Albany Med Partnership. Guaranteed Employment During the Program. 760 Clinical Hours.
Russell Sage College has graduated more than 6,000 nurses at the bachelor’s and master’s level over 100 years — and its Albany Med Health System partnership is unlike any clinical affiliation in this review. ABSN students gain hands-on clinical practicums across the Albany Med system and, if employed at Albany Medical Center, receive guaranteed per-diem/part-time employment throughout the program — with Albany Med making every effort to accommodate course schedules.
That means career changers can maintain income while completing a 16-month nursing degree. The program accumulates 760 clinical hours, including a 240-hour expanded final rotation with a patient population of the student’s choice.
Graduates working in acute care in New York’s Capital Region may receive Russell Sage’s Nursing Career Start-up Grant of up to $9,000.
The published net cost after guaranteed minimum institutional merit aid is approximately $43,000–$45,295 — significantly below most 16-month private programs in New York.
ABSN Admission Summary
Admission is competitive and holistic. Meeting minimum criteria does not guarantee acceptance. No nursing entrance exam (TEAS, HESI, or equivalent) is required at any point in the process. Up to 60 prerequisite credits from the prior bachelor’s degree may be applied toward the program.
Academic requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree (B.S. or B.A.) from an accredited U.S. college or university — must be conferred before starting the program; official transcript showing degree and graduation/conferral date required
- All prerequisite and support courses completed before enrolling in nursing (NSG) courses
- C+ or higher (2.300) required in all nursing courses
- 3.0 Nursing major GPA must be maintained throughout the program
Application process:
- Apply via Common Application or Russell Sage College Online Quick Application (free)
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Standard undergraduate application materials apply for second-degree applicants
- Contact Glenda B. Kelman (kelmag@sage.edu or 518-244-2001) for program-specific admissions guidance
- Students interested in spring start should contact admission@sage.edu to discuss options
Prerequisite courses — required before enrolling in NSG nursing courses:
Sciences (C or better recommended; in-person lab required where noted):
- BIO 201 – Anatomy and Physiology I (4 cr.)
- BIO 202 – Anatomy and Physiology II (4 cr.)
- BIO 208 – Microbiology (4 cr.)
- Chemistry or Physics course with lab (4 cr.)
- SCI 120 – Nutrition Science (3 cr.)
Psychology:
- PSY 101 – Introduction to Psychology (3 cr.)
- Lifespan Development (PSY 202 or PSY 208) (3–4 cr.)
Support courses:
- Sociology course (3 cr.)
- SOC 350 – Research for the Professions (3 cr.) — may be completed in Term 1 if not previously satisfied
Total prerequisite and support credits: 31–32 cr. (up to 60 credits from prior bachelor’s degree accepted toward the program overall)
Post-acceptance requirements:
- Health clearance including physical examination and prescribed lab tests on file before program start
- Required immunizations: rubella, influenza (by October 31), varicella, Hepatitis B or declination, TB screening
- CPR certification
- Background check and drug screen per clinical site requirements
- Clinical compliance documentation before beginning clinical rotations
Progression standards:
- Minimum C+ (2.300) in every NSG nursing course — below this grade, the student is placed on probation
- 3.0 Nursing major GPA must be maintained throughout — if GPA falls below 3.0, one semester of probation is allowed; if not corrected, the student is dismissed
- Students may repeat only one nursing course while in the program
- Students may only be on probation once; a second probation results in dismissal
- All nursing courses (NSG) must be completed at Russell Sage — no transfer credit accepted for nursing coursework
Albany Med Health System partnership:
- Albany Medical Center employees pursuing the ABSN can apply any time and start in the fall
- Guaranteed per-diem/part-time employment at Albany Medical Center during the program
- Albany Med makes every effort to accommodate class and clinical schedules
- Clinical practicums available across the Albany Med Health System
Curriculum
Fifty-four nursing credits are distributed across four consecutive terms — Fall 1 (12 cr.), Spring (16 cr.), Summer (14 cr.), and Fall 2 (12 cr.). Every clinical specialty course includes a corresponding lab and clinical component (designated L and R sections). The final fall semester’s NSG 450 (Transitions in Professional Practice, 8 credits) is the heaviest single course in the program — a capstone transition-to-practice immersion with 240 clinical hours in a specialty area chosen by the student.
