Program Overview
Top 4% Nationally. Memphis-Based. A Health Science Center ABSN Unlike Any Other.
Ranked in the top 4% of nursing programs in the United States, UTHSC’s Accelerated BSN operates within a dedicated health science center — not a general university’s nursing college — giving students access to a clinical infrastructure that most ABSN programs simply can’t match.
The program’s 92.5% four-year average NCLEX first-time pass rate reflects outcomes, not marketing. Two annual start dates (Fall and Spring) give career changers scheduling options, and priority applicants who commit by the priority deadline receive a guaranteed $500 scholarship.
Admission requires a KIRA video interview, structured essay, and two professional recommendations — a holistic process that evaluates character and commitment alongside academic metrics.
Tennessee residents benefit from among the lowest ABSN tuition costs in the state at just $13,535 total program tuition.
ABSN Admission Summary
UTHSC’s admission is highly competitive and holistic — academic records, interview performance, professional references, and personal essays are all evaluated. Admission preference is given to Tennessee residents, though out-of-state applicants are considered. Students dismissed from any nursing program are categorically ineligible; no exceptions are made.
Academic requirements:
- Completed bachelor’s degree or higher in a non-nursing field from a regionally accredited U.S. institution (or approved international equivalent) — must be conferred before enrollment
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA across all institutions attended, OR minimum 3.2 GPA in the most recently completed degree program
- Minimum 2.67 GPA across science prerequisite courses (calculated using the highest grade earned on the first or second attempt)
- Grade of C or better in every individual science prerequisite course
- Science prerequisites must have been completed within 5 years of the entry term
Three required science prerequisite courses (all within 5 years):
- Human Anatomy & Physiology I with lab (4 cr.)
- Human Anatomy & Physiology II with lab (4 cr.)
- Microbiology with lab (4 cr.)
Additional general education requirements for second-degree students:
- English Composition (3 cr.)
- English Literature (3 cr.)
- Humanities/Fine Arts (3 cr.)
- Social/Behavioral Sciences (3 cr.)
- American History (6 cr.) — or 1 unit of high school U.S. history; Tennessee residents from Tennessee public institutions are generally considered to have met general education requirements except for the science prerequisites
- 30 credits of general education electives (Statistics preferred)
- 10 credits of other electives (upper-division coursework from prior major counts)
- Total degree credits: 120 (50 nursing + 70 prerequisite/general education)
All prerequisites must be complete before beginning studies at UTHSC but do not need to be complete at the time of application. In-progress coursework is acceptable at application — but if admitted, all outstanding prerequisites must be finished before enrollment.
Application materials — submitted through NursingCAS:
- Official transcripts from every college/university attended
- KIRA video interview — required of all applicants; must be completed within NursingCAS before submitting the application
- Personal essay addressing four specific prompts: reasons for choosing nursing, 5-year professional goals, three personal strengths for accelerated study, and three challenges that could impede success
- Two professional recommendations (one faculty/academic; one employer) — structured around specific questions: candidate’s suitability, three strengths, and three areas for improvement
Application fees and deposits:
- NursingCAS application fee: $50
- Post-acceptance application processing fee: $75 (non-refundable)
- Guaranteed Enrollment Deposit (GED): $200 non-refundable, due within 30 days of acceptance, applied to first-term tuition
- Background check and drug screen: $162 (repeat required during program)
Deferral policy: Admission is semester-specific. Deferrals are only granted for military obligation or pregnancy — financial, employment, or personal health circumstances do not qualify. Students unable to attend their admitted term must reapply for the next cycle.
Post-acceptance requirements (before matriculation):
- Successful criminal background check (including fingerprinting may be required for licensure)
- Drug screen (may be repeated during program)
- Immunizations as required by state law and clinical agencies
- Medical clearance to meet physical performance standards
- AHA BLS/CPR certification maintained throughout enrollment
- Health insurance and professional liability insurance throughout the program
- Web-connected device capable of modern software and streaming media (laptop recommended; $1,000 budgeted in COA)
International applicants: TOEFL required if native language is not English — minimum 550 paper, 213 computer, or 80 internet-based; scores must be within 2 years of application. NACES-accredited credential evaluation required for all international transcripts.
