Program Overview
New York-Presbyterian Is In the Name — Clinicals Begin Week Six
Most ABSN programs list clinical partners. Iona’s nursing school is named after one. The NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences is a formal co-branded partnership with NYP — ranked among the nation’s top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report — giving students clinical access that most New York nursing programs negotiate years to secure.
By week six of the program, students begin clinical practicums. Upon graduation, Iona students are considered for full-time positions within the entire NYP network.
Alumni work across 20+ named New York healthcare employers, from Memorial Sloan Kettering and Mount Sinai to Northwell Health and NYU Langone — a placement record that reflects what a named hospital partnership produces in real employment outcomes.
The 90% NCLEX first-time pass rate (December 2023) and 100% employment within six months close the argument.
ABSN Admission Summary
Admission is competitive; the rigorous curriculum and pace favor applicants with strong science backgrounds, though students from all undergraduate majors are eligible. A grade of B or better is required in all science prerequisites — Iona accepts C+ only for prerequisites completed on campus.
Academic requirements:
- Completed bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
- B or better in all science prerequisite courses completed outside Iona; C+ minimum if completed at Iona
- All prerequisite coursework must be completed within 5 years of enrollment
Eight required prerequisite courses:
Sciences — in-person lab required for all three; B or better:
- General Chemistry with lab (CHM 107 or equivalent)
- Microbiology with lab (BIO 118 or equivalent)
- Human Anatomy & Physiology I and II with lab (HS 136 & HS 137 or equivalents) — two separate courses
Other requirements:
- Developmental Psychology (PSY 441 or equivalent)
- College-level Algebra or higher (MTH 137 or equivalent)
- Statistics (MTH 270 or equivalent)
- Ethics — bioethics or medical ethics preferred
Application process:
- Submit application through Iona’s online portal (ABSN 2026 application is open)
- Submit official transcripts documenting bachelor’s degree and all prerequisite coursework
- Contact Victoria Porter at vporter@iona.edu or 914-633-2679 for personalized admissions guidance
- Student Financial Services provides FAFSA support and scholarship information
Post-acceptance requirements:
- Health and clinical compliance documentation before beginning clinical rotations
- All nursing courses must be completed with a grade of C+ or better
- Criminal background check may be required by clinical sites — students should review how criminal history may affect RN licensure eligibility in New York
Interprofessional Education:
All Iona nursing students participate in the university’s Interprofessional Education initiatives — structured collaboration with occupational therapy, mental health counseling, and social work students; mirrors real-world interprofessional team dynamics before graduation.
Curriculum
Sixty-one nursing credit hours are distributed across four terms over 16 months. The curriculum combines foundational knowledge (health assessment, pharmacology, pathophysiology, patient-centered care) with specialty clinical coursework across adult, gerontological, pediatric, behavioral health, maternal, and community nursing.
Three Clinical Judgment courses (A, B, and C) thread through the program as a progressive clinical reasoning sequence, and the final term’s Leadership and Synthesis course closes the arc toward professional role readiness.
Prerequisite Overview
Eight prerequisites required — sciences must include in-person labs; all must be within 5 years; B or better required (C+ if taken at Iona). See the admission summary above for the full list.
61-credit nursing sequence:
Foundations block:
NUR 3010 – Health Assessment
Introduces skills for comprehensive health assessments, emphasizing interviewing, health histories, and physical/psychosocial evaluation. Students learn to identify normal and abnormal findings across the lifespan and develop initial nursing plans using the nursing process.
NUR 3020 – Healthcare Perspectives
Explores the nursing profession through historical, theoretical, and ethical frameworks. Focuses on health disparities, healthcare systems, and interprofessional collaboration to address challenges in modern healthcare.
NUR 3100 – Pharmacology
Covers pharmacologic principles, including drug interactions, dosage calculations, and safe medication administration. Students integrate pharmacology with nursing care through interprofessional learning modules.
NUR 3110 – Pathophysiology
Examines alterations in human physiology and their impact on health. Emphasizes disease processes, risk factors, clinical manifestations, and nursing interventions, incorporating genetics and prevention strategies.
NUR 3180 – Nursing Care of Adults I
Focuses on nursing care for adults with acute and chronic health issues. Emphasizes holistic care, cultural competence, and the integration of the nursing process in clinical and community settings.
NUR 3200 – Foundations of Patient-Centered Care
Introduces the nursing profession and foundational skills, including safety, infection control, and clinical judgment. Students apply theory to practice in labs and clinical settings while building professional identity.
NUR 3250 – Clinical Judgment A
Develops critical thinking and decision-making skills in simulated and lab settings. Students practice the nursing process and refine clinical judgment through interprofessional education and evaluation tools.
Clinical specialty progression:
NUR 4010 – Nursing Care of Clients with Behavioral Health Needs
Explores nursing care for individuals and groups with behavioral and mental health conditions. Includes prevention, assessment, treatment, and exposure to diverse clinical settings.
NUR 4020 – Nursing Care of Diverse Populations
Focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating population-based interventions. Addresses chronic health conditions and community-based care for diverse populations.
