Last Updated: October 2, 2026
Program Overview
A 15-month accelerated BSN with January and May entry, campus learning, simulation and clinical placements for students with a prior non-nursing bachelor’s degree.
The University of Bridgeport’s ABSN combines accepted prior coursework with 56 nursing credits, or 59 credits if Nutrition must be taken in the program, for a 120-credit degree. The current admissions guide describes four full semesters of accelerated study.
Classes are generally scheduled Monday–Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.; labs and clinicals may extend into evenings. Clinical learning begins in the second semester and includes local healthcare settings such as Bridgeport Hospital.
Admissions and Prerequisites
Admission requires a conferred bachelor’s degree and at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA/QPR across all institutions. Math and science courses need C+ or better and must be within seven years. Up to three prerequisites may be outstanding when applying, but all must be complete before the program begins.
Required subjects include Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs, Chemistry with lab, Microbiology with lab, Algebra, Statistics, Academic Writing, Introduction to Psychology, Lifespan Development and Sociology. The current catalog specifies three Microbiology lecture credits plus one lab credit. HSCI 230 Nutrition may transfer; students without an accepted equivalent take it in the first semester. Obtain a course-equivalency review before registering for prerequisites.
Submit the university application and nursing supplement, official high school/GED and college transcripts, two professional recommendation forms and the required essay. The guide’s ABSN-specific FAQ explicitly states that TEAS is not required for ABSN; general nursing sections also discuss TEAS for other tracks.
The 2026–27 nursing admissions guide gives rolling admission with priority deadlines of October 1 for January entry and January 20 for May entry, subject to available seats. The main ABSN page states that the program is not open to international students; applicants with international circumstances should obtain program-specific guidance rather than relying on the generic international-admissions link.
Curriculum
The 2026–27 ABSN catalog plan confirms four 15-week semesters. Required nursing courses total 56 credits; HSCI 230 adds three credits if Nutrition has not transferred. Accepted general education contributes 61–64 credits toward the 120-credit degree.
The sequence moves from foundational care and assessment through adult, maternal/child and mental health nursing, then community care and professional transition.
Required Courses and Credits
Semester 1 — 12 nursing credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 201 — Introduction to Nursing | 2 | Introduces professional nursing concepts, roles, and the UBSN framework. Covers the nursing process, communication skills, and tools for success within the healthcare system. |
NURS 202 — Fundamentals of Nursing | 4 | Provides foundational nursing skills and explores patient care concepts such as safety, communication, and nursing judgment. Includes clinical experiences focusing on basic psychomotor skills and the nursing process. |
NURS 204 — Health Promotion I: Health Assessment | 3 | Focuses on holistic health assessment skills to determine an individual’s health status. Guides the development of health promotion strategies for maximizing wellness. |
NURS 209 — Pathophysiology & Pharmacology for Nursing Practice I | 3 | Connect disease processes and medication actions in cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, skin and endocrine care; practice dosage calculations, safe administration and patient education. |
Semester 2 — 15 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 320 — Health Maintenance and Restoration I | 6 | Focuses on holistic care for adult medical-surgical patients. Develops critical thinking and clinical reasoning through nursing process applications. |
NURS 324 — Caring for the Childbearing | 3 | Covers nursing care for women during preconception, pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Emphasizes family-centered, evidence-based care in various clinical settings. |
NURS 325 — Caring for the Childrearing | 3 | Focuses on nursing care for infants, children, and adolescents within a family-centered framework. Addresses growth and development, common pediatric conditions, and health promotion across childhood. |
NURS 210 — Pathophysiology & Pharmacology for Nursing Practice II | 3 | Extend disease and medication study to neuropsychiatric, sensory, blood, cancer, digestive, reproductive and musculoskeletal conditions; apply advanced dosage calculations and clinical reasoning. |