Curriculum
Fifty nursing credit hours are distributed across three consecutive 12-month terms. Two entry pathways exist — Fall start (Fall → Spring → Summer) and Spring start (Spring → Summer → Fall) — with identical curriculum content in different term sequences. The program is concept-based throughout, with clinical hours embedded in every major specialty course. The clinical-to-credit-hour ratio is 2.5:1 (37.5 clinical hours per clinical credit hour), and the laboratory ratio is 2.0:1.
Prerequisite Overview
Three science prerequisites (A&P I, A&P II, Microbiology) must all be complete within 5 years of entry. See the admission summary above for the full prerequisite and general education list.
Course Descriptions
Term 1 — Fall entry (17 cr. | 12 didactic, 1 lab, 4 clinical)
NSG 438 – Pathophysiology and Pharmacology for Nursing Practice (4 cr. | 4 didactic) Integrates pathophysiological mechanisms with pharmacological principles — providing the unified scientific foundation applied throughout all subsequent clinical specialty courses.
NSG 442 – Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (3 cr. | 2 didactic, 1 lab) Develops systematic physical and psychosocial assessment skills across all developmental stages — the only lab course in the 50-credit nursing sequence; directly supports all clinical immersion experiences.
NSG 444 – Nursing Concepts I: Foundations of Professional Nursing Care (7 cr. | 4 didactic, 3 clinical) The highest-credit course in the entire program. Introduces core nursing knowledge, evidence-based practice, safety principles, and the clinical foundations needed to provide competent, culturally appropriate care across diverse patient populations.
NSG 460 – Mental Health Nursing Concepts (3 cr. | 2 didactic, 1 clinical) Addresses bio-psycho-social dimensions of mental health across the lifespan — includes clinical hours in psychiatric and behavioral health settings from the very first term.
Term 2 — Spring (15 cr. | 10 didactic, 0 lab, 5 clinical):
NSG 439 – Evidence-Based Practice: Concepts of Scientific Inquiry and Evaluation (2 cr. | 2 didactic) Develops skills in locating, analyzing, and applying nursing research — building the research literacy that supports clinical decision-making and population health coursework in the final term.
NSG 446 – Nursing Concepts II: Care for Adult Patients with Acute and Chronic Health Problems (7 cr. | 4 didactic, 3 clinical) The second of three adult health nursing courses — focused on caring for adults across the acute-to-chronic care continuum with emphasis on complex clinical reasoning and quality-of-care frameworks.
NSG 447 – Reproductive, Childbearing, and Newborn Nursing Care Concepts (3 cr. | 2 didactic, 1 clinical) Covers evidence-based care across the perinatal continuum — from reproductive health through the newborn period — integrating science, behavioral health, and family-centered care principles.
NSG 448 – Pediatric and Adolescent Nursing Care Concepts (3 cr. | 2 didactic, 1 clinical) Provides evidence-based care strategies for pediatric and adolescent patients across developmental stages — develops assessment and intervention skills specific to children and their families.
Term 3 — Summer (18 cr. | 12 didactic, 0 lab, 6 clinical):
NSG 452 – Population Health Nursing Concepts (3 cr. | 2 didactic, 1 clinical) Explores health promotion and disease prevention across diverse populations — incorporates community drivers of health, health disparities, and prevention strategies across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
NSG 456 – Nursing Internship: Leadership and Management Practice (3 cr. | 3 clinical) A fully clinical leadership internship — no didactic component; students work directly with nurse leaders in healthcare facilities to develop management competencies, interprofessional collaboration, and professional role integration.
NSG 457 – Nursing Leadership and Management (3 cr. | 3 didactic) Covers leadership theory, management principles, and systems-based approaches for improving patient outcomes — pairs with the concurrent internship (NSG 456) for simultaneous theory-to-practice application.
