Last Updated: October 7, 2026
Program Overview
Idaho State’s 12-month ABSN combines classroom and online instruction with campus-based skills practice and assigned Idaho clinical experiences across a Summer–Fall–Spring sequence.
Idaho State University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing serves students with a bachelor’s degree in another discipline. The published accelerated course plan contains 57 nursing credits, with one cohort beginning around the second week of May each year.
The program is offered in Meridian, Pocatello, Twin Falls and Coeur d’Alene at Kootenai Health. It prepares graduates for the NCLEX-RN and the subsequent requirements for RN licensure.
ISU began offering accelerated nursing in Meridian in 2002. A 2023 university partnership announcement reported more than 550 graduates since inception; that historical count does not describe the current graduating class or a current pass rate.
Program Format and Attendance
Classroom and online learning: Courses use a combination of classroom and online delivery. Laboratory, simulation and clinical experiences require in-person participation; students must live within daily commuting distance of their admitted campus.
Campus selection: Applicants rank their preferred and alternate campuses. Select an alternate only if you can attend there; admission can be offered at an alternate location and a move to the preferred campus is not guaranteed.
Clinical scheduling and travel: Assignments depend on availability and program needs. Students may travel up to 200 miles, stay overnight, and attend evening, weekend or overnight experiences; transportation and lodging are their responsibility.
Accreditation
ISU’s baccalaureate nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and approved by the Idaho State Board of Nursing. The university holds institutional accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
The BSN licensure disclosure identifies the program’s preparation for RN licensure in Idaho. Applicants planning to practice elsewhere should review that state’s requirements; a criminal-history issue can affect clinical clearance and licensure separately.
Admissions Requirements
- Be admitted to Idaho State University before applying separately to the School of Nursing. The university application fee is $50, and the September 2026 instructions list a separate $50 nursing application fee.
- The program’s admissions instructions require a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution before the May start; they allow applicants to finish a degree that was in progress at application.
- Complete every Set A prerequisite with C or better and a 3.0 Set A GPA. At least 12 Set A credits must use a 4.0 grading scale for the application calculation.
- Complete Set B prerequisites before enrollment, with C or better in each course and at least a 3.0 combined Set A and Set B GPA at admission. Set B courses can be in progress during the application semester.
- Take ATI TEAS 7 and earn at least 60% total. The September 2026 application instructions require testing within 18 months of the closing date.
- Meet a School of Nursing adviser to verify eligibility and receive access to the nursing application. Minimum eligibility does not guarantee admission.
Selection and Campus Offers
| Selection factor | Weight | Maximum points |
|---|---|---|
Set A prerequisite GPA | 65% | 65 |
ATI TEAS total score | 35% | 35 |
Applicants are ranked for available seats by campus preference. Remaining eligible applicants may receive alternate status; unused seats can be offered according to alternate campus selection and application score. Alternate status applies only to the current cycle, and applicants not admitted must reapply.
ISU’s 2023 partnership announcement described up to 50 Meridian seats, 40 in the Pocatello/Idaho Falls region and 10 Coeur d’Alene seats during that partnership’s first year. These are historical allocations; the current instructions tie admission to approved seats at each campus and do not publish a fixed current total for all four sites.
Application Dates and Steps
Final application deadline: February 15 at 5 p.m. The annual window opens November 15 at 8 a.m. The next window under that published schedule is November 15, 2026–February 15, 2027, for the May 2027 cohort.
- Apply to ISU and arrange official transcripts from every previous institution.
- Arrange adviser review early, preferably before the window opens. The program webpage directs applicants to meet at least two weeks before closing; do not wait until the final day to obtain application access.
- The September 2026 instructions require the TEAS by 5 p.m. five days before closing—February 10 under the annual schedule. If tested outside ISU, send scores to “ID STATE U Meridian” through ATI.
- Have any required prerequisite petitions approved before submitting the nursing application. The September 2026 instructions call for petition submission at least 15 days before closing; allow the published two-to-three-week review period and additional time around winter break.
- Use the electronic application access supplied by the adviser. Submit the signed Application Eligibility Calculator, requested academic records and applicant information, campus choices, essential-abilities and clinical-placement acknowledgments, and the nursing application fee.
- Submit the complete application and all required documents by the final deadline. Decisions are emailed around March 1 or early March; accepted applicants have 15 days from notification to accept or decline their seat.
Use the September 2026 application instructions and adviser-issued checklist for the entering cycle. Nursing advising can be reached at sonadvis@isu.edu or 208-282-2307.
Prerequisites
The two prerequisite sets total 42–44 credits: 24–26 in Set A and 18 in Set B. Transfer evaluation determines which requirements prior coursework satisfies; prerequisites are separate from the 57-credit nursing sequence.
