Three Starts a Year. No Waitlist. Online Theory, In-Person Labs and Clinicals.
While most ABSNs admit once or twice annually and maintain waitlists, Utica University admits qualified students three times per year — January, May, and August — through rolling admissions that close when each cohort fills. The hybrid model delivers nursing theory online through an asynchronous e-learning platform and sends students to Utica or Albany/Latham facilities for simulation labs and clinical rotations.
Online theory means scheduling flexibility without sacrificing clinical rigor: 225 hours of lab time and 588 clinical hours are completed in-person at area healthcare facilities.
Every admitted student is assigned a dedicated success coach who provides personalized academic support, tutoring coordination, and one-on-one advocacy throughout the 16-month program.
The 2.8 minimum GPA makes the program accessible to a broader range of career changers than the 3.0–3.3 thresholds common at comparable private programs.
ABSN Admission Summary
Rolling admissions review applicants on a continuous basis — meeting requirements does not guarantee a seat, but early applications receive earlier decisions. No waitlist means qualified applicants who apply early can secure a spot at their chosen start date.
Academic requirements:
- Prior bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field from a regionally accredited institution — OR minimum 65 credits from a regionally accredited institution with at least 57 of those credits from a 4-year institution
- Minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA
- C or better in all general degree requirement courses
- 3.0 GPA or better overall in natural science degree requirement courses
- Natural science degree requirements must have been completed within the past 10 years
- Only one retake of any two degree requirement courses is permitted
Six required degree requirement courses — must be complete before enrolling in nursing courses:
Natural Sciences (3.0 GPA or better; in-person lab required; within 10 years):
- Anatomy & Physiology I with lab (BIO 101 or equivalent)
- Anatomy & Physiology II with lab (BIO 102 or equivalent)
- Chemistry with lab (CHE 211 or equivalent)
- Microbiology with lab (BIO 203 or equivalent)
General (C or better):
- Life Span Developmental Psychology (HLS 245 or PSY 223)
- Statistics (MAT 112, PSY 211, or SOC 211)
All degree requirement courses may be completed 100% online through Utica University — seamlessly transferable into the program and compatible with the e-learning platform used in the ABSN itself. Completing prerequisites through Utica also establishes financial aid eligibility once enrolled in at least two courses.
Application process:
- Meet with an admissions representative to discuss academic experience and career goals — this is the first step before submitting application materials; representatives work exclusively with nursing students
- Develop a personalized academic plan toward the desired start date (January, May, or August)
- Complete all degree requirement courses (online, through Utica or transferred in from another regionally accredited institution)
- Submit online application ($40 application fee)
- Pay non-refundable admissions deposit ($500)
- Submit official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities — mail to: Utica University, Attn: ABSN Program, 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, NY 13502
- International transcripts: course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services (WES) required
Post-acceptance transition:
After admission, students are assigned an academic success coach who provides:
- Tutoring session coordination
- Personalized academic plan creation
- One-on-one sessions for academic, personal, or professional challenges
- Ongoing advocacy throughout the 16-month program
Post-acceptance clinical requirements:
- CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification — must remain current throughout the program
- Health insurance required — if uninsured, Utica’s health insurance plan is automatically billed
- Health clearance and immunizations uploaded to designated health portal (CastleBranch/ACEMAPP) — must remain current; expiration at any point during the program leads to clinical failure
- Background check (fingerprint Level II) — results disclosed to clinical partners; criminal history may result in program dismissal if clinical partners refuse placement; background/drug screen fees: $180 (Albany) or $213 (Utica)
- Drug screen — required before clinical placement
Campus locations:
- Utica main campus: 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, NY 13502 — both ABSN and Advanced Standing B.S. in Nursing programs
- Albany/Latham: 23 British American Boulevard, Latham, NY 12110 — ABSN only
Progression standards:
- Maintain minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA throughout the program
- Minimum C+ (77%) required in all nursing courses
- Students who fall below C+ have one opportunity to repeat one course maximum
- Failure in the repeated course results in academic dismissal
- Students may withdraw from a course once; withdrawal from the same course twice counts as one course failure
- All courses in a semester must be passed before advancing to the next semester
- Clinical assignments may occur anywhere within a 60-mile radius of the assigned campus
- Transportation to all clinical sites is the student’s responsibility; parking is at the student’s expense
Curriculum
Sixty-two nursing major credits are distributed across four consecutive semesters. Theory courses are delivered online through an asynchronous Canvas learning management system; labs and clinicals are in-person at Utica or Albany/Latham facilities. A three-part Medical-Surgical Nursing sequence (NUR 371, 421, 471) forms the program’s primary clinical spine across Semesters 2 through 4, escalating in complexity from common acute conditions to advanced complex patient care.
Prerequisite Overview
Six degree requirement courses required — four sciences with labs (3.0 GPA minimum, within 10 years), two general courses (C or better). All available 100% online through Utica. See the admission summary above for the full list.
