Program Overview
Tennessee’s Flagship University ABSN — 72 Seats, Flagship Outcomes
Seventy-two seats per year at Tennessee’s most recognized research university — that’s the competitive reality of the UTK ABSN. Admitted students don’t squeak in at 3.0; they average 3.45 overall and 3.52 in prerequisites.
No TEAS exam is required, and the application assessment goes deeper than test scores: withdrawal patterns, grade improvement trends, and demonstrated commitment to nursing are all explicitly evaluated.
The program publishes its total cost directly — $32,295 for Tennessee residents, all in — without requiring prospective students to calculate it from a fee schedule.
For students who want the credential of Tennessee’s flagship university attached to their nursing degree, this is the path.
ABSN Admission Summary
Admission is highly competitive — more qualified applicants apply than seats available every cycle. Rolling review begins in early September, with a priority deadline of November 1 and a final deadline of December 1 for the following May/Summer start. Students placed on a waitlist are notified by email.
Academic requirements:
- Completed, conferred non-nursing bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution — degree must be conferred by May before the Summer start
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA across all institutions attended and all coursework completed (note: this is a minimum, not the competitive standard — admitted students average 3.45)
- 3 of the 4 required prerequisites must be completed with C or higher by the end of Fall semester before the Summer start; the remaining prerequisite must be completed during Spring semester
- No TEAS exam required
Holistic evaluation factors:
The admissions committee explicitly evaluates:
- Cumulative GPA for all courses completed
- Cumulative GPA in prerequisite courses
- Number of course withdrawals and repetitions
- Grade improvement over time
- Probability of completing remaining prerequisites before Fall
- Interest in and commitment to nursing
Four required prerequisite courses (C or higher in each):
- Human Anatomy (4 credit hours with lab) — equivalent to EEB 250/251, ANTH 250/251, or NURS 250/251
- Human Physiology (4 credit hours with lab) — equivalent to BCMB 230
- Microbiology (minimum 3 credit hours with lab) — equivalent to MICR 210 or BIOL 220/229
- Human Development (3 credit hours) — equivalent to HDFS 210 or CFS 210
Critical A&P sequencing rule: Year-long A&P sequences (A&P I + A&P II) must both be completed at the same institution and cannot be mixed with standalone Anatomy or Physiology courses. For example, “A&P I” + “BCMB 230 Physiology” does NOT satisfy the requirement. No time limit applies to prerequisites, but science courses older than 7 years should be repeated for preparation purposes.
No credit by exam accepted. Online courses from regionally accredited institutions are accepted. Transfer credit from Sophia.org, Study.com, or StraighterLine is not accepted.
Tennessee U.S. History requirement: Students who graduated after July 1, 1978 must have completed 1 unit of U.S. history in high school or 6 semester hours of collegiate U.S. history (UT’s HIUS 221+222 fulfill this if not done in high school).
Application process — two parallel submissions required:
- UTK Application through utc.edu/apply — apply as a Transfer student (if never attended UT) or Readmit (previous UT student); current UTK students enrolled in Spring only need the NursingCAS application
- NursingCAS Application — must reach “Verified” status by the December 1 deadline; send official transcripts from all prior institutions to NursingCAS; submit high school transcript if U.S. history was completed there; list all in-progress and planned courses
Post-acceptance requirements (before upper-division courses begin):
- Criminal background check
- Drug screen
- Physical examination and immunization requirements per state law and clinical agency standards
- Participation in UT’s group professional liability insurance program
- Health insurance
- CPR certification per BSN Handbook requirements
Progression and grading standards:
- Minimum passing grade: C (75%) on all course examinations — students who fail to reach 75% on exams receive a grade of C– or lower regardless of assignment points
- Students receiving grades of C–, D, F, or NC in more than one nursing course are required to withdraw from the program — even if the first failed course was subsequently repeated with a passing grade
- No nursing course may be repeated more than once
- Unsatisfactory clinical performance results in failure of the Clinical Immersion course regardless of lecture grades
- If a clinical immersion is failed, both the lecture and clinical must be retaken together — passing one does not exempt the student from retaking the other
Curriculum
Forty-seven nursing credit hours are distributed across three consecutive semesters, organized into five Clinical Immersion courses that serve as the program’s clinical spine alongside specialty didactic content. The curriculum is structured so that foundational content precedes clinical application, and each semester’s milestone requires passing every course with a C or better before progressing.
Prerequisite Overview
All four prerequisites must be completed before the nursing sequence begins — no prerequisites may be taken concurrently with ABSN coursework. See the admission summary above for full prerequisite requirements and transfer equivalency guidance.
Term 1 — Summer (14 credit hours):
NURS 309 – Clinical Immersion I for the Accelerated Student (4 cr.) Focuses on health promotion, restoration, and maintenance for adults with acute and chronic conditions. Includes foundational nursing skills and assessments in both clinical and simulated settings — the first live patient care experience of the program.
NURS 316 – Pathophysiology for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Covers physiological changes in the body caused by diseases, illnesses, injuries, and genetic disorders — the scientific foundation for all subsequent clinical reasoning across the program.
NURS 322 – Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Introduces core nursing knowledge necessary to plan and provide safe, evidence-based, and culturally appropriate care across diverse patient populations and practice settings.
NURS 333 – Health Assessment for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Focuses on holistic patient assessment combining lecture and hands-on lab experience — develops the systematic physical and psychosocial assessment skills used throughout all clinical immersions.
NURS 354 – Leadership I for the Accelerated Student (1 cr.) Develops personal attributes for professional nursing practice, with emphasis on interpersonal skills and foundational leadership principles — the first of a two-part leadership sequence that spans the full program.