Set A — Complete Before Applying
| Requirement | ISU course or approved equivalent | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Microbiology with lab | BIOL 2233 / 2233L | 4 |
Anatomy and Physiology I with lab | BIOL 2227 / 2227L or BIOL 3301 / 3301L | 4 |
Anatomy and Physiology II with lab | BIOL 2228 / 2228L or BIOL 3302 / 3302L | 4 |
Chemistry | CHEM 1101 or CHEM 1111 / 1111L | 3 or 5 |
Introduction to Psychology | PSYC 1101 | 3 |
Child Development | PSYC 2225 | 3 |
Cultural Diversity | Approved General Education Objective 9 course | 3 |
Set B — Complete Before the May Start
| Requirement | ISU course or approved equivalent | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Pathobiology or approved alternative | BIOL 2229 or BIOL 3306 (Healthspan) | 3 |
Nutrition for Health Professionals | NTD 3340 | 3 |
Information Research | LLIB 1115 or LLIB 1125 | 3 |
Medical Ethics | PHIL 2230 | 3 |
Statistical Reasoning | MATH 1153 | 3 |
Pharmacology for Nursing | DHS 3315 or PPRA 3315 | 3 |
Course age: The accelerated program webpage requires Pathobiology and Pharmacology within three years of the application date; it states no expiration period for other prerequisites. An expired course can be petitioned with its description, transcript, a statement explaining current use of the material and evidence of relevant work experience.
Transfer and petitions: The School of Nursing requires courses from regionally accredited institutions; its posted guidance excludes nationally accredited or unaccredited providers such as StraighterLine, Sophia Learning and Eagle Gate. A course that transfers as an elective rather than a direct nursing prerequisite needs a petition, and one course cannot satisfy two prerequisite requirements.
Petitions use the School of Nursing’s DocuSign process and take two to three weeks, excluding the winter-break pause. Submit course descriptions and transcripts, and a syllabus when requested; obtain approval before registering for uncertain equivalents and send final official transcripts directly to ISU’s Registrar.
Curriculum
The January 2026 accelerated plan confirms three consecutive 19-credit semesters, totaling 57 nursing credits. Summer builds assessment, foundations and mental-health practice; fall adds adult, family and older-adult care; spring integrates complex care, population health, leadership and professional transition.
Prior-degree holders are exempt from ISU general education requirements under the catalog after degree evaluation. Nursing prerequisites still apply, and all courses required for the nursing major must be passed with C or better. The catalog allows some course alternatives; the tables below follow the program-specific accelerated plan.
Required Courses and Credits
Summer — 19 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 3101 — Professional Nursing in the 21st Century | 3 | Nursing history, current professional issues, technology and health informatics. |
NURS 3110 — Foundations of Nursing | 3 | Nursing process, terminology, medication calculations, health promotion and interprofessional communication. |
NURS 3120 — Health Assessment | 2 | Health histories, interviewing, physical and psychosocial assessment, and initial care planning. |
NURS 3120L — Health Assessment Lab | 1 | Practice comprehensive and focused assessments and professional documentation; the plan lists 45 lab hours. |
NURS 3150C — Foundations of Nursing Lab | 3 | Apply fundamental nursing skills and safe, holistic care, including communication and documentation; 135 lab hours in the plan. |
NURS 4160 — Mental and Behavioral Health Across the Lifespan | 3 | Mental-health promotion, therapeutic communication, advocacy and nursing care for behavioral health conditions. |
NURS 4160C — Mental and Behavioral Health Practicum | 2 | Safe, ethical care and interprofessional collaboration in behavioral-health settings; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 3141 — Wellness Across the Lifespan | 2 | The current catalog describes nursing-student stress management, personal health and resilience strategies. |
Fall — 19 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 3131 — Nursing Care of Adults with Common Health Conditions | 3 | Nursing care for common adult illnesses, with assessment, patient-centered decisions and health restoration. |
NURS 3131C — Adult Health Nursing I Clinical | 3 | Apply nursing skills, assessment and safe adult care across care settings; 135 clinical hours. |
NURS 3331 — Introduction to Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice | 2 | Interpret and critically appraise nursing research and use current evidence in practice. |
NURS 4140 — Nursing Care of Infants, Children and Adolescents | 3 | Family-centered pediatric health promotion, prevention and management of acute and chronic conditions. |
NURS 4150 — Women and Childbearing Family Nursing | 2 | Evidence-based care for women, reproductive health, childbearing families and newborns. |
NURS 4150C — Women and Childbearing Family Nursing Practicum | 2 | Apply maternity and newborn nursing care in practice; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 3372 — Nursing Care of the Older Adult | 2 | Chronic and non-complex illness, aging-related changes, resources, wellness and dignity. |
NURS 3201 — Pharmacology and the Nursing Process | 2 | Medication classes, nursing implications and clinical decisions for safe pharmacological care. |
Spring — 19 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 4131 — Nursing Care of Adults with Complex Health Conditions | 3 | Complex illness, symptom management, caregiving, end-of-life care and patient advocacy. |
NURS 4131C — Adult Nursing Practicum II | 2 | Assess and manage complex adult conditions with interprofessional teams; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 4101 — Health Equity, Ethics and Legal Considerations in Nursing | 2 | Legal, ethical, regulatory and policy factors affecting equitable patient and population care. |
NURS 4200 — Population Health Management in Nursing | 3 | Population health issues, community interventions and prevention strategies. |
NURS 4201C — Community Health Nursing Practicum | 2 | Care for vulnerable individuals, families and rural communities in community settings; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 4221 — Leadership and Management in Nursing | 2 | Nursing leadership and improvements to care across practice, academic and policy settings. |
NURS 4221C — Nursing Leadership and Management Practicum | 1 | Practice team leadership and patient-safety advocacy through assigned experiences; 45 clinical hours in the plan. |
NURS 4420 — Transition to Professional Nursing Practice: Capstone | 2 | Precepted clinical integration of complex patient care, reasoning, leadership and delegation; 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 4445 — Professional Nursing Practice: Synthesis | 2 | Review and integrate nursing knowledge, technology and competencies for entry-level professional practice. |
The accelerated course plan, revised January 2026, supplies semester assignments, credits and listed practice hours. Course descriptions above summarize the current catalog; prerequisite credits and any transfer-dependent preparation are additional to the nursing sequence.
