Last Updated: October 5, 2026
Program Overview
Georgia Southern’s Savannah ABSN combines 57 nursing credits over three consecutive semesters with campus instruction, simulation and assigned clinical practice.
The program serves applicants who already hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree and begins each fall on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah. Its accelerated coursework leads to the BSN and preparation to seek RN licensure.
The St. Joseph’s/Candler Nursing Suite provides 8,193 square feet of simulation space. Students combine classroom learning with skills practice and clinical experience as they move into adult, specialty and community care.
Program Format and Attendance
Campus learning: The ABSN is an in-person program based in Savannah. Plan to attend required classes, skills sessions, simulation and clinical experiences throughout all three terms.
Clinical travel: Assignments may be up to 100 miles outside greater Savannah. Arrange transportation and enough schedule flexibility for the program’s assigned learning experiences.
Admissions Requirements
Degree and GPA: Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university at the time of application. The minimum 3.2 prerequisite GPA uses Statistics, Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Microbiology with lab, Pathophysiology and Lifespan Development.
- Complete all prerequisites before applying; in-progress prerequisites do not meet this requirement.
- Earn C or better in Statistics and required Field of Study courses.
- Complete Field of Study sciences within five years of application.
- Repeating even one Field of Study science course because of failure makes an applicant ineligible for the ABSN.
- Meet the program’s Core Performance Standards and applicable legal requirements for licensure.
HESI A2
Earn at least 75% in each of Anatomy and Physiology, Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and General Knowledge, and Math. Scores must be no more than one year old at application.
Application Steps and Final Deadline
The fall application window runs from the first Monday in January through the first Monday in February. For the upcoming fall 2027 cycle, that is January 4 through February 1, 2027.
- Apply to Georgia Southern and obtain university admission. The published university application fee is $30; the program lists waivers for prior applicants and dual-enrollment students.
- Use the Eagle ID and Georgia Southern student email to complete the separate ABSN application.
- Attach unofficial Georgia Southern and other-college transcripts and unofficial HESI scores. Incomplete applications are not reviewed.
- Allow three to four weeks after the deadline for review and monitor the student email account for the decision.
- Accepted students submit a photo ID to hold their seat and complete student-funded background and drug screening.
Admission is competitive; meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee a seat. Keep contact information current and review the program’s application instructions for the entering cycle.
Prerequisites
- Anatomy and Physiology I with lab — four credits
- Anatomy and Physiology II with lab — four credits
- Microbiology with lab — four credits
- Pathophysiology
- Introduction to Statistics
- Lifespan Development
Transfer review: If Anatomy and Physiology I and II were taken at different institutions, submit both syllabi for review. Postbaccalaureate students receive credit for Core IMPACTS and health/physical-education requirements with exceptions including Statistics and U.S./Georgia history and government.
Complete remaining Core IMPACTS and history/government requirements before starting nursing coursework. Georgia Southern accepts applicable credit or examinations for history/government proficiency; have an adviser confirm the transfer record.
Curriculum
The 57-credit nursing major contains 12 required courses. Foundational skills, assessment and pharmacology support adult and specialty care; community nursing, leadership and critical analysis integrate the professional role near completion.
Required Courses and Credits
Foundations and Evidence
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 4113 — Research | 3 | Research methods, critical appraisal and applying evidence to nursing practice and population health. |
NURS 4201 — Skills and Essentials of Nursing Practice | 5 | Fundamental nursing concepts and safe, culturally responsive skills through theory, simulation and clinical learning. |
NURS 4202 — Health Assessment | 4 | Health history, physical assessment and distinguishing normal findings from changes requiring nursing care. |
NURS 4203 — Professional Nursing Practice | 3 | Professional roles, basic nursing concepts and therapeutic, culturally sensitive care. |
NURS 4204 — Comprehensive Pharmacology | 5 | Medication actions, safe management, collaboration and patient teaching across acute and chronic illness. |
Adult and Specialty Care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 4207 — Adult Health Nursing I | 7 | Evidence-based nursing care for adults and families experiencing simple to chronic health alterations. |
NURS 4208 — Mental Health Nursing | 5 | Therapeutic communication, mental health promotion, risk reduction and recovery in psychiatric care. |
NURS 4209 — Women’s & Children’s Nursing | 6 | Family-centered maternal, newborn and pediatric care, including at-risk pregnancy and community settings. |
NURS 4211 — Adult Health Nursing II | 7 | Clinical reasoning and evidence-based care for adults and families with complex health needs. |
Community Care and Professional Transition
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 4210 — Community Health Nursing | 5 | Population health, disease prevention, health promotion and policy influences on disparities. |
NURS 4212 — Leadership and Management Capstone | 6 | Managing nursing care, quality decisions, change, healthcare technology and transition to the professional role. |
NURS 4214 — Critical Analysis | 1 | Application and synthesis of nursing knowledge and skills within professional practice standards. |
Required coursework totals 57 credits; prior-degree and prerequisite credit are separate from this nursing major. Labs and clinical learning accompany applicable nursing courses, and separately registered zero-credit lab sections do not add degree credits.
Progression: After one ABSN course failure, students meet with the program director and may be offered a traditional BSN place if space permits. More than one ABSN failure results in dismissal; withdrawal permits application to the next fall traditional cycle.
Students who fail out of a nursing program may be considered after two years for one readmission per track, meeting current entry requirements and restarting nursing courses. Review the 2026–27 catalog and cohort plan with an adviser.
Clinical Experience
Skills, simulation and clinical learning develop assessment, clinical judgment and care across adult, psychiatric, maternal/pediatric and community settings. The Armstrong simulation suite supports preparation for patient-care experiences.
Placement eligibility: Students must satisfy each clinical agency’s screening, health and workplace requirements. Failure to clear a background check or drug screen prevents clinical attendance and completion of the program; students pay associated costs.
Graduate employers: Georgia Southern lists Memorial Health, St. Joseph’s/Candler, Emory Healthcare and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as organizations where graduates work. These examples do not establish a guaranteed clinical assignment or employment offer.
Tuition and Costs
Estimated resident tuition: $8,505 using the 2026–27 Armstrong rate and three terms billed at the 15-credit cap. This is a conservative current-rate tuition estimate; the actual placement of Research and other coursework can lower the total.
Resident tuition is $189 per credit, capped at $2,835 for 15 or more credits per term. Nonresident tuition is $710 per credit, capped at $10,650; three capped terms total $31,950 before fees.
The published final clinical term includes 12 credits. If the three-credit Research course is completed within an earlier capped term, the nursing tuition calculation is $2,835 + $2,835 + $2,268 = $7,938 resident, or $29,820 nonresident; taking Research in the final term or separately can bring tuition to the higher estimate.
- Mandatory Armstrong fees: $431 per full campus term, or $1,293 over three terms at current rates.
- Nursing charges: The current schedule lists a $35 nursing lab fee per applicable course and $17 nursing liability insurance. Charges depend on registration and assessment frequency.
- Budget separately for books, uniforms, supplies, background/drug screening, clinical travel, health requirements and living costs.
The bursar’s 2026–27 tuition and fee schedules distinguish Armstrong rates from Statesboro. Prerequisite or additional degree courses are separate; future academic-year changes may raise actual charges.
Accreditation
Georgia Southern’s baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and its prelicensure programs are approved by the Georgia Board of Nursing. The university holds institutional accreditation through SACSCOC.
The university states that the program’s educational activities qualify graduates to take the RN licensing examination in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and four named U.S. territories. Graduates must also meet the licensing board’s other requirements; verify the destination jurisdiction before enrollment.
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