Term 2 — Fall (17 credit hours):
NURS 351 – Pharmacotherapeutics for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Examines principles of drug action and the major pharmacological classifications used in nursing practice — applied directly alongside concurrent adult health clinical coursework.
NURS 419 – Nursing Care of Adults for the Accelerated Student (4 cr.) Focuses on nursing care for adults with acute, chronic, and complex conditions — includes critical assessment, quality of care frameworks, and end-of-life considerations. The heaviest specialty theory course in the program.
NURS 420 – Clinical Immersion II for the Accelerated Student (4 cr.) Provides hands-on clinical experience in managing adult patients with acute, chronic, and complex health conditions — paired directly with NURS 419’s lecture content for immediate application.
NURS 422 – Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Teaches evidence-based care for patients with mental health disorders, with a focus on bio-psycho-social dimensions of psychiatric nursing across the lifespan.
NURS 471R – Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice / Nursing Research for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Develops skills in searching, analyzing, critiquing, and applying nursing research to evidence-based practice — culminating in research literacy that supports the final semester’s capstone.
Term 3 — Spring (16 credit hours):
NURS 415 – Maternal-Newborn Nursing for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Covers evidence-based nursing care for childbearing women and neonates, integrating content from nursing science, natural sciences, and behavioral health across the perinatal continuum.
NURS 444 – Pediatric Nursing for the Accelerated Student (3 cr.) Provides evidence-based care strategies for pediatric patients and their families — developing assessment and intervention skills specific to developmental stages across childhood and adolescence.
NURS 432 – Population Health for the Accelerated Student (2 cr.) Explores health promotion and disease prevention across diverse and vulnerable populations through primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies — prepares students for community-based and public health nursing roles.
NURS 445 – Clinical Immersion III for the Accelerated Student (2 cr.) Offers hands-on experience in specialty areas including maternal, pediatric, mental health, aging, acute care, or critical care nursing — the most specialty-varied clinical rotation in the program.
NURS 433 – Clinical Immersion IV for the Accelerated Student (2 cr.) Develops leadership skills through clinical experience in assessing innovation, promoting practice excellence, and fostering interprofessional collaboration across diverse clinical settings.
NURS 446 – Clinical Immersion V – Capstone for the Accelerated Student (2 cr.) The final capstone clinical experience — integrates the full scope of clinical, leadership, and professional practice competencies developed across all three semesters in preparation for NCLEX and independent nursing practice.
NURS 454 – Leadership II for the Accelerated Student (2 cr.) Covers advanced leadership and management skills for professional nurses — addresses driving healthcare improvements, managing teams, and transitioning into practice as a new graduate RN.
More curriculum details available in the course catalog: UTK ABSN Catalog
Clinicals
Five dedicated Clinical Immersion courses form the clinical backbone of the program — beginning in the very first summer term and escalating through four additional immersion experiences across Fall and Spring. All clinical placements are in the Knoxville/East Tennessee area, with most sites within a 30-minute drive of campus.
- Total clinical immersion courses: 5 (NURS 309, 420, 445, 433, 446) — totaling 14 clinical credits across the 47-credit program
- Clinical start: Week 1 of Summer Term 1 — Clinical Immersion I begins immediately alongside foundational coursework
- Clinical Immersion V (NURS 446, 2 cr.): Capstone clinical experience in the final Spring semester — integrates all prior clinical and didactic learning for graduation readiness
- Specialties covered across all immersions: Adult acute and chronic care, mental health, maternal-newborn, pediatrics, population health, community health, and leadership-focused clinical settings
- Clinical sites: Major hospitals, community clinics, health departments, schools, and other healthcare facilities throughout the Knoxville/East Tennessee region; most within 30 minutes of campus; some remote locations require individual student transportation
- Clinical scheduling: Classes, clinical experiences, and labs run 5 days per week — schedule varies semester to semester and is typically posted 1–2 weeks before each term begins
- Simulation: Technology-enhanced classrooms and accredited simulation laboratory facilities on campus complement clinical rotations — simulation is integrated within Clinical Immersion I and Health Assessment lab components
- UTMC Scholarship & Clinical Connection: Eight students per year receive the UTMC ABSN Scholarship ($12,776 each, competitive) in exchange for a 3-year post-graduation commitment to UT Medical Center — creating a direct clinical-to-employment pipeline for recipients
- Clinical failure policy: Unsatisfactory clinical performance — particularly involving unsafe, unethical, or unprofessional behavior — results in required program withdrawal, not just course failure
Tuition
Estimated total program cost: $32,295 in-state | $62,461 out-of-state
UTK’s College of Nursing publishes the total ABSN program cost directly — one of the only programs in this review to do so without requiring tuition math from the applicant.
| Status | Total Program Cost |
|---|---|
Tennessee resident | $32,295 |
Out-of-state | $62,461 |
At $32,295 for in-state students, UTK is priced above Tennessee’s lowest-cost public options (Tennessee Tech ~$25,000, UofM ~$22,500) but significantly below every private program in this review. The flagship credential, research-active faculty, 5-clinical-immersion structure, 72-seat selectivity, and UTMC scholarship pipeline provide clear value differentiation at this price point. Out-of-state students at $62,461 should weigh that against private programs — it’s comparable to South College (~$50,520) and less than PLU (~$75,450) or Emory (~$82,000+).
UTMC Scholarship: Eight students annually receive $12,776 in combined UT/UTMC scholarship funding tied to a 3-year post-graduation employment commitment at UT Medical Center. Application deadline: March 1. Contact hhauck@utk.edu for details.
See the official tuition page for more details: UTK College of Nursing Tuition & Fees
Accreditation
The baccalaureate nursing program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 887-6791. The program is also unconditionally approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. UTK holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN; UT College of Nursing graduates consistently exceed both state and national NCLEX pass rates.