Program Overview
An accelerated route into nursing at Virginia’s premier public research university — UVA’s 2-year transfer BSN pairs flagship prestige with standout results (a 96%+ first-time NCLEX pass rate for the Class of 2024) and an INACSL-endorsed simulation center, at affordable in-state tuition.
The University of Virginia (UVA) School of Nursing offers a 2-Year Accelerated BSN Transfer Program for students who have completed about two years of college coursework and do not yet hold a bachelor’s degree. Students start in May and finish two years later through a structured, full-time plan that includes two summer sessions.
UVA highlights strong outcomes for recent graduates, including a first-time NCLEX pass rate above 96% for the BSN Class of 2024.
The program emphasizes patient care across settings along with agency, advocacy, and self-care, supported by faculty mentors, and students train in UVA’s simulation environment for realistic skill practice and feedback.
Accreditation
The baccalaureate nursing program at the University of Virginia School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), with current accreditation extending to June 30, 2034. The program is approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing, and the University of Virginia is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN.
ABSN Admission Summary
UVA’s 2-year ABSN is a competitive transfer pathway for students who finish required general education and science prerequisites before enrollment. Applicants apply by the deadline, submit transcripts, and confirm prerequisite completion before the May start.
- Submit the completed application by October 1 (the portal opens August 1)
- Complete at least 52 college credits before enrollment
- Send official transcripts from all colleges to UVA Undergraduate Admission
- Earn a C or better in each prerequisite course before the summer start term
- Attend an information session and review transfer instructions (recommended for transfer applicants)
Prerequisite courses (C or better required):
- Microbiology (3-4 credits)
- Chemistry (3-4 credits)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (4 credits)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (4 credits)
- Lifespan Development / Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
- College Composition (3-6 credits)
- At least 9 credits of humanities/fine arts
- At least 9 credits of social science/history
- At least 9-11 additional general education credits
UVA limits transfer credit to general education needs and evaluates transfer work through its registrar and admissions process.
Curriculum
The plan totals 120 credits across general education and nursing coursework, with the accelerated transfer path including about 72 nursing credits in the two-year sequence.
Summer (Third Year)
NUIP 4200 – Pathophysiology for Nurses (3)
Applies advanced knowledge of disease mechanisms to interpret pathophysiologic changes across body systems. Links cellular and system-level alterations to clinical decision-making and condition management.
NUCO 2330 – Health Assessment (3)
Covers holistic health history taking and head-to-toe physical examination for individual patients. Emphasizes developmental, cultural, spiritual, and social factors while reinforcing best-practice exam techniques and evidence-based screening tools.
Third Year
NUCO 2130 – Therapeutic Principles of Nursing Care (4)
Introduces core therapeutic concepts and psychomotor skills used in nursing interventions across settings and populations. Blends classroom content with simulation to help students apply principles of safe, high-quality care.
NUCO 2210 – Foundations of Nursing CARE (3)
Explores professional concepts of Compassion, self-Awareness, Resilience, and Effective communication in team-based nursing. Uses a seminar format to connect these themes to safe, patient- and family-centered care in diverse environments.
NUCO 2440 – Case-Based Learning for Nursing Practice (2)
Uses patient cases to deepen clinical reasoning around patient- and family-centered care along the health care continuum. Students integrate prior coursework with BSN Essentials and IOM competencies while applying evidence-based thinking.
NUCO 3110 – Adult-Gero Nursing in Acute Care (4)
Focuses on nursing care for adult and older adult patients with common medical-surgical conditions in acute settings. Highlights assessment, monitoring, and collaborative management of frequently encountered hospital diagnoses.
NUIP 2311 – REAL I: Intro to Professional Practice (2)
Introduces research, ethics, advocacy, and leadership as foundations of professional nursing. Through historical inquiry and reflective work, students examine how ethics, law, and moral frameworks shape accountable, advocacy-driven practice.