Semester 3 — 16 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 318 — Essentials in Psychology and Mental Health in Nursing | 4 | Focuses on psychiatric and mental health nursing care for individuals, families, and communities. Emphasizes therapeutic communication and interprofessional collaboration. |
NURS 322 — Health Maintenance and Restoration II | 6 | Focuses on advanced nursing care for adult medical-surgical patients. Enhances critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills through patient-centered interventions. |
NURS 345 — Leadership and Management Roles in Nursing | 3 | Explores nursing leadership and management concepts, including delegation, priority setting, and conflict resolution. Emphasizes organizational theory and nurse leader roles in clinical practice. |
NURS 314 — Research Process in Nursing | 3 | Examines nursing theories, evidence-based practice, and the integration of research into clinical care. Highlights ethical and interprofessional considerations. |
Semester 4 — 13 credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 344 — Health Promotion II: The Community | 4 | Explores nursing roles in community care and public health. Includes community assessments using epidemiological principles and analysis of healthcare systems. |
NURS 357 — Current Issues and Trends in Nursing | 3 | Analyzes contemporary issues in nursing, including ethics, technology, and healthcare trends. Students lead seminars on professional topics. |
NURS 358 — Transition to Professional Practice | 6 | Prepares students for professional practice in a chosen specialty. Integrates nursing knowledge for comprehensive care and emphasizes holistic practice. |
Transfer-dependent Nutrition requirement
HSCI 230 — Fundamentals of Nutrition (three credits) covers normal and therapeutic nutrition, health promotion, illness prevention and recovery, including analysis of personal dietary habits. The catalog places it in Semester 1 only if needed, raising that term to 15 credits and the program coursework to 59.
NURS 358 is the final clinical transition course, integrating core nursing knowledge and holistic care in a selected specialty area. NURS 314 separately develops research and evidence-based practice skills.
Clinical Experience
Clinical experiences begin in the second semester. Sites vary with course objectives and include hospitals, schools and medical offices. Laboratory and simulation experiences support the nursing clinical courses in UB’s Nursing Skills and Simulation Center.
Students arrange their own transportation and may need to travel up to 75 miles to a clinical site. Accepted students must complete health/immunization documentation, an annual physical, background checks and drug testing at their own expense. The university sends the required forms and instructions after acceptance.
Clinical agencies and the nursing program determine clearance requirements. Confirm the cohort’s complete checklist, including any CPR documentation, before participation.
Tuition
The current accelerated nursing fee schedule lists $12,354 tuition per full-time semester. Applying this rate to the admissions guide’s four full semesters gives $49,416 in tuition before fees.
- General fee: $1,500 per semester.
- Health Science program fee: $100 per semester.
- Student government fee: $120 per semester.
- Clinical lab fee: $150 per semester.
- Technology fee: $500 per semester.
- Orientation: $200 once, in the first semester.
If all five recurring fees apply in each of the four semesters, listed tuition and these fees total $59,096, before health insurance and other expenses. This calculation assumes full-time cohort billing in every term and unchanged rates; obtain a term-by-term bill estimate for your start date.
The page lists health insurance at $2,250 for annual fall coverage, $1,307 for new spring students and $567 for new summer students. Eligible students can request a waiver with comparable coverage; those rates cover different periods and should not simply be added together. Prerequisites, books, uniforms, clinical clearance, transportation and living costs are additional.
Part-time nursing tuition is separately listed at $825 per credit, with a $500 part-time general fee; it is a different billing category from the four-semester full-time plan. Confirm current rates and scholarship or grant availability with financial aid.
Accreditation and Outcomes
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), approved by the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing and licensed by the Connecticut Office of Higher Education, according to the current admissions guide.
Graduates may apply to sit for the NCLEX-RN and pursue registered nurse licensure. UB describes strong job placement but does not supply a cohort-specific numeric outcome on the program page. The university cites an EduMed 2026 ranking; students attend campus and clinical requirements regardless of that listing’s “online” category.
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