Last Updated: October 14, 2026
Program Overview
Northern Kentucky’s 16-month, on-campus ABSN prepares second-degree students through cohort coursework, simulation and Greater Cincinnati clinical placements beginning in the first semester.
Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights offers a full-time accelerated track for students with a prior bachelor’s degree. The curriculum compresses approximately three years of nursing study into 16 months. NKU describes the track as designed for nonworking students who can devote themselves to the intensive schedule.
Accreditation and Outcomes
NKU’s baccalaureate nursing program is CCNE accredited and approved by the Kentucky Board of Nursing.
The board’s report lists 100% first-time BSN NCLEX pass rates in 2024 and 2025 (88 of 88 and 84 of 84), with a 99.6% aggregate rate for 2023–2025 (264 of 265). These are school-level BSN results, not an ABSN-only outcome.
Admissions Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or higher, or completion within six months with a registrar/advisor statement confirming graduation before ABSN entry.
- Unconditional NKU admission as a degree-seeking postbaccalaureate student.
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, including NKU and transfer coursework.
- At least two science prerequisites complete before applying.
- A separate nursing application by January 15 for fall entry.
- Required background checks and applicable English-proficiency documentation.
The accelerated catalog permits application within six months of degree completion with written verification. Because the selective application requires a bachelor’s degree, applicants still finishing their first degree should confirm eligibility with nursing admissions. A C−, D or F in a prerequisite or nursing course within four years of program start makes an applicant ineligible for the accelerated track.
Prerequisites
Complete approved equivalents with C or better; transferred courses must be formally accepted by NKU. Science courses must be fewer than five years old on the first day of the entering semester.
- CHE 115 and 115L, or CHE 120/120L and CHE 121/121L: chemistry with laboratory.
- BIO 208/208L and BIO 209/209L: anatomy and physiology with laboratories.
- BIO 202/202L: microbiology with laboratory.
- BIO 126: human nutrition.
- PSY 321 or EDU 300: lifespan development.
- STA 205 or STA 205R: statistics.
- HIN 355: foundations of health informatics.
Curriculum
The 2026–27 accelerated catalog describes a 68-credit plan and lists the 26 core courses below. Study progresses from assessment and foundational practice to adult and specialty nursing, then scholarship, leadership, capstone and transition to professional practice. The table follows the current catalog course requirements without assigning an unconfirmed semester schedule; students should use their approved cohort plan to establish final credit and registration requirements.
Required Courses and Credits
Foundations and Assessment
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NRS 210L — Development of Clinical Nursing Skills | 2 | Hands-on lab-based course focusing on fundamental and complex nursing skills through demonstrations, simulations, and supervised practice. Prerequisites include foundational science courses; co-requisites are NRS 215, NRS 215P, NRS 220, and NRS 220L. |
NRS 215 — Fundamental Concepts of Professional Nursing Practice | 3 | Introduces the nursing process, essential concepts, and theories for delivering nursing care across the lifespan. Emphasizes health promotion and foundational professional practices. |
NRS 215P — Fundamentals of Professional Nursing Practicum | 3 | Applies nursing theories and foundational concepts in clinical settings, including acute care, long-term care, and community-based environments. |
NRS 220 — Holistic Health Assessment of the Adult | 2 | Focuses on comprehensive client assessments, including physical, psychological, and socio-cultural factors, to plan effective nursing care. |
NRS 220L — Holistic Health Assessment Laboratory | 1 | Practical lab application of holistic health assessment techniques for effective client care planning. |
NRS 250 — Introduction to Medical-Surgical Nursing | 3 | Covers foundational concepts for managing client health and addressing common alterations in health status. |
NRS 250P — Introduction to Medical-Surgical Nursing Practicum | 4 | Clinical application of medical-surgical nursing concepts, emphasizing client care in acute and long-term care settings. |
NRS 255 — Pathopharm Concepts and Principles | 4 | Explores pathophysiology and pharmacology, providing the foundation for understanding and managing health conditions in nursing practice. |
Community, Mental Health and Adult Care
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NRS 310 — Concepts of Community and Public Health Nursing | 3 | Introduces principles of community health, including epidemiology, health promotion, and policy advocacy, for population-based nursing care. |
NRS 310P — Concepts of Community and Public Health Nursing Practicum | 2 | Practical application of community health concepts through assessments, teaching, and intervention in diverse populations. |