NUIP 2430 – Pharmacology and Clinical Management I (3)
Presents fundamental pharmacology concepts and major drug classes with a focus on nursing implications. Addresses therapeutic decision-making across the lifespan within interprofessional and global contexts.
NUIP 3430 – Pharmacology and Clinical Management II (3)
Extends Pharmacology I with deeper attention to mechanisms of action and clinical application. Reinforces principles of safe medication use and therapeutic management across populations and health systems.
Summer (Fourth Year)
NUCO 3310 – Pediatric Nursing (4)
Covers nursing care for children and adolescents through age 21 with medical or surgical needs. Emphasizes developmentally appropriate interventions and the child’s role within the family unit.
NUCO 3610 – Maternal/Child Nursing (4)
Introduces nursing care for obstetric, gynecologic, and newborn patients across reproductive and perinatal periods. Highlights wellness promotion, pregnancy-related conditions, and family-centered care in hospital and community settings.
NUIP 3311 – REAL II: Quality, Safety, and EBP (3)
Builds on REAL I by integrating research, ethics, advocacy, and leadership with quality and safety science. Students use evidence-based practice to design and support practice changes and high-performing care environments.
Fourth Year
NUCO 4056 – Introduction to Health Policy (3)
Surveys how health policy shapes access, equity, quality, safety, and social justice from organizational to global levels. Examines social, ethical, economic, and political forces and the RN’s role in policy advocacy and reform.
NUCO 4110 – Adults with Complex Health Conditions (4)
Focuses on coordinating care for adults with complex, multisystem health problems. Clinical experiences strengthen application of pathophysiology, pharmacology, health equity, and ethical concepts in high-acuity settings.
NUCO 4210 – Public Health Nursing and Population Health (4)
Applies public and population health theory in community settings. Students practice public health nursing roles while integrating prior clinical learning into population-focused care.
NUCO 4310 – Mental Health Nursing (4)
Explores psychosocial theory and research to support holistic mental health care across cultures and ages. Addresses mental illness, addictions, and resilience while refining core mental health nursing competencies.
NUCO 4710 – Team-Based Care Synthesis (3)
Uses case studies and simulation to integrate knowledge from prior coursework into team-based problem solving. Develops higher-level clinical reasoning, decision-making, and understanding of disease processes and population health issues.
NUCO 4720 – Transition to Practice: Synthesis Practicum (3)
Provides a 168-hour precepted clinical focused on integrating skills and assuming increasing responsibility. Students refine leadership and professional behaviors as they transition toward independent RN practice.
NUCO 4730 – Professional Nursing Practice Synthesis (3)
Helps students consolidate nursing content and prepare for RN licensure and entry-to-practice. Includes comprehensive exam preparation, portfolio completion, and a focused clinical initiative on a patient-centered issue.
NUIP 4311 – REAL III: Research, Ethics, Advocacy, and Leadership (2)
Concludes the REAL sequence with an analysis of professional practice and health care delivery models. Students link structure, function, financing, and outcomes to their emerging professional philosophy and career plans.
Nursing Elective (2-3)
Students complete a nursing elective to satisfy the NUCO 2220 requirement, allowing focused study in an area of clinical or professional interest.
More detail is available in the UVA nursing program record.
Clinicals
UVA places pre-licensure nursing students at many sites across Charlottesville, central Virginia, and nearby regions, with guidance from preceptors and experienced nurses. Students also use UVA’s Clinical Simulation & Learning Center to practice assessment and care skills in realistic settings with feedback. UVA’s simulation center holds INACSL endorsement recognition for excellence in simulation standards.
Tuition
Total estimated tuition and required fees are about $59,262 for Virginia residents and $162,776 for non-Virginia residents for the two-year plan (two fall/spring years plus two summers), using published annual fall/spring totals and the listed summer per-credit tuition and session fees (about 10 summer credits in the first summer and 8 in the second).
This estimate does not include the per-credit clinical laboratory fee that applies to courses with clinical or lab components, since the billed lab-credit count can vary by schedule.
Confirm current figures via the official tuition and financial aid page.