Last Updated: October 3, 2026
Program Overview
USF’s accelerated second-degree BSN is a 62-credit, four-semester pathway with competitive admission and campus-specific application timelines.
The University of South Florida offers this full-time, limited-access nursing pathway to students with a completed bachelor’s degree in another field. The nursing sequence runs over four consecutive semesters, approximately 16 months.
The current admissions page lists summer entry at Tampa and fall entry at St. Petersburg. USF’s official 2026 cohort records also document Sarasota-Manatee students; prospective applicants should use the campus and term currently available in NursingCAS rather than assume a new spring Sarasota-Manatee intake is open.
Classes, laboratory work and clinical assignments demand full-time availability. Employment is not recommended, and the program does not permit absences from required classes, labs or clinicals.
Accreditation
USF holds institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its baccalaureate nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the College identifies Florida Board of Nursing approval on its accreditation page.
Graduation prepares students to apply for the NCLEX-RN; examination eligibility and other licensing requirements apply separately from admission and program completion.
ABSN Admission Summary
Academic Requirements and Selection
- A conferred bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution before the nursing application deadline.
- A minimum 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA and a separate 3.0 nursing prerequisite GPA. GPAs are not rounded upward.
- At least seven of the eight prerequisites completed by the campus’s published prerequisite-completion date.
- Admission to USF for the correct entering term and a NursingCAS application reaching verified status by the campus deadline.
Admission is competitive. In USF’s published 2026 admission statistics, Tampa’s summer cohort admitted 140 of 301 eligible applicants, with average admitted GPAs of 3.68 overall and 3.78 in prerequisites. St. Petersburg’s fall cohort admitted 75 of 229 eligible applicants, with corresponding averages of 3.69 and 3.77. These cohort results are context, rather than admission cutoffs or a guarantee of future acceptance.
Eight State-Mandated Prerequisites — 27 Credits
- Anatomy and Physiology I with laboratory — 4 credits.
- Anatomy and Physiology II with laboratory — 4 credits.
- Chemistry or an approved science equivalent — 3 credits.
- Human Growth and Development — 3 credits.
- Human Nutrition — 3 credits.
- Microbiology with laboratory — 4 credits.
- Psychology, Social Psychology or Sociology — 3 credits.
- Statistics — 3 credits.
USF normally requires C or higher and explicitly accepts C− from institutions using plus/minus grading. One final prerequisite may remain in progress after the NursingCAS deadline; selected applicants receive conditional admission and must meet the published spring completion requirement. Two prerequisite failures while declared pre-nursing require a change of major under the stated admission policy; grade forgiveness does not override that rule.
Prerequisites do not formally expire, but completion within the last five years gives a competitive advantage. Online courses and laboratories are accepted when from an accredited institution and approved for equivalency. Faculty may require a course description and syllabus to review coursework outside Florida’s numbering system.
Passing AP/CLEP credit or Pass/Satisfactory grades are treated as B (3.0) for prerequisite GPA calculation, without changing the overall undergraduate GPA. Civic literacy is a separate university requirement; follow the assigned course and assessment requirements and first-semester completion instructions.
Application Materials and Process
USF reviews overall GPA, prerequisite GPA and four anonymous short-answer essays in NursingCAS. There is no interview, and routine applications do not use resumes, recommendations, separate personal statements or TEAS/HESI scores.
Exception for prior nursing enrollment: applicants who attended another nursing program must upload a dean’s letter of good standing. USF recommends a personal statement explaining that situation; prior enrollment or nursing failures may affect eligibility.
- Apply to USF as a second-baccalaureate, degree-seeking undergraduate for the intended term. Select Nursing (pre) as the major and Tampa as the university application campus, regardless of the desired nursing location.
- Send all required official college transcripts and applicable credit or military records to USF Admissions.
- Submit the separate NursingCAS application for the intended nursing campus and term, with the essay responses and fee.
- Send all college transcripts, including USF transcripts, to NursingCAS and allow time to reach verified status.
- Monitor both applications. NursingCAS may be submitted before the university decision, but university admission must be complete by its separate campus timeline.
Applicants may apply to one campus per cycle; campus changes are not permitted after admission. If not selected, applicants may update the USF entry term and submit a new NursingCAS application for a future cycle. University admission alone does not guarantee nursing admission.
Final Application Deadlines
The current College of Nursing application timeline distinguishes final submission from verification and university admission:
- Tampa, summer entry: submit NursingCAS by January 15; it must reach verified status by February 1, with at least seven prerequisites complete by February 1. USF admission must be finalized by March 1.