Semester 1 (13 cr.):
NUR 311 – Socialization to Professional Nursing (3 cr.) Sets the foundation for professional nursing practice — nursing roles, theories, professional standards, patient-centered care, interprofessional collaboration, and evidence-based practice. The program’s professional identity and framework course.
NUR 321 – Foundations for Nursing Care (4 cr.) (45 lab hours; 42 clinical hours) Introduces the foundations of nursing practice and the nurse-patient relationship — caring, critical thinking, assessment, communication, and professionalism. Covers the nursing process with a focus on holistic patient assessment from wellness to illness in acute care. Clinical skills for integral patient care components taught through lab and clinical experience.
NUR 326 – Health Assessment (3 cr.) (45 lab hours) Develops systematic physical, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental assessment skills across the lifespan. Teaches history taking, comprehensive physical examination, and psychosocial assessment with an emphasis on differential interpretation of normal versus abnormal findings. Fosters clinical reasoning and critical thinking as the assessment foundation for all subsequent clinical courses.
NUR 332 – Pathophysiology (3 cr.) Examines basic principles of pathophysiology — cellular communication, genetics, cellular injury, fluid and electrolytes, acid-base balance, immunity, stress, illness, and tumors. Explores how body systems interact during illness and how nursing care is impacted.
Semester 2 (17 cr.):
NUR 312 – Leadership and Informatics in Professional Nursing (3 cr.) Differentiates nursing leadership from nursing management; explores informatics, technology, patient safety, telehealth, and EHR impacts on nursing and healthcare delivery. Develops communication, leadership, and teamwork characteristics for clinical, educational, political, and community settings.
NUR 371 – Medical/Surgical Nursing Care I (5 cr.) (45 lab hours; 84 clinical hours) First of three medical-surgical courses — integrates the nursing process for adult patients with acute stressors. Covers oxygenation, perfusion, orthopedics, and gastrointestinal conditions; assessment and evidence-based interventions. Lab competency development and clinical experience in acute care settings.
NUR 444 – Care of Populations with Psychiatric Concerns (3 cr.) (8 weeks; 42 clinical hours) Biopsychosocial framework for psychiatric mental health nursing — nursing process for individuals, groups, and families responding to neurobiological and psychosocial alterations. Covers psychotropic medications, individual and group therapies, and psychoeducational interventions. Clinical practice in diverse psychiatric settings; therapeutic communication emphasized.
NUR 366 – Care of the Aging Population (3 cr.) (8 weeks; 42 clinical hours) In-depth exploration of nursing care for older adults — health promotion, chronic illness management, health maintenance, and disease prevention strategies. Addresses the diverse and complex health status of aging populations across income, living arrangement, and physical/psychosocial support dimensions. Clinical included.
NUR 333 – Pharmacology (3 cr.) Examines pharmacology for safe, effective nursing practice — drug actions, uses, administration, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, adverse effects, contraindications, drug interactions, and antidotes. Builds the pharmacological knowledge applied in all subsequent clinical specialty and advanced medical-surgical courses.
Semester 3 (16 cr.):
NUR 411 – Health Policy Management in Professional Nursing (2 cr.) Expands nursing management knowledge across practice, education, political, and community settings — management techniques, budgeting, planning, supervision, and delegation.
NUR 421 – Medical/Surgical Nursing Care II (4 cr.) (84 clinical hours) Second medical-surgical course — escalating complexity of adult illness, complex physiological and psychosocial stressors, and advanced care management. Clinical experience with increasingly complex adult patients.
NUR 423 – Senior Nursing Care Seminar Lab I (1 cr.) (45 lab hours) Seminar-based course reinforcing essential nursing elements — nursing process, holistic patient assessment, and skills integration from previous courses. Lab and simulation experiences; concurrent with NUR 421.
NUR 365 – Care of the Obstetric Population (3 cr.) (8 weeks; 42 clinical hours) Maternal, paternal, fetal, and neonatal physiological and psychosocial responses to childbearing — family theory framework for pregnancy, birth, and newborn addition. Clinical in obstetric settings.
NUR 446 – Care of the Pediatric Population (3 cr.) (42 clinical hours) Nursing care in the childrearing family — well-child health promotion, perinatal complications, and childhood illness. Emphasizes anticipatory guidance, growth and development integration, and family-centered care. Clinical included.
NUR 445 – Introduction to Research Methods and Design (3 cr.) Scientific method as a foundation for evidence-based practice — critical elements of the research process, scientific integrity, and ethical standards. Develops skills for consuming research literature and participating in the research process.
Semester 4 (16 cr.) — capstone semester:
NUR 412 – Trends in Professional Nursing (5 cr.) (84 clinical hours) Prepares students for the transition from student to baccalaureate generalist nurse — trends and issues in nursing education, research, and practice within historical, social, and multicultural systems frameworks. Transitional clinical experience bridging student nurse to graduate nurse.
