Last Updated: October 3, 2026
Program Overview
GCU pairs online nursing theory with regular in-person labs, simulation and clinical rotations at regional learning sites, with three annual starts and a Christian educational approach.
Grand Canyon University’s accelerated BSN nursing sequence takes as few as 16 months after required preparation. Applicants may enter with a prior degree or sufficient transferable college coursework; a previous bachelor’s degree is not mandatory.
Arizona students can attend East Valley in Chandler, Sun City, Tucson or West Valley in Phoenix. Online theory does not make this a remote-only degree: students must attend their assigned learning site and clinical facilities throughout the program. Florida students choose Jacksonville, Miramar near Miami, or Lake Mary near Orlando.
Admissions Requirements
Admission to the nursing sequence is a separate, secondary application process. Applicants need at least 60 applicable college credits, completed general education and prerequisites, and the required entrance-exam results. Students needing preparation can complete coursework through GCU before applying for the accelerated nursing portion.
- 3.0 cumulative admission GPA: calculated from the 60 required pre-nursing credits, including applicable GCU and transfer coursework.
- 3.25 prerequisite GPA: calculated from the designated prerequisite courses, including transferred equivalents.
- Official transcripts and a review of how prior coursework meets the program requirements.
- Approved background screening ordered within six months of the secondary application deadline; applicable fingerprint clearance for the selected state.
- Health documentation, drug screening, current CPR certification, health insurance and mandatory orientation before clinical coursework.
HESI A2 and application timing
The Fall 2026 handbook specifies an 80% English composite across reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary, 80% math, and 75% anatomy and physiology. Required scores must come from one attempt; current tests must be taken through GCU. Up to four attempts are allowed within the two-year validity window, with 14 full days between attempts.
Secondary applications are reviewed on a rolling basis for fall, spring and summer starts. The application and admission requirements are due at least seven days before the semester begins; applying earlier leaves time for transcript evaluation and clinical clearance. Students may submit up to three secondary applications, and admission is not guaranteed.
Applicants with prior nursing-program failures should review the specific eligibility restrictions in the current University Policy Handbook before planning a transfer.
Prerequisites and General Education
The catalog separates 24 prerequisite credits from 39 general education credits and the 60-credit nursing major. The prerequisite list contains six subject groups and nine individual lecture/lab courses:
- CHM-101 and CHM-101L: general, organic and biochemistry with lab — 4 credits.
- BIO-202 and BIO-202L: anatomy and physiology II with lab — 4 credits.
- BIO-205 and BIO-205L: microbiology with lab — 4 credits.
- BIO-322: applied pathophysiology — 4 credits.
- BIO-319: applied nutrition — 4 credits.
- PSY-357: lifespan development — 4 credits.
These prerequisites are subject to GCU’s seven-year recency rule. Its reference date depends on when the student first begins the relevant GCU program or applies for secondary admission, so older coursework needs an individual transcript review.
General education includes UNV-103 University Success, ENG-105/106 English Composition, MAT-144 College Mathematics, MAT-274 Probability and Statistics, BIO-201/201L Anatomy and Physiology I, PSY-102 General Psychology, CWV-101 Christian Worldview and SOC-102 Sociology. Each course or lecture/lab group carries four credits.
The remaining three general education credits are NSG-310 Introduction to Professional Nursing, taken during the clinical portion rather than before it. Transfer and waiver rules vary by course and prior education; a previous bachelor’s degree does not automatically satisfy every science or program requirement. Nevada students take POS-305 Nevada and U.S. Constitution instead of SOC-102.
Curriculum
GCU’s general accelerated plan, used in Arizona and Florida, combines online nursing theory with in-person labs, simulation and clinical placements. Students move from foundations and assessment into adult and specialty care, then complete population health, leadership, transition-to-practice work and an evidence-based capstone.
The BSN requires 123 credits. The accelerated portion includes a 60-credit nursing major plus three-credit NSG-310, which is why the tuition calculation uses 63 credits. NSG-310 is classified separately in the catalog’s general education requirements but is taken during the accelerated clinical portion. Prior general education and prerequisite requirements remain separate.