NRS 330 — Principles of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing | 3 | Examines mental health nursing across the lifespan, focusing on theories and practices for addressing mental health challenges. |
NRS 330P — Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Practicum | 2 | Clinical application of psychiatric nursing theories, focusing on mental health interventions and care. |
NRS 339L — Clinical Reasoning I | 1 | Enhances clinical reasoning skills through simulated patient scenarios and decision-making exercises to improve care quality. |
NRS 350 — Intermediate Medical-Surgical Nursing | 3 | Builds on foundational medical-surgical nursing concepts to support complex client needs. |
NRS 350P — Intermediate Medical-Surgical Nursing Practicum | 2 | Clinical application of intermediate medical-surgical concepts, focusing on nursing care in acute care settings. |
NRS 360 — Principles of OB and Newborn Nursing | 3 | Covers nursing care for childbearing families, including cultural, nutritional, and crisis management aspects. |
NRS 360P — Principles of OB and Newborn Nursing Practicum | 2 | Practical application of OB nursing concepts in the care of childbearing families. |
NRS 365 — Foundations of Nursing Scholarship | 3 | Introduces nursing theory and research processes, emphasizing evidence-based practice for improved healthcare outcomes. |
Pediatrics, Leadership and Transition to Practice
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NRS 415 — Principles of Pediatric Nursing | 3 | Focuses on pediatric nursing care, emphasizing health promotion and support for children and families. |
NRS 415P — Pediatric Nursing Practicum | 2 | Applies pediatric nursing concepts in clinical settings, focusing on holistic care for children and families. |
NRS 425 — Nursing Leadership & Professional Issues | 3 | Develops care-team coordination, operational leadership and management skills, with attention to current professional issues and healthcare systems. |
NRS 439L — Clinical Reasoning II | 1 | Advanced clinical reasoning through simulated scenarios, emphasizing critical thinking and patient care prioritization. |
NRS 460P — Nursing Capstone Project | 3 | Investigates a chosen healthcare topic and integrates nursing learning to recommend a change supported by evidence. |
NRS 450 — Advanced Medical-Surgical Nursing | 3 | Focuses on advanced concepts for managing complex health issues and providing holistic nursing care. |
NRS 450P — Advanced Medical Surgical Practicum | 2 | Practical application of advanced medical-surgical concepts, emphasizing leadership and client management. |
NRS 465P — Transition to the Professional Practice Role | 4 | Clinical immersion in professional nursing roles, focusing on care prioritization, delegation, and clinical competence in diverse settings. |
Evolve learning support and HESI testing are part of the program. NRS 475 Remediation of BSN Concepts (2 credits) is required for students scoring below 900 on the HESI-RN Exit V1 exam; it is not included as a standard core course above. Students must earn C or better in nursing courses, pass co-requisite courses together and demonstrate required clinical skills. A failed nursing course cannot be repeated in the accelerated track.
Clinical Experience
Practicums accompany fundamentals, adult health, community/public health, mental health, maternal/newborn and pediatric nursing. The transition-to-practice course supports movement into professional nursing responsibilities. Clinical placement begins in the first semester, alongside simulation-center learning. Assigned sites and schedules depend on the program and agency availability.
Students must meet agency screening and health requirements and maintain clinical eligibility throughout enrollment. The catalog requires the final 30 semester hours to be completed at NKU.
Tuition and Costs
Estimated cost: About $25,312 resident tuition and mandatory fees. Assumes four full-time terms, published 68-credit requirement, four terms covering 64 credits at $5,856 each and four credits above 16 charged $472. Summer, actual term distribution and nursing charges may differ.
The 2026–27 tuition schedule, effective fall 2026, publishes $5,856 per full-time semester (12–16 credits) for Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana residents, and $7,848 for new nonresidents. These full-time figures include mandatory fees. Published per-credit rates are $472 and $638 respectively, with extra tuition for each credit above 16.
A different rate applies to Ohio/Indiana and other nonresidents admitted before fall 2025. This on-campus ABSN should use the applicable undergraduate schedule, rather than the separate accelerated-online program rates.
Full-program cost depends on each term’s registered credits, summer billing and nursing-specific charges. The full-time tuition band makes a simple per-credit multiplication an incomplete budget. Books, supplies, screening, clinical transportation and living costs are additional; obtain an itemized cohort budget from Student Account Services.
Related Programs
NKU also offers traditional BSN, RN-to-BSN and graduate nursing pathways. The RN-to-BSN is a separate route for licensed nurses, with different entry and tuition rules.