Last Updated: October 7, 2026
Program Overview
National Louis’s five-quarter hybrid ABSN begins clinical learning in the first quarter and combines online classes with required Chicago-area labs, simulation and placements.
National Louis University offers an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Hybrid pathway (ABSN-H) for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field. The professional sequence spans five quarters, approximately 15 months, and prepares graduates for the NCLEX-RN and the other requirements for registered-nurse licensure.
The current School of Nursing program page describes more than 720 clinical hours across adult, child, obstetric/gynecologic, behavioral and population health, followed by an immersive clinical experience. Students need to live within driving distance of the downtown Chicago campus and its metropolitan clinical sites.
Program Format and Attendance
Hybrid classes: Nursing classes combine asynchronous online work with scheduled synchronous sessions that apply concepts to clinical situations. The cohort format provides continuing interaction with faculty and classmates.
In-person requirements: Labs and simulation take place at the Chicago campus’s Center for Simulation and Interprofessional Education on Michigan Avenue. Clinical assignments may occur on any day, including weekends, and during daytime or evening hours; students arrange and pay for their own transportation and parking.
Accreditation and State Approval
National Louis University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and its BSN program is approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation/Illinois Board of Nursing.
The university’s current accreditation-status listing identifies BS Nursing as seeking initial Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation in 2026. The school announced a February 2026 evaluation visit; a visit is separate from a decision granting programmatic accreditation. Applicants should check the current status before enrolling.
Admissions Requirements
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
- Have a 3.0 or higher cumulative undergraduate GPA. The pathway catalog permits applicants with 2.75–2.99 to petition for High Potential Admission; approval is not automatic.
- Earn C or better in required prerequisites. Science courses normally must be within five years; the catalog allows seven years when completed within a conferred associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
- Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended directly to documents@nl.edu. Course descriptions and syllabi are needed for program-specific transfer review.
- Be available for Chicago-area face-to-face labs, simulation and assigned clinical experiences.
- Apply through the university’s online application portal; the general application has no fee.
Prerequisites in progress: Applicants with missing coursework may enter a preliminary pre-nursing classification and work with an advisor. Full nursing admission and entry to NUR 204 require all applicable prerequisites to be complete; university admission alone does not guarantee entry to the professional nursing sequence.
GPA appeal: The nursing handbook describes an appeal supported by a personal statement and two recommendation letters about academic capability; an interview may be required. This is a separate review process for applicants below the usual GPA benchmark.
Application Timing
NLU uses rolling university admissions, but applicants must confirm the available ABSN-H cohort and nursing admission requirements. The 2026–27 nursing handbook requires admission requirements to be completed no later than 30 days before the academic term starts; do not treat a submitted university application as permission to begin nursing courses with prerequisites unfinished.
Prerequisites and Transfer Credit
- General Biology with lab
- Chemistry with appropriate organic and biochemistry content
- Microbiology with lab
- Anatomy and Physiology I with lab
- Anatomy and Physiology II with lab
- Introduction to Psychology
- Developmental/Lifespan Psychology
- Nutrition for Healthcare or an approved equivalent
- College Algebra or other approved college-level mathematics
- Statistics
Philosophy and healthcare ethics: Introduction to Philosophy or PHI 107 must precede PHI 205, but the pathway catalog does not require it before starting the professional nursing sequence. PHI 205 – Ethics in Healthcare (5 quarter hours) must be taken after clinical coursework begins and cannot transfer into the nursing program.
Prior education: NLU may accept NUR 100 and HTH 201 after individual syllabus review. Professional-sequence nursing courses generally do not transfer; the nursing director can review applicable science-age exceptions for applicants with current, sustained professional experience. Complete the individual degree evaluation rather than assuming the first bachelor’s degree automatically satisfies every requirement.
Curriculum
The current accelerated-hybrid catalog identifies 94 quarter hours of major requirements, within a 180-quarter-hour BSN degree that includes general education and applicable transferred coursework. The tables group the major by subject; quarter hours are different from semester hours.
Foundations and assessment lead into adult and family care, behavioral and population health, research, leadership and an immersion experience. The catalog specifies 1 quarter hour for NUR 204C in this pathway, alongside the separate two-quarter-hour lab; NUR 220L is required but carries no credit. PHI 205 is an additional five-quarter-hour general-education requirement, described above, and nutrition must be completed before professional-sequence entry.
