Last Updated: October 12, 2026
Program Overview
UL Lafayette’s 15-month Ochsner-partnered ABSN provides tuition for its 70 nursing credits under a mandatory three-year employment agreement, with intensive in-person and hybrid learning.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Ochsner Lafayette General offer this accelerated BSN to applicants with a completed non-nursing bachelor’s degree. The nursing phase runs for 15 months after prerequisites are complete, combining didactic, clinical, laboratory and hybrid interactive learning.
The current program page identifies a 2.6 minimum overall undergraduate GPA. Clinicals occur at Ochsner Lafayette General or affiliated agencies, and an in-person interview is part of selection.
Accreditation
UL Lafayette’s baccalaureate nursing program is CCNE accredited, and the LSBN list identifies full approval. Degree completion, NCLEX-RN and board approval are required before RN practice. The sponsor’s employment agreement does not replace licensure requirements.
Admissions Requirements
- A non-nursing bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Minimum 2.6 overall GPA on prior college-level undergraduate coursework.
- Undergraduate admission to UL Lafayette, followed by nursing transcript review and an in-person interview.
- Completion of the required 50 general-education credits before nursing begins, with accepted transfer equivalents and C or better.
- A U.S. Social Security number, as required by the current program page.
- LSBN approval, background/drug screening and the required clinical health documentation.
The current NURS 260A catalog entry also states a 3.0 overall GPA for course entry. Ask nursing admissions to confirm how this course requirement applies to applicants meeting the program’s advertised 2.6 threshold. Admission to the university does not guarantee an ABSN seat; students are selected from the qualified interview pool. The current program page says the 2027 cohort is closed and applications for the 2028 cohort open in September 2026. Confirm the current application portal, prerequisite-completion timeline and cohort deadline with nursing admissions.
Nursing courses require C or better and laboratory/clinical components require Satisfactory. Transfer credit is evaluated individually after university admission.
Prerequisites
The program requires 50 general-education credits; applicable first-degree courses may transfer. The published checklist includes:
- UNIV 100 — First Year Seminar: 3 credits.
- BIOL 110 — Biology: 3 credits; BIOL 220/221 — Anatomy and Physiology with lab: 4 credits.
- BIOL 261 — Microbiology: 3 credits; BIOL 318 — Advanced Anatomy and Physiology: 4 credits.
- CHEM 123 — General, Organic and Biological Chemistry: 3 credits.
- ENGL 101/102 — Writing: 6 credits; literature: 3 credits.
- MATH 105 — College Algebra and STAT 214 — Statistics: 3 credits each.
- History, arts and communication: 3 credits each; social/behavioral sciences: 6 credits.
Science courses expire after ten years. The College of Nursing has final authority for applying accepted transfer credit, so an individual review determines remaining prerequisites.
Curriculum
The 2026–27 accelerated catalog verifies 70 nursing credits across eight short terms, within a 120-credit degree. Foundations and assessment progress through pharmacology, adult and specialty care, evidence and leadership, then advanced adult care and professional transition.
Required Courses and Credits
First May Intersession — 6 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 260A — Transition to Professional Nursing | 6 | Professional nursing roles, foundations and preparation for accelerated nursing study. |
First Summer — 8 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 208A — Fundamentals of Caregiving | 4 | Foundational patient care, nursing skills and clinical application. |
NURS 209A — Health Assessment Skills | 4 | Health histories, physical assessment and application of examination skills. |
Fall A — 7 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 309A — Clinical Pharmacology | 4 | Medication principles, therapeutic effects and safe nursing management. |
NURS 345A — Nutrition and Clinical Diet Therapy | 3 | Nutrition, therapeutic diets and nutritional care in health and illness. |
Fall B — 11 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 308A — Adult Health and Illness I | 9 | Adult health conditions, nursing assessment and management, integrated with clinical practice. |
NURS 346A — Nursing and Healthcare Policy | 2 | Healthcare policy and its implications for professional nursing and patient care. |
Spring A — 11 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 340A — Community and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing | 9 | Population and mental-health nursing concepts integrated with supervised practice. |
NURS 408A — Trends in Genetics and Genomics | 2 | Genetic and genomic concepts and their application to healthcare and nursing. |
Spring B — 13 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 403A — Childbearing Family, Child and Adolescent Health Care | 9 | Maternal, newborn and pediatric nursing, combining family-centered concepts and clinical care. |
NURS 419A — Contemporary Approaches to Nursing Leadership and Management | 4 | Leadership, management and care coordination in contemporary nursing practice. |
Second May Intersession — 4 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 405A — Informatics and Evidence for Best Practice | 4 | Information technology, research evidence and their application to nursing decisions. |
Final Summer — 10 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 418A — Adult Health and Illness II | 9 | Advanced adult nursing care and clinical management of complex health needs. |
NURS 420A — Bridge to Professional Practice | 1 | Integration and review supporting the transition to professional nursing practice. |
The catalog uses three-week May intersessions and eight-week summer/fall/spring terms. It requires C or better in coursework and applies a ten-year science-recency rule. The entering cohort receives its own calendar and clinical assignments.
Clinical Experience
The program integrates clinical and lab experiences with theory throughout its intensive sequence. Adult health, community/mental health and maternal/pediatric courses provide broad patient-care learning, while leadership and evidence courses support professional practice.
Placements occur at Ochsner Lafayette General or affiliated agencies. In-person classes, skills learning and clinical rotations require attendance and transportation; the program’s hybrid components do not make it a remote nursing degree.
Tuition Coverage and Employment Agreement
The program contract provides tuition for nursing courses and a contractually guaranteed three-year Ochsner job after graduation and required licensure. Students commit to working for Ochsner Lafayette General for three years.
The university FAQ states there is no exception to the three-year obligation and no option to pay nursing tuition yourself instead. This agreement is part of program participation, rather than an optional scholarship.
- Students cover prerequisite tuition; the number of courses remaining depends on transfer evaluation.
- Ask for written confirmation of coverage for university and nursing fees, books, uniforms, screening, insurance, licensure expenses and other charges.
- Transportation, housing and living expenses require a separate budget.
- Review employment eligibility, licensure, job matching and the contract’s service/repayment provisions before accepting.
The sponsor’s $2.8 million program investment supports faculty, operations and student nursing tuition. It is not an individual tuition quote, and the program does not establish a published unsubsidized 70-credit price for comparison.