Required Courses and Credits
Professional preparation during the accelerated portion — 3 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG-310 — Introduction to Professional Nursing | 3 | Professional nursing roles, communication, expectations for nursing education and development of a professional practice identity. |
Foundations and adult care — 28 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG-300 — Foundations of Nursing | 4 | The nursing process, critical thinking and clinical reasoning for safe, culturally sensitive care; foundational skills and physiologic/psychosocial alterations. |
NSG-300C — Foundations of Nursing Clinical | 2 | Using clinical data and assessment findings to plan and prioritize adult patient care, integrating quality, safety and cultural awareness. |
NSG-316 — Health Assessment | 4 | Health histories and physical assessment across the lifespan, with interpretation of findings and communication of patient needs. |
NSG-318 — Introduction to Pharmacology | 3 | Pharmacologic principles, medication effects and nursing responsibilities for safe administration and evaluation of drug therapy. |
NSG-320 — Adult Health Nursing I | 5 | Nursing-process care for adults with health alterations, integrating assessment, evidence-based interventions and patient/family education. |
NSG-320C — Adult Health Nursing I Clinical | 3 | Applying adult-care concepts in assigned clinical settings with supervised assessment, care planning and therapeutic interventions. |
NSG-430 — Adult Health Nursing II | 5 | Adult health nursing for increasingly complex conditions, emphasizing clinical judgment, collaborative care and changing patient needs. |
NSG-430C — Adult Health Nursing Clinical II | 2 | Supervised adult nursing practice applying advanced assessment, care priorities and evidence-based interventions. |
Specialty and population health — 16 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG-322 — Behavioral Health Nursing | 3 | Behavioral and mental-health nursing, therapeutic communication and safe care for individuals with psychosocial needs. |
NSG-322C — Behavioral Health Nursing Clinical | 1 | Applying behavioral-health nursing concepts and therapeutic communication in supervised clinical learning. |
NSG-432 — Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family | 3 | Maternal/newborn nursing through pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period, including assessment and family-centered care. |
NSG-432C — Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family Clinical | 1 | Clinical application of childbearing-family nursing, including supervised maternal and newborn care. |
NSG-434 — Nursing Care of the Childrearing Family | 3 | Nursing care of children and families, integrating growth/development, health promotion and responses to illness. |
NSG-434C — Nursing Care of the Childrearing Family Clinical | 1 | Applying pediatric and family-centered nursing concepts through supervised clinical experience. |
NSG-440 — Population Health | 3 | Population health, community assessment, health promotion and prevention, with attention to determinants of health. |
NSG-440C — Population Health Clinical | 1 | Population-focused clinical learning applying community assessment, prevention and health-promotion concepts. |
Evidence, leadership and transition — 16 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NSG-324 — Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 | Research methods and appraisal of evidence to inform nursing decisions and evidence-based patient care. |
NSG-436 — Leadership, Ethics, and Policy in Health Care | 3 | Leadership, ethics and healthcare policy, including professional accountability, collaboration and quality care. |
NSG-444 — Transition to Practice | 4 | Integrating nursing knowledge, clinical judgment and professional roles in preparation for entry to practice. |
NSG-444C — Transition to Practice Group or Residency Clinical | 3 | Group or residency clinical experience integrating prior learning in supervised nursing practice before graduation. |
NSG-448 — Evidence-Based Project Capstone | 3 | Developing an evidence-based scholarly project that integrates research and nursing learning; separate from the transition clinical. |
Clinical Integration and Capstone
The Arizona plan includes 14 credits of C-designated clinical courses. NSG-444C is the transition clinical; NSG-448 is a separate evidence-based project and should not be counted as a patient-care rotation.
These subject groups do not assign courses to particular semesters. The Fall 2026 Academic Catalog identifies nursing-major courses as non-transferable and lists location-specific variants. These tables follow the general Fast and Accelerated Tracks plan, used for Arizona and Florida; students should follow their assigned cohort plan. Colorado differences are listed separately below.
Colorado curriculum differences
The Fall 2026 catalog also specifies a 60-credit Colorado nursing major plus NSG-310, for the same 63-credit accelerated billing basis. Colorado uses the clinical codes NSG-300CA, 320CA, 322CA, 430CA, 432CA, 434CA, 440CA and 444CA.
Compared with the Arizona table, Colorado assigns four credits to NSG-320CA and four to NSG-444CA, two credits to NSG-324A Research and Evidence-Based Practice, and three to NSG-444A Transition to Practice. Other corresponding course credits are unchanged. The Colorado CA courses total 16 clinical credits; this is not a patient-care clock-hour total.
Clinical Experience and Attendance
GCU combines online coursework with skills practice, simulation and supervised patient care. Students return to their learning site for required activities, including labs and testing, and travel to assigned healthcare facilities for clinical rotations.
Clinical subjects span adult health, behavioral health, maternal/newborn care, pediatrics, population health and transition to practice. The Arizona catalog’s eight courses carrying a clinical “C” suffix total 14 credits; those credits are not a count of patient-care clock hours. NSG-448 is a separate scholarly capstone, not an additional clinical rotation.