Prerequisite Overview
Seven prerequisite courses plus two support courses required — all complete before the first NSG course. See the admission summary for the full list. SOC 350 Research for the Professions may be taken concurrently in Term 1 if not previously completed.
Term 1 — Fall 1 (12–15 cr.):
NSG 201 – Theoretical Basis of Nursing (3 cr.) Establishes the theoretical and philosophical foundation for professional nursing practice — nursing theory, evidence-based practice, and the conceptual framework organizing the entire ABSN curriculum. Introduces nursing’s scientific knowledge base and the professional values guiding clinical decision-making.
NSG 207 – Health Assessment and Promotional Strategies (4 cr.) Develops comprehensive physical and psychosocial assessment skills across the lifespan. Includes lab and clinical rotations (207L and 207R sections) — systematic assessment, health history, documentation, and health promotion strategies are practiced in both simulation and real clinical settings from the first semester.
NSG 212 – Nursing Concepts I (5 cr.) The first and highest-credit nursing course in Term 1 — introduces foundational nursing concepts and bedside clinical skills. Includes lab and clinical components (212L and 212R) providing direct patient care from the opening weeks of the program. Applies nursing concepts to clinical reasoning and patient care planning across a variety of healthcare settings.
SOC 350 – Research for the Professions (3 cr.) (if not completed as a prerequisite) Research methods and evidence appraisal for professional practice — provides the research literacy foundation applied across all subsequent nursing courses and evidence-based clinical decision-making.
Term 2 — Spring (16 cr.):
NSG 323 – Nursing Concepts II (6 cr.) Advances Nursing Concepts I into more complex patient care — expands clinical reasoning and nursing process application across acute and community-based adult health settings. Includes lab and clinical components (323L and 323R). The highest-credit course in Term 2.
NSG 325 – Family and Community Health Nursing I (3 cr.) First of a two-course family and community health sequence — applies nursing theory and the nursing process to health promotion and primary prevention for families and communities. Clinical component (325L) in community settings. Prepares students for population-level clinical practice.
NSG 326 – Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (4 cr.) Nursing care for patients with mental health conditions across clinical settings — therapeutic communication, evidence-based psychiatric interventions, legal and ethical frameworks in mental health care. Clinical component (326L) in psychiatric settings.
NSG 345 – Nursing Pharmacology (3 cr.) Comprehensive pharmacology applied to nursing practice — drug classifications, mechanisms of action, patient education, and safe administration across the lifespan. Builds the pharmacological foundation applied in all subsequent clinical specialty courses.
Term 3 — Summer (14 cr.):
NSG 333 – Nursing Concepts III (6 cr.) Third and final installment of the Nursing Concepts sequence — the most advanced adult health and complex patient care content in the program. Includes lab and clinical components (333L) with escalating clinical acuity and responsibility. Prepares students for the final fall semester’s capstone clinical immersion.
NSG 355 – Reproduction and Sexuality (4 cr.) Nursing care across the reproductive and sexual health continuum — antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn care alongside women’s health and reproductive nursing. Includes lab and clinical components (355L) in maternal-child settings including labor and delivery.
NSG 425 – Family and Community Health Nursing II (4 cr.) Advances the family and community health sequence into more complex population-level nursing practice — community assessment, health advocacy, social determinants of health, and population-based interventions. Includes clinical components (425L) in community and public health settings.
Term 4 — Fall 2 (final semester) (12 cr.):
NSG 405 – Leadership and Management in Nursing (2 cr.) Nursing leadership theory, management principles, quality improvement, delegation, staffing, organizational structure, and systems-level practice — prepares graduates for professional nursing leadership from day one of practice.
NSG 409 – Professional Role: Challenges and Issues (2 cr.) Examines contemporary challenges and emerging issues in professional nursing — ethical dilemmas, policy advocacy, professional identity, legal standards, and the evolving scope of professional nursing practice. Prepares graduates for the professional role transition.