Required Courses and Credits
Preparation and Foundations
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
HTH 201 – Nutrition for Healthcare | 5 | Nutrition across the lifespan, health maintenance and nutritional interventions for illness; eligible for individual transfer review. |
HTH 203 – Pathophysiology | 5 | Mechanisms of disease, fluid and electrolyte changes, and age-related responses to common health problems. |
HTH 301 – Genetics and Genomics in Healthcare | 5 | Genetics and genomics in patient care, including ethical, legal, cultural and social issues and advocacy for individual rights. |
NUR 100 – Introduction to Professional Nursing and Healthcare | 3 | An introduction to healthcare professions through the history of medicine and nursing; eligible for individual transfer review. |
NUR 204 – Accelerated Foundations of Nursing Practice | 8 | Nursing concepts, comprehensive health history, physical assessment and fundamental care skills across the lifespan. |
NUR 204L – Accelerated Foundations of Nursing Practice Lab | 2 | Supervised practice and demonstration of fundamental nursing and assessment skills in the laboratory. |
NUR 204C – Accelerated Foundations of Nursing Practice Lab/Clinical | 1 | Clinical application of assessment and fundamental nursing skills, with analysis of patient needs and care planning. |
NUR 220L – Nursing Success Support Corequisite Lab | 0 | Nursing-specific reading, note taking, time management, learning strategies and preparation for licensure-style questions. |
NUR 300 – Pharmacology | 5 | Drug classifications, medication prototypes and principles for safe administration and management of common conditions. |
Evidence and Professional Practice
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 302 – Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice | 5 | Finding, analyzing and applying nursing research to evidence-based clinical practice. |
NUR 303 – Issues in Professional Nursing Practice | 5 | Contemporary professional and healthcare issues affecting the transition to BSN-prepared nursing practice. |
Adult and Family Care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 304 – Adult Health I Nursing | 5 | Care of adults with selected acute and chronic conditions using physical, psychosocial, cultural and spiritual assessment. |
NUR 304C – Adult Health I Clinical | 2 | Supervised adult-care experience applying evidence, assessment, clinical reasoning and interdisciplinary collaboration. |
NUR 305 – Gynecologic and Obstetric Health Nursing | 5 | Health promotion and care of the childbearing family, fetus and newborn using family and epidemiological frameworks. |
NUR 305C – Gynecologic and Obstetric Health Nursing Clinical | 2 | Application of obstetric and gynecologic nursing across perinatal risk levels and family needs. |
NUR 306 – Child Health Nursing | 5 | Pediatric health promotion, maintenance and restoration through developmentally appropriate, family-centered care. |
NUR 306C – Child Health Nursing Clinical | 2 | Clinical application of pediatric assessment and interventions with children and families. |
Population, Behavioral and Complex Care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 400 – Population Health Nursing | 5 | Population-focused nursing, health promotion, disease prevention and interventions for communities and groups. |
NUR 400C – Population Health Nursing Clinical | 2 | Application of population-health assessment and interventions in community settings. |
NUR 401 – Behavioral Health Nursing | 5 | Nursing care supporting mental health for individuals, families and communities. |
NUR 401C – Behavioral Health Nursing Clinical | 2 | Clinical reasoning and therapeutic nursing care in behavioral-health settings. |
NUR 402 – Adult Health II | 5 | Nursing care for adults with complex health problems, integrating comprehensive assessment and prior learning. |
NUR 402C – Adult Health II Clinical | 2 | Clinical care for adults experiencing acute and complex health needs. |
Leadership and Immersion
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 403 – Leadership in Nursing Practice | 5 | Leadership and management, communication, delegation, conflict, resource use and quality and safety improvement. |
NUR 405C – Transition to Practice Immersion Clinical | 3 | A culminating experience alongside a nurse preceptor, using clinical judgment while caring for a full patient load. |
NUR 100 and HTH 201 are included in the 94-quarter-hour major but may be satisfied through approved prior coursework. Optional minors and concentrations may add credits; they are not required electives needed to reach 180 quarter hours for every ABSN student.
Clinical Experience and Compliance
Clinical progression: Experience starts in the first quarter and includes adult, child, obstetric/gynecologic, behavioral and population-health care. NUR 405C provides a final preceptor-supported immersion. The program’s current page reports more than 720 clinical hours; students follow their assigned cohort’s approved schedule.
- Complete the required criminal background check and 10-panel drug screen; repeat screening may be required.
- Provide a physical examination, annual TB screening and required immunization evidence.
- Maintain American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Providers and proof of health insurance.
- Submit and maintain documentation in the designated compliance system. Noncompliance can prevent clinical attendance and interrupt progression.
- Follow assigned clinical and simulation schedules; individual employment, travel or placement preferences do not determine assignments.
Progression and Graduation
The pathway catalog requires C or better in degree coursework and a 2.5 cumulative GPA for graduation. Nursing courses with linked theory, lab and clinical components must be passed together in the same term; failure in one component requires repeating the connected components.
The handbook requires a 75% quiz/exam average in designated theory courses before other assignments are included. A course cannot be attempted a third time, and repeated failure can lead to dismissal. ATI learning and assessment resources support preparation throughout the sequence.
Tuition and Costs
Credit-rate tuition budget estimate: $44,451 before fees. NLU’s schedule effective July 1, 2026 publishes $449 per quarter hour. Applying that rate to the 94-quarter-hour major plus the separately required five-quarter-hour PHI 205 gives 99 × $449 = $44,451; this is a conservative credit-rate calculation, not a university-published ABSN package price.
Billing and transfer adjustments: The same schedule lists $6,242 per term for eligible domestic transfer students taking 14–18 quarter hours, with per-credit charges above 18. Actual tuition depends on each term’s credit distribution and billing classification and can be lower under that term rate. Approved transfer of NUR 100 and HTH 201 may also reduce credits taken; prerequisites and other degree-evaluation deficiencies are excluded from this estimate.
Required program fees: The university’s linked 2025–26 course-fee schedule lists ATI at $3,577 per program, billed in two $1,788.50 installments, Complio at $39 for 24 months and My Clinical Exchange at $35 per year. These published fees are separate from tuition; confirm the entering cohort’s updated charges because the posted nursing-fee document retains its 2025–26 label.
- The current general schedule lists a $275 student fee per full-time term; lower-enrollment categories have different fees.
- Full-time Chicago students have a required U-Pass charge: $130 in fall, winter and spring and $100 in summer under the published schedule.
- Uniforms, equipment, books or supplemental resources, clinical compliance, insurance, travel, parking and living expenses are additional.
- Rates may change as the five-quarter sequence crosses academic years. Scholarships and aid reduce an individual’s net cost rather than the published tuition rate.
Use the current tuition and fee schedule with the approved transfer evaluation and term-by-term nursing plan to obtain an individual bill estimate.
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