Program Overview
A top-ranked path into nursing you can complete largely from home — Holy Family University’s Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN was ranked #1 in Pennsylvania for 2026, delivers coursework online with just one week on campus, and has its placement team arrange clinical hours in the student’s own community, all in 14 months.
The Holy Family University Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN is an intensive, full-time program designed for college graduates seeking one of the fastest routes to becoming a registered nurse. Students earn their BSN in just 14 months across four sessions, requiring only 59 credit hours. The program delivers coursework in a mostly-online format (a mix of synchronous and asynchronous sessions), complemented by one mandatory one-week, in-person residency for hands-on skills training.
RegisteredNursing.com ranked Holy Family’s accelerated Second Degree BSN programs the best accelerated BSN programs in Pennsylvania in 2026, and Holy Family nurses consistently achieve NCLEX-RN pass rates above the national average.
A private Catholic university, Holy Family offers this program at a competitive price point with strong, end-to-end student support.
Accreditation & Outcomes
The baccalaureate degree in nursing at Holy Family University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Holy Family University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
Holy Family nurses consistently achieve NCLEX-RN pass rates above the national average, and graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN.
ABSN Admission Summary
Admission to this accelerated, high-demand program is selective and includes specific geographic eligibility alongside academic requirements.
Geographic Eligibility
- Applicants must reside in Pennsylvania (excluding Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties) or in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, or Vermont
- Students who live locally (in the excluded metro counties) may instead consider Holy Family’s on-campus Second Degree Fast-Track BSN (14-month daytime or 22-month evenings/weekends)
Academic Requirements
- A baccalaureate degree in any field from an accredited college or university, earned before beginning the program
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA from the previous degree, plus a 2.75 GPA across all math and science prerequisites
- A personal statement and one letter of recommendation (from a supervisor or academic professor)
- Screening and health clearances as part of the admission process
Prerequisite Coursework
Prerequisites must be completed within the past 10 years with a grade of C or higher (2.0/C or greater for Statistics, 2.5/C+ or greater for others). Only one grade of C is allowed across all prerequisites, and courses may be repeated only once.
- Elementary Statistics (3 credits)
- Nutrition (3 credits, must be taught by a registered dietician)
- Anatomy & Physiology I with lab (4 credits)
- Anatomy & Physiology II with lab (4 credits)
- Microbiology with lab (4 credits)
Curriculum
The curriculum consists of 59 credit hours structured for full-time, intensive study, with courses taken in a specific sequence over four sessions.
It is designed to develop nurses with strong skills in critical thinking, cultural humility, and evidence-based practice, spanning health assessment, pharmacology, medical-surgical nursing, and specialized areas such as community and mental health nursing.
NUFT 202 Introduction to Professional Nursing (2 credits)
Introduces students to the Holy Family University BSN program and the nursing profession, focusing on critical thinking and the nursing process. Covers professional values, standards, and the evolving roles of nurses.
NUFT 204 Foundations of Nursing Practice (5 credits)
Focuses on fundamental nursing concepts and skills, with the nursing process as a foundation for clinical reasoning. Includes hands-on practice in a lab environment to build competency in basic nursing interventions and technologies.
NUFT 234 Nursing Pathways to Progress (3 credits)
Designed for students needing to address academic deficiencies in nursing courses. Offers a structured, individualized study plan, enabling students to continue in the program upon successful completion and as space allows.
NUFT 341 Medical-Surgical Nursing I (7 credits)
Provides an immersive introduction to health assessment and illness prevention within a concept-based framework. Includes clinical experiences to reinforce nursing care for patients facing specific health challenges.
NUFT 343 Applied Pharmacology for Nursing Care I (2 credits)
Covers pharmacology fundamentals, focusing on drug classifications, pharmacologic effects, nursing assessments, and family education. Applies to patients across the lifespan with various health issues.
NUFT 345 Nursing and Older Adult Health Promotion (2 credits)
Explores aging theories and wellness promotion for older adults, addressing physiological, psychosocial, and cultural considerations. Emphasizes the nurse’s role in coordinating care and advocating for older patients.
NUFT 347 Transition to Clinical Nursing (1 credit)
Facilitates integration of theoretical concepts into practice through group case study discussions, supporting a smooth transition into clinical nursing for 300-level students.
NUFT 349 Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (3 credits)
Focuses on mental health nursing across the lifespan, with emphasis on health maintenance, communication, and evidence-based practice. Examines the nurse’s role in mental health policy and care.
NUFT 351 Medical-Surgical Nursing II (7 credits)
Continues immersion into nursing with an emphasis on health restoration, palliative care, and clinical experiences for patients with complex health needs.
NUFT 353 Applied Pharmacology for Nursing Care II (2 credits)
Expands on pharmacologic care principles, addressing advanced pharmacotherapeutic approaches and family education across diverse patient needs.
NUFT 355 Research for Evidence-Based Nursing Practice (3 credits)
Introduces the research process, enabling students to critically interpret studies and apply findings to clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.
NUFT 431 Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family (4 credits)
Uses a family-centered approach to explore physiological and psychosocial aspects of childbearing. Clinical experiences focus on evidence-based care for both low- and high-risk pregnancies.
NUFT 433 Nursing Care of Children (4 credits)
Focuses on health promotion and restoration in children, emphasizing holistic and culturally sensitive care within a family-centered framework. Clinical experiences reinforce evidence-based pediatric care.
NUFT 435 Transition to Professional Role I (1 credit)
Offers an integrative review of essential nursing concepts through interactive exam preparation and concept discussions.
NUFT 442 Aggregate-Based Nursing Care (5 credits)
Emphasizes community nursing, with a focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and global health issues. Clinical experiences apply these concepts in real-world settings.
NUFT 444 Leadership (5 credits)
Covers leadership roles in nursing, patient safety initiatives, and healthcare trends, focusing on evidence-based practices and their impact on patient outcomes and healthcare economics.
NUFT 446 Transition to Professional Role II (1 credit)
Provides an integrative review through interactive applications to strengthen essential nursing concepts and prepare students for professional practice.
NUFT 461 Medical-Surgical Nursing III (5 credits)
Focuses on complex care in acute settings, addressing health assessments, illness prevention, and restorative care for patients with multi-system health issues.
More detail is available on the Holy Family online ABSN program page.
Clinicals & Residency
The program requires 504 clinical hours completed under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse preceptor.
Holy Family uses a Clinical Placement Support system:
- a dedicated placement team reaches out to sites and preceptors on the student’s behalf to identify an appropriate clinical site within the student’s own community, saving students the work of arranging placements themselves.
Students typically work six to twelve hours per week at their clinical site, where the preceptor provides direct supervision, daily feedback, and co-signs documentation.
Beyond clinicals, the program requires a one-week on-campus residency (held at the Newtown East campus during the eighth week of the first term) for required hands-on skills assessment, where students practice skills such as injections, assessments, and tracheostomy care in a high-tech simulation lab.
Tuition and Cost
Holy Family charges tuition at $857 per credit hour for the 59 required credit hours, for an estimated total of approximately $50,563 (plus additional fees). The program is advertised as more affordable than several local competitors, providing a cost-effective path to a quality BSN.
Confirm current figures via the official tuition page.
Other Holy Family Nursing Programs
Holy Family University offers other pathways for students at various career stages, including a Second Degree Fast-Track BSN Daytime (14-month, on-campus), a Second Degree Fast-Track BSN Evenings + Weekends (22-month, part-time), and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
Continue Researching ABSN Programs in Pennsylvania
View our Comparison of all Accelerated Nursing Programs in Pennsylvania (helps you choose)