Last Updated: October 1, 2026
Program Overview
Harding’s Rogers-based hybrid ABSN combines online theory, local nursing labs and a Christian curriculum, with January, May and August starts.
Harding University’s Accelerated BSN can be completed in 16 months after the required preparatory coursework. Applicants may enter with at least 64 previous college credits or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, subject to a transcript and prerequisite review.
Students attend skills and simulation labs at the Rogers learning site and clinical placements in the region. The online coursework does not remove the need to live within reach of these in-person requirements.
Accreditation and Outcomes
Harding’s baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
Harding’s ABSN program outcomes report the following for 2025:
- First-time NCLEX pass rate: 93.94%.
- Program completion rate: 77.08%.
- Employment rate: 100%.
These are the ABSN-labeled results. Harding publishes separate figures for its other nursing pathways.
Admissions Requirements
Admission requirements include:
- At least 64 prior college credits or a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field.
- A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA on the ABSN website; the 2026–27 hybrid-program catalog requires 2.78 pre-nursing GPA for unconditional admission.
- Completion of required prerequisites.
- A HESI A2 composite score of at least 70, with two attempts allowed under the hybrid-program catalog. The ABSN website lists biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, critical thinking, personality and learning style components.
- A character reference from someone other than a family member.
- The ability to attend labs and clinicals near the Rogers site.
The catalog calculates pre-nursing GPA using chemistry, anatomy and physiology I and II, microbiology, and pathophysiology. Science and nursing courses may be attempted only twice for unconditional consideration.
Applicants with a 2.5–2.77 pre-nursing GPA may be considered for a part-time conditional route; this is not guaranteed admission to the standard 16-month sequence. The catalog requires a 3.0 nursing GPA after two part-time semesters to progress to full-time unconditional status.
An admissions counselor reviews previous coursework and the requirements for the chosen cohort. Anatomy and physiology taken more than five years earlier may need review; relevant healthcare experience may support an exception.
Harding offers January, May and August starts. The ABSN admissions process provides the appropriate application steps and cohort availability.
Prerequisite Courses
The 2026–27 hybrid-program catalog identifies 34 credits required before nursing admission, with a C or better:
- Anatomy and Physiology I with lab — BIOL 2420/2420L, 2400/2400L or 3200/3200L, 4 credits.
- Anatomy and Physiology II with lab — BIOL 2425/2425L, 2405/2405L or 3210/3210L, 4 credits.
- Microbiology with lab — BIOL 2430/2430L, 2410/2410L or 3400/3400L, 4 credits.
- Chemistry with lab — CHEM 1020/1020L, 1010/1010L or 1040/1040L, 4 credits.
- FCS 3310, Human Nutrition — 3 credits.
- MATH 1200, Elementary Statistics — 3 credits.
- NURS 1000, Introduction to Nursing — 1 credit.
- NURS 3010, Social Determinants of Health, or SOC 2030, General Sociology — 3 credits.
- NURS 3020, Lifespan and Human Development for Nurses — 2 credits.
- NURS 3630, Pathophysiology for Nursing Practice — 3 credits.
- PSY 2010, General Psychology — 3 credits.
These are the catalog’s designated pre-nursing requirements, not every general-education requirement for the degree. Previous coursework must also satisfy applicable university core requirements through the transfer review.
Curriculum
Harding’s hybrid ABSN combines online nursing theory with skills labs, simulation and supervised clinical care. The 2026–27 hybrid-program requirements identify 57 credits after nursing admission, including the required nursing mathematics course. Prerequisites, Christian studies and other university requirements are accounted for separately.
Students begin by developing assessment, nursing judgment and practical care skills. Gerontological Nursing and Nursing Practice Interventions Lab are taken in the first semester after admission, followed by Pharmacology in the second. The curriculum develops care of patients across the lifespan and across chronic, acute, mental-health and community settings, then integrates advanced care, research, leadership and preparation for RN practice.