- St. Petersburg, fall entry: submit NursingCAS by June 1; it must reach verified status by June 15, USF admission must be finalized by July 1.
The university application priority dates are December 1 for Tampa and February 1 for St. Petersburg; these are planning dates, rather than the final NursingCAS submission dates in Quick Facts. NursingCAS opens October 1 for Tampa and April 1 for St. Petersburg. USF lists transcript priority dates of January 10 and May 15 respectively; submit transcripts early enough for processing and verification. Deadlines are final.
After Acceptance
- Attend required university and College of Nursing orientations.
- Complete background checks, fingerprinting, drug screening and the technical standards documentation by the assigned cohort deadlines.
- Provide immunization records, required CPR/BLS certification, health insurance and HIPAA compliance documentation.
- Meet additional clinical affiliate screening or vaccine requirements, which may exceed baseline university requirements.
Background findings or missed compliance deadlines may cause admission to be rescinded or prevent placement. USF identifies an appeal process for disqualifying background records; clinical placement cannot be guaranteed. Follow the admitted-student packet rather than waiting until the first week of class.
Veteran and Military Support
Military-connected students have access to the Office of Veteran Success, the College’s Chief Officer of Military and Veteran Affairs, mentoring, veteran-paired clinical opportunities and care experiences at VA facilities. Tampa has Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC units.
Fall entry may assist applicants to commissioning programs such as NECP, AECP and MECP. Admission documentation is released after decisions and the intent-to-enroll process. Students awaiting commissioning committee decisions may request deferral for up to one year; verify military program eligibility and allow at least five business days for Form 48 review where needed.
Curriculum
The accelerated sequence contains 62 nursing credits in 22 courses. Theory, skills labs and clinical experiences progress from assessment and fundamentals into complex adult, mental health, family and public health nursing, evidence-based practice, leadership and a final preceptorship.
The semester tables follow the official Tampa summer 2026 accelerated program plan. They show that cohort’s sequence, rather than asserting the same calendar for a fall or Sarasota-Manatee cohort. Follow the program plan issued at admission.
Required Courses and Credits
First summer — 14 nursing credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 3125 — Pathophysiology for Nursing Practice | 3 | Explores pathophysiological concepts, clinical presentations, and influences on disease across the lifespan. Nursing majors only. |
NUR 3825 — Introduction to the Profession of Nursing | 2 | Covers nursing history, ethics, values, professionalism, and U.S. healthcare roles. |
NUR 3066 — Health Assessment, Wellness, and Prevention Across the Lifespan | 2 | Covers physical assessment techniques and wellness promotion for all ages. |
NUR 3066L — Health Assessment Lab | 1 | Hands-on practice of assessment techniques across the lifespan. |
NUR 3026 — Patient Centered Care: Essentials of Nursing Practice | 3 | Introduces professional nursing techniques for diverse cultures, covering nursing process, safety, quality care, communication, and health promotion. |
NUR 3026L — Essentials of Nursing Practice Clinical | 2 | Provides clinical experience in wellness promotion, illness prevention, safe care, and therapeutic communication. |
NUR 3027L — Essentials of Nursing Practice Lab | 1 | Develops foundational lab skills for safe, culturally competent patient care. |
Fall — 15 nursing credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 3145 — Pharmacology in Nursing Practice | 3 | Focuses on pharmacotherapeutic concepts, safety, and management for generalist nursing. Nursing majors only. |
NUR 3225 — Complex Health Nursing I | 4 | Applies person-centered care and clinical judgment for adults with complex chronic illnesses using the Chronic Care Model. |
NUR 3225L — Complex Health Nursing I Clinical | 3 | Clinical application of evidence-based care for chronic illnesses, emphasizing biobehavioral health and prevention. |
NUR 4535 — Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing | 3 | Covers psychopathology, psychopharmacology, and nurse roles in mental health. |
NUR 4535L — Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical | 2 | Applies critical thinking and communication in complex psychiatric care. |
Spring — 20 nursing credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 4467 — Nursing Care of Women, Children, and Families | 4 | Examines family care during childbearing, parenting, and child development in social contexts. |
NUR 4467L — Women, Children, and Families Clinical | 3 | Clinical focus on health promotion and illness management for families across developmental phases. |
NUR 4165 — Evidence-Based Practice | 3 | Builds foundations in clinical inquiry, research methods, and evidence synthesis for nursing practice. Writing intensive; nursing majors only. |
NUR 4888 — Coordination of Care in Nursing | 2 | Focuses on interprofessional care coordination and transitions for high-value outcomes. |
NUR 4227 — Complex Health Nursing II | 4 | Integrates biopsychosocial care for adults with acute complex disorders. |
NUR 4227L — Complex Health Nursing II Clinical | 4 | Clinical experiences in acute complex adult care with focus on safe, evidence-based outcomes. |
Final summer — 13 nursing credits
| Course | Credits | What you study |
|---|---|---|
NUR 4635 — Public Health Nursing | 3 | Introduces public health nursing process for community outcomes, health promotion, and prevention. |
NUR 4635L — Public Health Nursing Clinical | 2 | Community-based experiences in urban/rural settings for health promotion and risk reduction. |
NUR 4827 — Role Transition and Leadership in Nursing | 2 | Prepares BSN graduates for professional practice through leadership and management principles. |
NUR 4948L — Preceptorship | 6 | A supervised preceptorship synthesizing nursing theory, assessment, clinical reasoning and patient care. Develops readiness for professional practice through a final applied clinical experience. |
The plan fixes the variable-credit courses at NUR 3225L three credits, NUR 4227L four, NUR 4635L two and NUR 4888 two. A three-credit civic literacy course is added in the first semester only if needed, producing 65 total credits in that individual plan; it is not a universal extra nursing requirement.
