Foundational care concepts including oxygenation, perfusion, mobility, nutrition, fluid balance, infection and pain. |
NURS 165 — Care Management Concepts II | 3 | Expanded concepts including immunity, glucose regulation, reproduction, mood, addiction and psychosis across care settings. |
NURS 170 — Care Management Concepts III | 3 | Complex health needs and advanced care concepts, integrating evidence and clinical judgment. |
NURS 174 — Population and Community Health | 3 | Community assessment, health promotion, prevention, equity, disaster preparedness and program planning with a community partner. |
NURS 185 — Care Management Practicum I | 5 | Campus lab, simulation and clinical practice applying foundational nursing skills and judgment to individual care. |
NURS 190 — Care Management Practicum II | 5 | Lab, simulation and clinical care for chronic needs and maternal-child and mental-health specialties. |
NURS 195 — Care Management Practicum III | 5 | Lab, simulation and clinical practice managing individuals, groups and populations with complex needs. |
The three Care Management Practicum courses total 15 academic credits and combine lab, simulation and clinical work. Course credits do not establish a clinical-hour conversion. Nursing progression requires successful prerequisites and compliance with the college handbook and technical standards.
Clinical Experience
Drake currently describes approximately 600 combined clinical, lab and simulation hours. This is not a patient-care-only clinical-hour count.
Clinical learning covers outpatient, community and acute care, including intensive and emergent care experiences. Broadlawns Medical Center is the program’s primary clinical site, and students work with faculty and clinical nurse educators to build practice skills.
The final semester includes an immersive RN-preceptor experience, with final practicum placements tailored to students’ career interests. Across the three practicums, students progress from individual care to chronic and specialty needs and then complex patient and population care.
Students must meet technical standards for observation, communication, clinical skills, intellectual/integrative abilities and behavioral/social attributes. Reasonable accommodations are available through Drake’s Office of Access and Success.
Tuition and Costs
Estimated tuition at 2026–27 rates: $40,800. Drake’s tuition schedule, effective summer 2026 through spring 2027, sets ABSN tuition at $800 per credit. Applying that rate to the verified 51-credit curriculum gives $40,800 in tuition only.
This is a current-rate estimate across the full program, not a guaranteed cohort price. A fall-start sequence ends in summer of the next academic year, and later rates may increase actual tuition.
Fees and course materials are additional. The 2026–27 schedule lists full-time undergraduate activity fees of $130 and holistic wellness fees of $175 per semester, Course Ready materials at $267 per full-time semester, and a summer technology fee of $80. Confirm the ABSN-specific assessment of these charges; the general schedule does not establish a complete program fee total.
Budget separately for books and supplies, insurance, immunizations, background checks, transportation and living expenses. Course Ready costs and opt-out terms should be checked before purchasing materials separately.
Drake’s Pre-Nursing/Health Sciences 3+1 students may continue undergraduate scholarships during the fall and spring of their fourth year; their billing differs from standalone ABSN tuition. The final summer ABSN term is billed per credit for all students. Submit the FAFSA and review applicable state, federal and outside aid opportunities.
Related Programs
Drake also offers a Pre-Nursing pathway and a B.S. in Health Sciences/B.S. in Nursing dual degree (a 3+1 option with a different tuition structure) for students who want a combined route into the ABSN.
Compare Drake With Other Iowa ABSNs
Iowa ABSN Program Comparison (helps you choose the best fit)