Required Courses and Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
MATH 1110 — Fundamentals of Mathematics for Nurses | 1 | Ratios, percentages, metric conversions and medication-dose calculations. A B or higher is required. |
NURS 2030/2030L — Health Assessment | 3 | Interviewing, physical assessment, simulation and documentation, with attention to culture and developmental stage. |
NURS 3000 — Professional Nursing | 5 | Nursing judgment, safety and evidence-based care for adults; combines theory with laboratory or clinical practice. |
NURS 3540 — Gerontological Nursing | 2 | Assessment and care planning for older adults, caregiver communication, patient education and wellness. |
NURS 3620L — Nursing Practice Interventions Lab | 2 | Practice nursing interventions, use clinical judgment and healthcare technology, and develop safe procedural skills. |
NURS 3210 — Pharmacology and Nursing | 3 | Medication effects, safe administration, monitoring, patient teaching and accountability in drug therapy. |
NURS 3450 — Maternity and Women’s Health Nursing | 4 | Care for women and childbearing families, linking health promotion with nursing interventions; 45 clinical hours. |
NURS 3500 — Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing | 4 | Evidence-based adult mental-health care in acute and community settings; 45 clinical hours. |
NURS 3510 — Nursing Adults with Chronic Health and Rehabilitation Concerns | 5 | Use assessment, simulation and patient care to manage chronic illness, complications, medications and rehabilitation needs. |
NURS 3550 — Pediatric Nursing | 4 | Developmentally appropriate care, family communication, prevention and advocacy for children; 45 clinical hours. |
NURS 4200 — Nursing Adults with Acute Health Concerns | 5 | Combine simulation, case studies and clinical reasoning to manage acute adult conditions; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 4530 — Community Health Nursing | 4 | Assess population needs, social determinants and access to care, working with community agencies; 45 clinical hours. |
NURS 4540 — Advanced Medical Surgical Nursing | 5 | Manage complex, high-acuity adult care through advanced judgment, safety and interprofessional collaboration; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 4400 — Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses I | 2 | Evaluate quantitative and qualitative research and judge its relevance to clinical care and quality improvement. |
NURS 4410 — Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses II | 1 | Build on NURS 4400 to review evidence and develop and present a patient-centered quality-improvement proposal. |
NURS 4550 — Nursing Leadership and Management | 4 | Apply leadership, teamwork, communication and responsible resource use in patient care; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 4620 — Nursing Capstone Experience | 3 | Develop a professional portfolio, assess learning outcomes and prepare for licensure and transition to practice. |
Total | 57 | Required post-admission course group listed for the hybrid program. |
Clinical Integration and Final Capstone
Clinical learning is integrated into the nursing courses rather than deferred until the end. Assessment uses simulation and laboratory practice; Professional Nursing includes six laboratory or clinical hours per week. Specialty courses apply that preparation to adult, maternity, pediatric, psychiatric and community care.
NURS 4620 is taken in the graduation semester. Its focus is professional development, portfolio preparation and readiness for the national licensing examination. The catalog specifies 45 licensing-exam preparation hours, in addition to two lecture hours per week; these are not bedside clinical hours.
Preparatory Coursework and Christian Studies
The 34-credit prerequisite list above remains separate from this nursing-course table. It includes NURS 1000 Introduction to Nursing, NURS 3020 Lifespan and Human Development for Nurses, and NURS 3630 Pathophysiology for Nursing Practice. They are not counted again in the 57-credit group.
Christian studies remain part of the degree. The hybrid catalog names BNEW 3022 New Testament Survey, BOLD 3022 Old Testament Survey and BDOC 3022 Christian Faith and Vocation, each worth 2 credits, as courses satisfying the Scripture, Truth and Ethics requirement. Nursing admissions determines Bible-course enrollment during progression, taking account of the individual transfer and degree plan.
Clinical Experience and Travel
Students develop skills through simulation and laboratory work at the Rogers site before applying them in supervised patient care. Clinical specialties include adult, community, mental-health, obstetric and pediatric nursing.
Harding names Mercy Hospital Northwest, Vantage Point Behavioral Health Hospital and Arkansas Children’s Hospital among its clinical partners. Its program welcome page describes placements around Rogers and Fort Smith; students should budget for regional travel rather than assume every rotation is close to the learning site.
Before clinical participation, Harding requires health and immunization documentation, current CPR certification, health insurance, background checks and a 10-panel drug screen. Students are responsible for transportation and must have access to a car throughout the program.
Tuition and Costs
Harding publishes the following accelerated-phase charges:
- Tuition: $60,480 — 64 credits at $945 per credit.
- Nursing fees: $5,100.
- Technology fees: $2,400.
- Combined published tuition and these fees: $67,980.
The published tuition uses 64 billed credits. Harding’s 64-credit ABSN plan includes six Bible credits and the one-credit Introduction to Nursing course alongside nursing and mathematics coursework. The current catalog lists 57 post-admission credits and places Introduction to Nursing among the prerequisites; the tuition estimate therefore follows Harding’s published billing basis rather than multiplying the 57-credit table by the per-credit rate.
Prerequisites, books, equipment, uniforms, a suitable computer, travel, living expenses and licensure costs are additional. Individual required coursework depends on the approved degree plan and transfer evaluation.
The current hybrid catalog also gives approximate personal-expense allowances:
- Uniforms and identification: $250.
- Nursing equipment: $175, plus $75–$300 for a stethoscope.
- Laptop: $1,000.
- Transportation: $1,050 per semester, based on $25 per trip and 42 trips.
- Senior licensure expenses: $450.
These are planning allowances rather than additional tuition charges, and actual spending varies. These are current published estimates, not a guarantee that rates will remain unchanged throughout enrollment. Financial aid depends on individual eligibility.