Regional placements do not guarantee a particular facility or a short commute. Plan transportation around the assigned learning site and clinical schedule, and confirm travel expectations before accepting a place. GCU’s Lopes nursing simulation facilities provide supervised practice alongside the clinical curriculum.
Arizona NCLEX-RN results
The Arizona Board of Nursing reports these calendar-year 2025 first-time RN examination results for GCU’s named Arizona programs. They describe the board’s reporting units, not a guarantee for a future cohort.
| Arizona reporting location | Passed / tested | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
Chandler | 88 / 95 | 92.63% |
Sun City | 110 / 122 | 90.16% |
Tucson | 49 / 50 | 98.00% |
West Valley | 118 / 125 | 94.40% |
See the board’s 2025 RN-NCLEX report for the reporting context. These figures should not be combined with older results from other states as though they describe one cohort.
Tuition and Additional Costs
GCU publishes $53,550 estimated tuition for the accelerated portion, calculated as 63 credits × $850. The university’s 2026–27 ABSN rate applies across locations and does not vary by residency. Tuition can change; the estimate is not a guaranteed price for future terms.
This covers the accelerated coursework, not all 123 degree credits from scratch. Students needing prerequisite preparation incur additional charges; GCU advertises online prerequisite coursework at $425 per credit. Transfer evaluation determines the amount of preparation needed.
The ABSN tuition page lists these costs separately from its tuition estimate:
- Health insurance and clinical placement software.
- Books, supplies, equipment, Canyon Connect and applicable course fees.
- Graduation fee; GCU’s published fee schedule lists $150.
- Transportation, housing and other personal living expenses also need a separate budget.
FAFSA-based aid and eligible scholarships may help finance the program. General online or traditional-campus scholarship examples should not be treated as an ABSN discount unless the award’s terms specifically include this program.
Florida Learning Sites and Attendance
GCU’s Florida accelerated nursing page lists three sites for the 16-month nursing sequence. Online theory is paired with required in-person skills labs, simulation, proctored exams and supervised clinical rotations.
- Jacksonville: 8800 W. Baymeadows Way, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256.
- Miami area/Miramar: 2901 SW 149th Avenue, Suite 200, Miramar, FL 33027.
- Orlando area/Lake Mary: 605 Crescent Executive Court, Suite 500, Lake Mary, FL 32746.
Three annual starts are offered, with completed preparation and secondary admission required before the nursing sequence. Plan to live within practical reach of your site and assigned facilities; hybrid delivery does not remove attendance or clinical travel requirements.
The published 63-credit accelerated tuition estimate applies to Florida as well as other locations. The Arizona NCLEX results above describe Arizona reporting units and are not Florida ABSN outcomes; Florida students should request results for their specific site and cohort.
Learning Sites
GCU’s ABSN location directory identifies the following regional options. Each requires in-person attendance; choosing online theory does not remove the need to live within reach of the selected site.
| State | Learning sites |
|---|---|
Arizona | East Valley / Chandler; Sun City; Tucson; West Valley / Phoenix |
Florida | Jacksonville; Miami / Miramar; Orlando / Lake Mary |
Idaho | Boise / Meridian |
Missouri | St. Louis |
Nevada | Las Vegas / Henderson |
New Mexico | Albuquerque |
Utah | Salt Lake / Sandy |
GCU’s Englewood, Colorado learning site offers the 16-month hybrid sequence with online theory and in-person labs, simulation and clinical rotations. The location began instruction in fall 2025. Applicants should review its location-specific approval and accreditation status before enrolling.
Accreditation
Colorado: GCU’s current Denver program disclosure states that its Colorado BSN does not yet hold national nursing accreditation and is pursuing initial CCNE accreditation. It describes interim Colorado Board of Nursing approval and provisional authorization from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. Institutional HLC accreditation and CCNE accreditation at other GCU locations should not be treated as nursing accreditation for the Colorado program.
GCU is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Its nursing accreditation page identifies CCNE accreditation for its baccalaureate nursing program, while the Englewood, Colorado BSN is pursuing initial CCNE accreditation; an application does not guarantee accreditation.
State nursing-board approvals and licensure requirements depend on location. Missouri applicants should review the state’s nursing licensure eligibility provisions, including Section 335.066, when evaluating the St. Louis pathway. Graduating prepares students to pursue the NCLEX-RN and licensure, but the applicable board makes the licensing decision.
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