Last Updated: October 14, 2026
Program Overview
UMSON’s two-year entry-into-nursing BSN offers Baltimore and Rockville locations, a TEAS waiver for prior-degree applicants, and 720 clinical hours in its published nursing plan.
The University of Maryland School of Nursing offers a full-time entry-into-nursing BSN completed in as little as two years after prerequisites. It accepts applicants with a previous bachelor’s degree, but the school identifies this as its standard upper-division BSN rather than a separate short accelerated track.
The 61-credit nursing sequence takes four semesters and is offered at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville. UMSON describes the program as in person; classroom, laboratory and clinical attendance should guide your location choice.
Applicants with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree receive a TEAS waiver and a reduced prerequisite checklist. UMSON also offers a separate MSN Entry-into-Nursing pathway for prior-degree applicants; that master’s option is distinct from the BSN described here.
Accreditation and Recognition
The baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing. University of Maryland, Baltimore is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Graduates are prepared to take the NCLEX-RN and meet the board’s other licensure requirements.
UMSON’s BSN webpage reports a top-10 national ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Colleges BSN Programs.
Admissions Requirements
- Overall GPA of 3.0 and science GPA of 3.0 in chemistry, A&P I/II and microbiology.
- Required prerequisite coursework, with at least two specified science courses and one of lifespan development, statistics or nutrition completed before applying.
- No more than four prerequisite courses in progress at application; all prerequisites complete before enrollment.
- TEAS at proficient level or higher, overall and in every subsection, with a stated minimum of 58.7%. The TEAS is waived for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in another field.
Applicants below the stated GPA requirements are encouraged to submit a supplemental essay explaining academic challenges, improvement and plans for success. This invitation to provide context does not establish a lower published GPA threshold or guarantee admission.
Application Materials
- Admissions Dashboard application and nonrefundable $75 application fee.
- One recommendation from a professor who can assess academic performance; only the first recommendation received is considered.
- An essay of no more than 350 words responding to one of the school’s prompts, plus a résumé or CV.
- The Prerequisite Course List form and official transcripts from every institution attended.
- Official AP, CLEP or IB results if used for prerequisites; AP scores must be at least 4.
- Official TEAS results when required, and a separate residency application for applicants claiming Maryland in-state status.
The school’s BSN admissions instructions distinguish application submission from completion of supporting documents. Accepted students must document enrollment in outstanding prerequisites and meet the admission notice’s final-grade requirements.
Start Terms and Application Dates
The BSN admits for spring and fall. For fall 2027, applications opened September 2, 2026; the priority deadline is December 15, 2026 and the regular/scholarship deadline is February 1, 2027.
For spring 2027, the July 15, 2026 priority and September 1, 2026 regular/scholarship deadlines have passed. Later complete applications are reviewed only if space remains.
Submit a complete fall 2027 application by February 1, 2027 to remain eligible for regular review and UMSON scholarship consideration. December 15, 2026 is the earlier priority date. Later applications are reviewed only if space remains; the school has not announced a separate last date for those late applications. The school separately requires TEAS results by February 1 for fall or September 1 for spring when the exam is not waived.
Prerequisites and Transfer Credit
The standard BSN requires 59 lower-division prerequisite credits. Applicants with a completed bachelor’s degree need only the following core subjects, totaling 25 credits, unless accepted prior coursework already fulfills them:
- General Chemistry with lab: 4 credits; introductory or preparatory chemistry is not accepted.
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with labs: 8 credits.
- Microbiology with lab: 4 credits.
- Human Growth and Development across the full lifespan: 3 credits.
- Statistics at the 100 level or above: 3 credits.
- Human Nutrition: 3 credits.
Chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and microbiology must be within the past 10 years. Online prerequisite courses are permitted, but one course cannot fill multiple requirements and ACE credits are not accepted.
Applicants without a bachelor’s degree complete the full 59-credit checklist, including writing, psychology, sociology, algebra, social sciences, humanities and electives. Prior-degree applicants should use the school’s unofficial transcript review or Maryland course equivalencies before taking replacement courses.
Curriculum
The tables follow UMSON’s plan for students entering fall 2025 and later. Four semesters contain 16, 15, 15 and 15 credits, totaling 61 nursing credits; with the standard 59-credit lower-division block, the BSN totals 120 credits.
The sequence develops assessment and foundational practice before adult, community, maternal-child and psychiatric nursing. The final semester integrates complex care, leadership, informatics, population health and a precepted practicum.