NUR 4100 – Nursing Care of Women and the Childbearing Family
Covers nursing care during reproductive and childbearing cycles, addressing physiological, psychological, and cultural considerations. Includes clinical exposure to women and newborns.
NUR 4110 – Nursing Care of Children
Examines pediatric care, including growth and development, common health issues, and injury prevention. Emphasizes family-centered care and includes clinical experiences with pediatric patients.
NUR 4180 – Nursing Care of Adults II
Builds on foundational adult nursing care, addressing complex health issues and end-of-life care. Integrates cultural, spiritual, and ethical considerations into practice.
NUR 4200 – Research & Evidence-Based Practice
Introduces nursing research and evidence-based practice. Students develop skills in creating clinical questions, appraising evidence, and improving care through quality improvement projects.
NUR 4250 – Clinical Judgment B
Focuses on applying clinical judgment to complex adult and pediatric cases in labs and simulations. Students refine skills through interprofessional education and performance evaluations.
NUR 4350 – Clinical Judgment C
Integrates advanced clinical judgment and reasoning in simulated care for individuals and groups. Prepares students for professional practice through interprofessional education and skill evaluation.
Capstone sequence:
NUR 4300 – Leadership Development in Transitions to Professional Nursing
Prepares students for the transition to professional nursing. Focuses on leadership, career planning, and clinical preceptorship to develop professional identity and readiness for practice.
NUR 4500 – Nursing Leadership and Synthesis
Examines leadership and healthcare concepts, including advocacy, conflict resolution, and ethical decision-making. Prepares students for the NCLEX-RN and professional practice through content mastery and synthesis of prior learning.
The three Clinical Judgment courses (NUR 3250, 4250, 4350) form a distinctive progressive reasoning thread unique to this curriculum — a 5-credit arc across the full program that develops clinical judgment as a discrete, assessable competency rather than embedding it only within specialty content.
More curriculum details available in the course catalog: Iona ABSN Catalog
Clinicals
Clinical practicums begin by week six of the program — among the earliest clinical starts of any ABSN in this review. The NewYork-Presbyterian partnership provides primary clinical access to one of the nation’s most recognized health systems, with graduating students considered for full-time positions within the entire NYP network.
- Clinical start: Week 6 — interprofessional clinical practicums begin within the first six weeks of the program; NUR 3200 (Foundations of Patient Centered Care, 7 cr.) carries early clinical hours from the program’s opening months
- Primary clinical partner — NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital: The school is formally named the “NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences” — a co-branded partnership, not just an affiliation; students have access to one of the nation’s top-ranked hospital systems; graduates are specifically considered for full-time NYP employment upon completion
- Specialties with clinical components: Foundations and patient-centered care, adult health I and II, behavioral health, diverse populations/community health, maternal and childbearing family, pediatrics, and professional transition
- Named alumni employer network: BronxCare, Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Jacobi Medical Center, Lenox Hill/Northwell Health, Lincoln Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mercy Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital System, North Shore University Hospital, Northwell Health System, NYU Langone Health, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Westchester Medical Center, White Plains Hospital, and others
- Simulation: State-of-the-art Kelly Center for Health Sciences provides simulation lab facilities; students practice with medical equipment and mannequins in a skills environment before clinical rotation entry
- Interprofessional clinical learning: IPE initiatives integrate nursing students with OT, mental health counseling, and social work students in clinical learning environments — mirrors real-world care team dynamics
- Geography: Campus is in New Rochelle, New York — 30 minutes from Manhattan; clinical sites span the New York metropolitan area
Tuition
Estimated total program cost: ~$59,980 (4 terms × $14,995)
Iona charges a flat per-term rate for the ABSN that is separate from the standard undergraduate tuition schedule.
| Component | Per Term | × 4 Terms | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
ABSN tuition | $14,995 | 4 | $59,980 |
Nursing Assessment & Lab Fee | $1,150 | Up to 2 terms | Up to $2,300 |
Clinical Supervision Fee | $400 | Per term | Up to $1,600 |
Estimated program total | ~$63,880 |
Health Professions Scholarship: Iona awards $3,000 per academic year to ABSN students — approximately $4,000–$5,000 over the 16-month program depending on term structure, reducing effective net tuition meaningfully. Contact Student Financial Services to confirm scholarship application and renewal requirements.
Professional licensure fee: $270 added to the final award year Cost of Attendance for federal financial aid eligibility purposes.
At ~$59,980 in program tuition before fees, Iona is priced in the mid-range for the New York metro private ABSN market — less expensive than D’Youville (~$72,000–$75,000) and Dominican ABSN (~$57,000), and significantly below Linfield or Emory. The named NewYork-Presbyterian partnership, week-six clinical start, 100% employment rate, and 20+ named employer alumni network are the primary value differentiators at this price point.
See the official tuition page for more details: Iona University Undergraduate Tuition
Accreditation
The baccalaureate and master’s nursing programs at Iona University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), ccneaccreditation.org. Iona University holds regional institutional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Graduates are eligible to apply for NCLEX-RN licensure upon program completion. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Iona’s nursing program among the nation’s best for undergraduate nursing and has designated the university as a “Best Value” institution and a “Top Performer on Social Mobility.”