Clinical Experience
Verified clinical hours: The accelerated plan lists 630 clinical hours across seven practicums, including the capstone. Assessment and foundations laboratory hours are separate; they are not additional direct clinical hours.
When practice begins: The first summer includes skills labs and mental/behavioral-health clinical practice. Adult Health Nursing I Clinical appears in fall, followed by complex adult, community, leadership and capstone clinical experiences in spring.
Placement: Faculty and staff arrange clinical experiences; students must not independently approach a site or preceptor for placement. ISU’s Kootenai Health partnership supports Coeur d’Alene-area experiences, while other campuses use regional sites; a particular hospital or specialty placement is not guaranteed.
After Acceptance and Clinical Clearance
- Complete the acceptance agreement, final transcripts and remaining Set B courses by the deadlines in the acceptance letter. Admission remains conditional until all requirements are met.
- Attend mandatory orientation, approximately four weeks before summer classes according to the program webpage; the acceptance letter gives the actual date and registration instructions.
- The currently linked admission packet requires a physical examination within one year of its submission deadline, the Health Evaluation Form, proof of health insurance and required immunization records.
- Maintain American Heart Association BLS certification throughout the program; the packet does not accept HeartSaver certification.
- Complete the approved Idaho Department of Health and Welfare criminal-history evaluation during the assigned window and renew background screening annually.
- The linked packet also requires a two-year My Clinical Exchange account and a 12-panel drug test during the specified window. Clinical sites may require further testing.
Use the acceptance letter and School of Nursing FAQ for placement and compliance instructions. Failure to meet clearance requirements or a clinical agency’s restrictions can prevent completion of required clinical experiences.
Tuition and Costs
Estimated Idaho-resident nursing-sequence tuition: $9,777.36. This is a current-rate estimate of three full-time semesters at the published 2026–27 tuition-only rate of $3,259.12 per semester, before mandatory consolidated fees, nursing professional fees, prerequisites or living expenses.
Required fees: The 2026–27 schedule lists consolidated fees of $1,410.38 per full-time semester and an accelerated nursing professional fee of $1,612 per session, with three sessions annually. Applying those rates across the sequence gives $4,231.14 in consolidated fees and $4,836 in nursing professional fees—$9,067.14 in these required fees.
Estimated resident tuition plus those two fee categories is $18,844.50. The 57-credit plan has 19 credits each semester, qualifying for full-time billing rather than multiplying every nursing credit by the part-time rate.
Summer billing: ISU explicitly lists accelerated nursing as an exception to ordinary per-credit summer billing, using a full-time flat charge. Summer 2026’s published resident charge was $4,457 for tuition and consolidated fees together; it is not the 2026–27 tuition-only rate. The estimate above applies the latest 2026–27 full-time rates across all three terms, including summer, rather than predicting unpublished future charges.
Nonresident estimate: Three terms at the current $12,976.62 tuition-only rate total $38,929.86. Adding the same consolidated and nursing professional fees gives $47,997 before other expenses. WUE or Bengal Non-Resident Waiver awards may reduce eligible students’ charges; award eligibility and actual billing must be confirmed for the entering cohort.
- Budget separately for books, supplies, uniforms, equipment, insurance, BLS certification, background checks, drug screening and clinical compliance accounts.
- Transportation, possible clinical lodging, housing and meals are additional; the university’s standard annual housing budget does not establish a 12-month ABSN living-cost total.
- Prerequisite courses, extra coursework or additional semesters add charges.
- The School of Nursing advertises more than $100,000 in annual scholarships through BOSS; admitted students can check the April/May announcements. Complete FAFSA annually for consideration for applicable federal aid.
The current undergraduate tuition breakdown separates tuition from consolidated fees; the professional-fee schedule lists nursing charges. Actual May 2027–Spring 2028 costs may be higher if rates change; these estimates are not guaranteed package prices.
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