NSG 458 – Care Coordination and Transition Management (2 cr. | 2 didactic) Addresses the systems-level skills required to coordinate care across healthcare settings — discharge planning, care transitions, interprofessional communication, and navigation of complex health systems.
NSG 464 – Nursing Concepts III: Care for Adult Patients with Acute/Complex Health Problems (6 cr. | 4 didactic, 2 clinical) The third and most advanced adult health nursing course — focuses on critically ill and highly complex patients, integrating all prior pathophysiology, pharmacology, and clinical reasoning competencies for the final capstone clinical experience.
NSG 499 – Senior Synthesis Seminar (1 cr. | 1 didactic) A 1-credit capstone seminar — synthesizes learning across all three terms in preparation for NCLEX and professional nursing practice entry. The program’s final reflective and integrative course.
More curriculum details available in the course catalog: UTHSC Accelerated BSN Catalog
Clinicals
Fifteen clinical credit hours are embedded across all three terms — beginning in Term 1 and escalating through the final summer’s Leadership Internship (NSG 456), which is the only course in the program composed entirely of clinical hours with no didactic component.
- Total clinical credit hours: 15 across 3 terms (Term 1: 4 cr. | Term 2: 5 cr. | Term 3: 6 cr.)
- Clinical clock hours: 1 clinical credit = 37.5 clock hours; 15 clinical credits = 562.5 total clinical hours
- Clinical start: Term 1, Week 1 — NSG 444 (Foundations) includes 3 clinical credits and NSG 460 (Mental Health) includes 1 clinical credit from day one
- Clinical specialties covered: Foundations of professional nursing care, mental health, adult acute and chronic care (Levels I, II, and III), reproductive/childbearing/newborn, pediatrics and adolescents, population health, and leadership and management internship
- Leadership Internship (NSG 456, 3 cr. | all clinical): The only purely clinical course in the program — no lectures; 3 full clinical credits of direct leadership and management experience within healthcare organizations alongside nurse executives and managers
- Clinical sites: Hospitals, community clinics, health departments, schools, and other health care facilities in the Memphis/Tennessee region — UTHSC’s status as a dedicated health science center provides access to major academic medical center partners
- Clinical-to-credit ratio: 2.5:1 — among the most rigorous ratios in this review (37.5 clinical hours per credit hour, compared to many programs using 3:1 or lower)
- Employment emphasis: Partnership enrollment programs with Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen, Rhodes College, UT Southern, and multiple community college partners extend the UTHSC clinical and educational network across the Mid-South region
Tuition
Estimated total program cost (Tennessee resident): ~$24,836
UTHSC publishes a detailed Cost of Attendance for the 12-month ABSN program (labeled A3FSSN in the COA table).
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
Tuition (12 months) | $13,535 |
Fees (includes $4,224 health insurance) | $11,301 |
Tuition + fees subtotal | $24,836 |
Books, supplies, laptop, CPR/background check | $1,555 |
Transportation (12 months × $332/month) | $3,984 |
Miscellaneous/personal (12 months × ~$1,055/month) | $12,666 |
Housing and food (12 months) | $19,536 |
Full COA total (in-state) | $62,657 |
| Status | Tuition | Out-of-State Surcharge | Total Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
Tennessee resident | $13,535 | — | $13,535 |
Out-of-state | $13,535 | $25,038 | $38,573 |
The tuition figure of $13,535 for in-state students is split evenly across three terms at $4,512 each — one of the lowest raw tuition totals in this entire review, comparable only to Tennessee’s least expensive public university programs. The fees ($11,301) include mandatory health insurance ($4,224) — a cost that would be incurred regardless of institution. Priority applicants receive a guaranteed $500 scholarship at acceptance.
See the official tuition page for more details: UTHSC Financial Aid & Cost of Attendance
Accreditation
The BSN program at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
The program is approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing.
UTHSC holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN upon program completion, with UT College of Nursing graduates consistently exceeding both state and national first-time pass rates.