Required Courses and Credits
First Semester — 16 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 342 — Professionalism in Practice I: Roles and Resilience | 3 | Professional identity, ethical practice, therapeutic communication, resilience and personal wellness. |
NURS 344 — Health Assessment | 3 | Culturally sensitive health histories and physical assessments, including recognition of normal and abnormal findings. |
NURS 346 — Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Scholarship | 3 | Evaluate research, synthesize evidence and communicate findings to improve nursing practice. |
NURS 347 — Foundations of Nursing: Promoting Healthy Physiologic Responses | 3 | Person-centered care, the nursing process and clinical reasoning for common health needs. |
NURS 349 — Foundations of Nursing Clinical | 4 | Apply assessment and foundational skills in clinical, simulation and laboratory learning. Completion allows students to apply for CNA certification. |
Second Semester — 15 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 352 — Patho-Pharmacology for Nurses | 3 | Disease processes, drug actions and medication management across patient populations. |
NURS 353 — Community and Population Health | 2 | Community and population health nursing. |
NURS 355 — Community Clinical | 2 | Clinical learning in community health. |
NURS 356 — Palliative Care: Promoting Quality of Life | 2 | Symptom assessment, serious illness, communication, end-of-life care and support for patients and families. |
NURS 357 — Care of the Adult: Regenerative and Restorative | 3 | Evidence-based care for acute and chronic adult conditions, with attention to older adults. |
NURS 359 — Clinical Care of the Adult | 3 | Apply adult-care theory, assessment and clinical judgment in person-centered clinical learning. |
Third Semester — 15 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 469 — Pediatric Clinical | 2 | Practice assessment, communication and nursing care with children and their families. |
NURS 471 — Pediatric Nursing | 2 | Development, health promotion and childhood conditions from infancy through adolescence. |
NURS 473 — Reproductive Health | 2 | Reproductive wellness, pregnancy, birth, lactation and newborn care. |
NURS 475 — Reproductive Health Clinical | 2 | Apply reproductive and newborn nursing skills in clinical settings. |
NURS 477 — Psych/Mental Health Nursing | 2 | Psychiatric disorders, evidence-based treatments, therapeutic relationships and professional boundaries. |
NURS 479 — Psych/Mental Health Clinical | 2 | Apply psychiatric nursing assessment, communication and person-centered treatment approaches. |
NELC — Elective I | 3 | A required nursing elective; students select an approved course rather than a single fixed specialty. |
Fourth Semester — 15 Credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NURS 482 — Professionalism in Practice II: Longevity and Leadership in Nursing | 2 | Nursing leadership, ethical decisions, patient safety, teamwork and NCLEX preparation. |
NURS 484 — Informatics in Nursing | 2 | Use healthcare information and technology to support coordinated, high-quality nursing care. |
NURS 486 — Complex Nursing Care | 3 | Care for co-occurring disease conditions, integrating assessment, treatment and social determinants of health. |
NURS 488 — Advanced Population Health: A Systems Approach | 2 | Analyze healthcare systems, health policy and inequities, then develop evidence-informed policy messages. |
NURS 489 — Clinical Practicum | 3 | Integrate nursing competencies while providing comprehensive care with a registered nurse preceptor. |
NELC — Elective II | 3 | A second required approved nursing elective. |
NURS 342 and NURS 346 are corequisites and prerequisites to later courses. Clinical courses must be passed before moving to the next semester; NURS 356 may be completed before or during the third semester rather than necessarily alongside every second-semester course.
The school also identifies Foundations of Interprofessional Education and Practice, a zero-credit course bringing students from health professions together for collaborative learning. Students select two approved nursing electives within the required sequence.
Clinical Experience
The published current plan specifies 720 clinical hours: 90 in foundations, 90 in community clinical, 135 in adult clinical, 90 each in pediatrics, reproductive health and psychiatric clinical, and 135 in the final practicum. Simulation is integrated into clinical courses, so these are the school’s reported clinical-course hours rather than a claim that every hour occurs at a hospital bedside.
Clinical learning builds from assessment and skills practice to specialty care and comprehensive care with a registered nurse preceptor. The Baltimore Debra L. Spunt Clinical Simulation Labs hold Society for Simulation in Healthcare accreditation.
After completing NURS 349 Foundations of Nursing Clinical, students may apply for CNA certification. That creates a possible patient-care employment pathway, but certification approval, employment and compatibility with the nursing schedule are separate considerations.
Tuition and Costs
Estimated Maryland-resident tuition: $21,684. This is four full-time semesters at the university billing office’s published 2026–27 rate of $5,421 per semester. Nonresident tuition is estimated at $89,118, using four × $22,279.50.
The same tuition rates apply at Baltimore and Shady Grove. These current-rate estimates cover the 61-credit nursing sequence, exclude prerequisites and fees, and hold rates constant across future semesters; rate increases can raise actual charges.
Required Charges Beyond Tuition
- BSN clinical education cost coverage: $750 per full-time semester.
- Clinical and simulation fee: $108 per credit hour as assessed under the nursing fee schedule.
- First-semester educational assessment fee: $2,075; new-student matriculation fee: $55.
- Other nursing charges per semester: $35 clinical/practicum management, $55 academic/career success, $250 curriculum technology, $15 accident insurance and $5 malpractice insurance.
- Baltimore full-time auxiliary charges: $1,057 per semester, comprising activities, government, campus center, student services, shuttle and technology fees.
- Shady Grove full-time auxiliary/facilities charges: $709.50 per semester, comprising auxiliary, facilities, technology, student services, activities and government fees.
Across four semesters, the listed flat charges total an estimated $10,798 at Baltimore or $9,408 at Shady Grove, before the per-credit clinical/simulation fee, health insurance and personal expenses. Those partial fee subtotals are separate from the tuition estimate and do not represent the entire bill.
The Baltimore nursing fee schedule and Shady Grove schedule provide the itemized charges. Health coverage is required for full-time students; published university premiums are $2,686 in fall and $2,642 in spring unless approved equivalent coverage satisfies the requirement.
Budget separately for prerequisite courses, books, uniforms, clearance requirements, transport and living expenses. The school’s clinical/simulation billing line is per credit; individual course registration determines the assessed amount.
Residency Savings and Scholarships
Newly admitted D.C. residents enrolling at Shady Grove qualify for Maryland in-state tuition under the school’s published policy. This benefit is location-specific and should not be assumed for Baltimore enrollment.
- Merit scholarships: up to $2,500 per semester or $10,000 total, with automatic consideration through a completed application.
- Donor-funded awards: typically $500–$2,000 per semester during fall and spring.
- Conway Scholarship: need-based support covering 50%–75% of in-state tuition, fees and books; a separate application is required.
- Clinical Scholars Program: $5,000–$15,000 available during the final semester in exchange for an 18–36-month employment commitment at University of Maryland Medical Center or Sinai Hospital.
Scholarships are conditional awards, not automatic reductions to the tuition estimate. Apply by the regular scholarship-consideration date and review each award’s eligibility and employment terms.
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