NSG 450 – Transitions in Professional Practice (8 cr.) The program’s capstone course and largest single nursing course — a 240-hour expanded clinical rotation in a specialty patient population selected by the student. Students work 1:1 under an RN preceptor in settings including medical-surgical intensive care, medical cardiology, NICU, PICU, emergency department, and others. Develops full clinical independence before NCLEX eligibility. Includes lab and clinical components (450L). This is the most intensive and transformative course in the program.
More curriculum details available in the course catalog: Russell Sage ABSN Catalog
Clinicals
Clinical hours begin in Term 1 — NSG 207 and NSG 212 both carry clinical rotations from the first fall semester — and accumulate to 760 total hours across all four terms. The final semester’s NSG 450 accounts for 240 of those hours in a single specialty preceptorship.
- Clinical start: Term 1 — NSG 207R and NSG 212R clinical sections begin real patient care from the opening weeks of the program
- Total clinical hours: 760 — one of the highest published clinical hour totals in this review
- Final expanded clinical rotation (NSG 450, 240 hours): Student-selected specialty area under RN preceptor — settings include medical/surgical ICU, medical cardiology, NICU, PICU, emergency department, cardiovascular progressive care, and others
- Specialty rotations across 4 terms: Health assessment, adult health I through III, psychiatric mental health, family and community health I and II, maternal-child/reproduction, leadership practicum, and capstone preceptorship
- Albany Med Health System partnership: Clinical practicums offered across the Albany Med system — the largest regionally governed not-for-profit health system in northeastern New York and western New England; students have direct access to Albany Medical Center, a regional academic medical center and Level I trauma center
- Simulation labs: State-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Lab with full-body patient simulation manikins — students practice procedures in simulation before transitioning to real patient care; faculty-directed simulation throughout all four terms
- Clinical settings: Acute and community-based care of adults (including geriatric), pediatric, maternal/child (including labor and delivery), psychiatric, and community populations
- Capital Region clinical network: Albany is home to Albany Med Health System, dozens of health agencies serving New York’s Capital Region, and strong post-graduate employment opportunities
- Nursing Career Start-up Grant: Graduates employed in acute care hospitals in New York’s Capital Region may receive up to $9,000 — an employer incentive program designed to retain Russell Sage nurses in the regional healthcare market
Tuition
Published gross cost: ~$75,295 | Published net cost after guaranteed merit aid: ~$43,000–$45,295
Russell Sage publishes one of the most transparent cost breakdowns of any program in this review — both the gross cost and the minimum institutional aid are stated upfront.
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
Tuition (4 terms) | $68,522 |
Comprehensive student fee | $2,325 |
Books, supplies, clinical and testing fees | $4,448 |
Gross total | $75,295 |
Minimum institutional merit scholarship | -$30,000 |
Net program investment | ~$45,295 |
Tuition breakdown by term:
| Term | Credits | Rate | Estimated Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 1 | 12 cr. | $19,801 flat rate | $19,801 |
Spring | 16 cr. | $19,801 flat rate | $19,801 |
Summer | 14 cr. | $608/credit | $8,512 |
Fall 2 | 12 cr. | $19,801 flat rate | $19,801 |
Total tuition | ~$67,915 |
The $30,000 guaranteed minimum institutional merit scholarship applies across fall and spring semesters — merit aid does not apply to summer, which is billed at the reduced $608/credit rate.
Additional financial incentives:
- Nursing Career Start-up Grant: Up to $9,000 for graduates employed in acute care hospitals in New York’s Capital Region — further reducing the effective program cost for students who remain in the region
- Albany Med employment: For current Albany Med employees entering the ABSN, guaranteed per-diem/part-time employment during the program provides income throughout training
- Federal and state aid: Additional aid may be available through FAFSA — Russell Sage states that 100% of full-time undergraduates receive institutional, federal, or state aid; students should file FAFSA for full aid eligibility
At approximately $43,000–$45,295 net of guaranteed institutional aid — and potentially $34,000–$36,295 net if the Nursing Career Start-up Grant is also received — Russell Sage offers one of the best effective cost-to-clinical-access ratios of any private ABSN reviewed, particularly for applicants who are current Albany Med Health System employees.
See the official tuition page for more details: Russell Sage College Undergraduate Costs