Progression
The nursing sequence requires successful completion of didactic, laboratory and clinical work. Non-passing grades, withdrawal, failure to register or financial cancellation can break progression and delay completion or lead to dismissal. Students must petition the Baccalaureate Admissions Progression Committee to remain or be readmitted after a progression break; the program determines repeated coursework and the earliest cohort with available space.
Clinicals and Simulation
The current Tampa plan lists 990+ clinical hours and 90+ lab hours. Its clinical entries include simulation where marked, so the clinical total should not be read as 990 hours of direct patient care alone.
- First summer: 90 clinical hours with simulation, plus two 45-hour skills/assessment labs.
- Fall: 135 clinical hours in complex adult care and 90 in psychiatric nursing, both including simulation.
- Spring: 135 family-care clinical hours and 180 complex adult clinical hours, including simulation.
- Final summer: 90 public health clinical hours including simulation, a 270-hour preceptorship, and additional leadership simulation noted in the plan.
The six-credit NUR 4948L preceptorship provides a final applied practice experience. The plan identifies NUR 4888 Coordination of Care as online; this does not make the overall campus-based clinical program an online BSN.
The official admitted-student packet warns that clinical sites may be up to two hours from campus. Classes, labs and clinicals can run Monday–Saturday, including evenings, weekends and overnight assignments; common testing may also occur outside daytime classes. Students are responsible for transportation.
Affiliate-specific health requirements can affect placement and progression. The College cannot guarantee immunization exemptions from clinical partners.
Tuition and Required Fees
At USF’s fall 2026–summer 2027 undergraduate rates, resident tuition is $105.07 base tuition plus a $46.88 differential, or $151.95 per credit. Across 62 nursing credits, estimated Florida-resident tuition is $9,420.90, the figure used in Quick Facts.
- Other resident per-credit fees: $58.24 × 62 = $3,611.68.
- Flat fees: $37 each term × four terms = $148.
- Resident tuition and standard fees combined: $13,180.58 for 62 credits and four terms.
- Nonresident tuition estimate: resident tuition plus the $438.32 out-of-state charge = $590.27 per credit, or $36,596.74 across 62 credits. Other per-credit fees and four flat fees bring the combined estimate to $41,714.04.
- The published $210.19 resident and $670.42 nonresident per-credit totals include multiple fees; they are not tuition alone.
These estimates apply current rates across the nursing plan, exclude prerequisites, living expenses, repeats and other individual charges, and may change in later academic years. A required extra civic literacy course adds billed credits. Consult the 2026–27 undergraduate rate schedule.
The College’s undergraduate nursing expense sheet lists additional costs:
- CastleBranch compliance package $204.48, including background screening and drug testing, plus $10 for HIPAA compliance.
- ATI resources $1,000, spread over four semester payments.
- CPR, immunizations, clinical onboarding, scrubs, equipment, textbooks and a suitable computer, with variable costs.
- Health insurance, transportation to clinical sites and other personal expenses.
- Estimated post-graduation Florida nursing application $110, Pearson VUE exam $200 and variable fingerprinting charges; confirm current charges when applying.
The official summer 2026 packet also lists a $10 initial USF identification card. Its compliance deadlines precede classes and the drug screen must be completed within 72 hours of receiving the instructions; use the packet for the admitted cohort’s dates and package selection.
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