Last Updated: October 14, 2026
Program Overview
Spalding’s 13-month, June-start ABSN combines online and campus learning with Louisville-area clinical placements, a 56-credit nursing sequence and a dedicated nursing Success Coach.
Spalding University in Louisville offers its Second Degree/Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree outside nursing. The program page describes a hybrid semester format, combining online study with required campus and clinical attendance.
The BSN requires 120 credits: 40 credits accepted from the first degree, 24 prerequisite credits and 56 nursing credits. An individual transfer evaluation determines which prerequisites remain; 80 additional degree credits does not mean every student must purchase 80 new credits at Spalding.
Accreditation and Outcomes
Spalding’s baccalaureate nursing degree is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The program prepares graduates for the NCLEX-RN and Kentucky RN licensure requirements.
The Kentucky Board of Nursing’s March 2026 report lists a 2025 first-time BSN NCLEX pass rate of 92.9% (13 of 14), compared with 84.2% in 2024 (16 of 19). The aggregate 2023–2025 rate is 82.1% (55 of 67). These are school-level BSN results, rather than an ABSN-only rate.
Admissions Requirements
Apply to Spalding and submit a separate School of Nursing application. University admission does not guarantee acceptance; the BSN Admission and Progression Committee reviews the nursing file.
- A bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing.
- Minimum 2.75 science-core GPA, including chemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pathophysiology and applicable labs. A 2.5–2.74 science GPA may be considered with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
- C or better in all prerequisites; sciences completed within 10 years of the program start.
- American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR course.
- NURS 301, a CNA course completed within two years, or listing on the Nurse Aide Registry. CNA licensure itself is not required. LPNs, certified medical assistants and applicants with recent nursing-assistant experience may request a verified waiver.
- Required background screening, immunization documentation and drug testing; mandatory BSN orientation.
The 2026–27 second-degree admission policy does not list TEAS among the accelerated-track requirements. Contact nursing admissions for the June cohort’s application deadline and current checklist; the rolling process described for the separate RN-to-BSN track should not be assumed to apply to ABSN entry.
Two or more D, F or W grades in the science core normally make an applicant ineligible. The current policy permits exclusion of two such grades earned at least three years before program start, provided the required sciences are completed with C or better and the science GPA standard is met. Nursing transfer applicants receive case-by-case review; those with one nursing withdrawal or failure may be considered, while dismissal or ineligibility for readmission generally requires a three-year wait.
Prerequisites
Complete the 24-credit prerequisite block, including laboratories, before official nursing acceptance. Approved transfer equivalents may satisfy these requirements.
- CHEM 106 — Chemistry for Allied Health Services: 3 credits.
- BIO 251/253 and BIO 252/254 — Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs: 8 credits.
- BIO 256/257 — Microbiology with lab: 4 credits.
- BIO 301 — Pathophysiology: 3 credits.
- PSY 103 — Psychological Systems: 3 credits.
- HS 350 or NURS 322 — Research: 3 credits, or an accepted equivalent research course from the first bachelor’s degree.
Curriculum
The 2026–27 second-degree program sheet verifies 56 nursing credits. The accelerated course page organizes these courses into four terms, progressing from nursing foundations and assessment through adult, community and specialty care to professional transition. The research requirement belongs to the prerequisite block, rather than being added again to the 56 nursing credits.
Required Courses and Credits
Term 1 — 8 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 305 — Introduction to Nursing Concepts | 5 | Nursing roles, communication, safety, infection control, basic care and clinical judgment, supported by skills labs and simulation. |
NURS 315 — Foundations for Professional Nursing Practice | 3 | Lifespan health histories and physical assessment, including cultural, psychosocial, spiritual and nutritional factors and diagnostic reasoning. |
Term 2 — 18 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 325 — Nursing I | 7 | Nursing-process and clinical-judgment approaches to adult care in acute settings; the course page identifies 90 clinical hours. |
NURS 385 — Population Health | 4 | Community assessment, epidemiology, health policy, social determinants and advocacy, with community rotations and simulation; 67.5 listed clinical hours. |
NURS 362 — Nursing Pharmacology | 3 | Drug classes, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, medication safety, adverse effects and patient teaching. |
NURS 347 — Nursing Care of Children | 4 | Family-centered pediatric care, growth and development and preventive, restorative and maintenance care; 67.5 listed clinical hours. |
Term 3 — 18 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 330 — Nursing II | 7 | Further adult acute-care nursing and clinical judgment, building on Nursing I and pharmacology; 90 listed clinical hours. |
NURS 346 — Maternal-Newborn Nursing | 4 | Normal and high-risk pregnancy and family-centered care of childbearing families; 67.5 listed clinical hours. |
NURS 470 — Nurse as a Leader | 3 | Leadership, informatics, legal and ethical issues, national health trends, evidence-based practice and quality improvement. |
NURS 482 — Dimensions of Mental Health Nursing | 4 | Therapeutic communication, self-awareness and holistic interdisciplinary care across the mental-health continuum; 67.5 clinical hours in the current catalog. |
Term 4 — 12 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 425 — Nursing III | 7 | Advanced application of adult nursing concepts and clinical judgment in acute care; 90 listed clinical hours. |
NURS 495 — Transition to Professional Nursing Practice | 5 | Professional-role transition and a capstone integrated practicum; the published course description identifies 120 clinical hours. |
The program sheet requires C or better in each nursing course. Students complete an integrated practicum in NURS 495; it is a clinical transition experience, rather than a separate research capstone.
Clinical Experience
Spalding’s program page advertises 750 required clinical hours. The Clinical Homes Model places students with Louisville-area hospitals, health centers and community agencies; the program manages clinical placement logistics.
Students also practice in the Bailen Health Science Simulation Learning Center. Course descriptions identify clinical and lab components separately—for example, NURS 305 has 67.5 lab hours, while NURS 495 has a 120-hour clinical practicum. Assigned rotations and campus sessions require transportation and schedule flexibility; hybrid delivery does not make the program fully remote.
Tuition and Costs
Estimated cost: $29,400 tuition; $33,432 with nursing fee. Assumes hybrid ABSN billed at published undergraduate online rate $525 × 56 nursing credits. $72 × 56 nursing fee $4,032. Campus billing would differ; prerequisites and semester fees additional.
The 2026–27 cost schedule lists $525 per credit for undergraduate online study, compared with $15,450 per semester for standard full-time enrollment of 12–18 credits and $1,030 per credit for part-time enrollment. Spalding’s ABSN combines online and campus attendance, so request confirmation of the rate and term structure applied to the entering cohort.
- Traditional and accelerated BSN program fee: $72 per credit, separate from tuition.
- Student services: $100 per semester; AI access: $50 per semester.
- Science prerequisites, supplies, health screening, uniforms, transportation and living expenses may add costs. Undergraduate books are included under the university’s published policy.
If the university confirms that all 56 nursing credits use the $525 online rate, tuition would be $29,400 and the $72 nursing fee would add $4,032, before semester and other charges. This is a billing scenario, not a verified cohort quote; prerequisites still needed would add costs at their applicable rates.
The university lists Baptist Health’s Knowledge Program, the Norton Scholar Program and the UofL Health Scholar Program among healthcare-employer scholarship options. Coverage, eligibility and service or repayment obligations depend on the award agreement. Ask financial aid which current agreements apply to the accelerated cohort.
Related Programs
Spalding also offers traditional BSN and RN-to-BSN study, graduate nursing pathways and a Doctor of Nursing Practice. These programs have separate entry requirements and tuition arrangements.