NUR 465 – End-of-Life and Palliative Care Practice (2 cr.) Introduces palliative and hospice nursing across the lifespan — interprofessional approach to physical, psychological, social, and spiritual concerns; pain and symptom management; comfort care and end-of-life decisions. Students explore their own perceptions of death and loss in relation to patient care.
NUR 471 – Advanced Medical/Surgical Nursing (5 cr.) (84 clinical hours) The most advanced medical-surgical course in the program — integrates theoretical, clinical, and professional concepts for patients with complex health issues. Emphasizes assessment, differential diagnosis, pathophysiology, pharmacology, critical thinking, and clinical judgment in high-acuity settings.
NUR 473 – Senior Nursing Care Seminar Lab II (1 cr.) (45 lab hours) Capstone seminar exploring patient scenarios through case studies, lab experiences, and simulation. Students work individually and in teams to analyze complex patient situations and develop critical thinking for holistic care delivery. Concurrent with NUR 471 and NUR 412.
NUR 346 – Care of Populations and Communities (3 cr.) (42 clinical hours) Population and community health through epidemiology, health promotion, and disease prevention across the lifespan. Service-learning community clinical component — students assess community programs, identify health promotion initiatives, and develop health education activities in community-based settings.
More curriculum details available in the course catalog: Utica University ABSN Catalog
Clinicals
Clinical rotations begin in Semester 1 — NUR 321 (Foundations for Nursing Care) includes 42 clinical hours in the opening semester — and accumulate to 588 total hours across all four semesters. All clinical assignments occur within 60 miles of the assigned campus; students are responsible for transportation.
- Clinical start: Semester 1 — NUR 321 includes 42 clinical hours; all subsequent specialty courses include dedicated clinical components
- Total clinical hours: 588 — plus 225 lab hours; one of the higher combined hour totals in this review for a private program
- Total simulation/lab hours: 225 — distributed across Semesters 1, 2, 3, and 4 via dedicated lab sections (NUR 321, 371, 423, 473)
- Clinical specialties covered: Adult health I, II, and advanced (medical-surgical), psychiatric/mental health, geriatric care, obstetrics and maternal-child, pediatrics, and community/population health
- Medical-Surgical clinical sequence: NUR 371 (84 hr.), NUR 421 (84 hr.), NUR 471 (84 hr.) — 252 combined clinical hours in adult medical-surgical nursing across Semesters 2, 3, and 4 — the most extensive adult health clinical track in the curriculum
- Clinical partners: Utica and Albany/Latham area healthcare facilities — specific named partners not published in available materials; clinical assignments may occur anywhere within a 60-mile radius of the assigned campus; contact Utica admissions for current affiliate information
- Simulation labs: Anatomically correct medical manikins at Utica and Albany/Latham sites — pre-briefing, simulated clinical experience, and post-experience debriefing model; high-tech manikins at Albany site specifically noted
- Canvas platform: Online theory delivered asynchronously through Canvas; task-based simulated learning modules, discussion forums, scheduled chat sessions with faculty, and video content available; proctored exams at campus learning sites
Tuition
Estimated total program cost: ~$63,753
Utica publishes a complete per-credit cost breakdown for the ABSN program. Tuition is charged per credit hour for all 62 nursing credits across four semesters.
| Component | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Tuition | 62 cr. × $957/cr. | $59,334 |
Program fees | $340/semester × 4 | $1,360 |
Books | Varies by semester | ~$3,059 |
Total estimated | ~$63,753 |
Program fees include: Scrubs (3 sets), photo ID badge, technology fees, lab fees, Kaplan testing, student activity fees, graduation fees, and malpractice fees.
One-time admissions fees (additional):
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
Admissions deposit (non-refundable) | $500 |
Background and drug screen — Albany | $180 |
Background and drug screen — Utica | $213 |
Application fee | $40 |
Health insurance: Required; if not already covered, Utica’s plan is automatically billed. Waive at haylor.com with proof of existing coverage.
Degree requirement course costs: Prerequisites completed through Utica are charged separately at Utica’s standard per-credit rate before program admission. Costs depend on how many prerequisites still need to be completed.
At approximately $63,753 total program cost, Utica is priced in the mid-range for private ABSN programs in New York — comparable to Niagara University (~$52,725), Iona (~$59,980), and Manhattanville (~$57,950), and below D’Youville (~$72,000–$75,000). The three annual start dates, hybrid format, and no-waitlist rolling admissions make the pricing more favorable relative to programs that require a longer wait before enrollment.
See the official tuition page for more details: Utica University Tuition & Fees
Accreditation
The baccalaureate nursing program at Utica University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The ABSN programs in Utica and Albany are approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).
Utica University is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensure examination.