Last Updated: October 13, 2026
Compare seven accelerated nursing options in Kansas and the nearby Kansas City area, with program lengths ranging from 12 months to less than two years; most run 12–16 months, while UMKC spans five consecutive semesters. Among programs with reviewed tuition-only figures, published or estimated tuition ranges from $36,225 to $45,000, before fees, prerequisites and living expenses. Rockhurst’s $47,100 rate includes fees, and UMKC requires an individual budget, so those prices are not part of the tuition-only range.
Some highlights include:
Flexible Entry Without a Bachelor’s Degree
University of Saint Mary and MidAmerica Nazarene University accept qualifying applicants without a completed bachelor’s degree. Avila University lists a 60-transferable-credit route; confirm eligibility with admissions.
Tuition Support with a Two-Year Work Commitment
Research College of Nursing lists $49,670 in tuition and fees. Eligible students receiving $30,375 in HCA forgiveness have $19,295 remaining, tied to a two-year RN employment commitment.
Resident and Regional Tuition Savings at UMKC
UMKC gives Kansas and Missouri residents its resident nursing rate; fifteen Heartland states qualify for a separate discounted rate.
For career changers comparing second degree nursing programs in Kansas, the decision usually comes down to how much flexibility you need — in entry requirements, format, or financing.
Kansas ABSN Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Est. Cost | Duration | Min. GPA | NCLEX Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leavenworth, KS | $45,000 est. tuition | 12 months | 3.0 cumulative + science/math | 96.2% (CY2024 BSN) | |
Olathe, KS | $36,225 tuition | 12 months | 3.0 prerequisite | 91.6% (CY2024 BSN) | |
Topeka, KS | $39,900 est. tuition | 14.5 months | 3.0 cumulative | 94.3% (CY2024 BSN) | |
Kansas City, MO | $42,700 published tuition | 16 months (guide) | 2.8 cumulative | See profile | |
Kansas City (hybrid) | $48K | 16 months | 2.7 | 97% (2023) | |
Kansas City, MO | $40,500 tuition; $49,670 with listed fees | 12 months | 3.0 prerequisite | 89.6% (2025 BSN) | |
Kansas City, MO | See profile: simplified rates include fees | Five semesters | 2.75 cumulative | Not published |
Saint Mary’s estimate assumes all 60 displayed credits are billed at the current rate; transfers may reduce supporting courses. MNU’s tuition excludes $10,589 in listed fees. The three 2024 NCLEX figures above are school-level first-time BSN results, not ABSN-only outcomes.
Best Kansas ABSN Programs by Goal
Avila University offers a Catholic nursing education in Kansas City, Missouri. Its current ABSN checklist lists 60 transferable credits, a 2.8 cumulative GPA, completed prerequisites and a NursingCAS application. Confirm the applicable entry route and cohort requirements before applying.
Baker University offers online didactic coursework and in-person clinical learning. Its 14.5-month program works with Stormont Vail Health in Topeka, with clinical experiences scheduled over long weekends. Clinical attendance and academic workload still require time away from other commitments.
MidAmerica Nazarene University offers a 12-month route for applicants with a qualifying degree or at least 60 college credits. The program accepts direct applications, requires a 3.0 prerequisite GPA and admits January and August cohorts. Instruction includes on-site, online and hybrid components.
Choose Research College of Nursing if its HCA tuition-support program and individual clinical mentorship fit your plans. Current tuition is $40,500, with $49,670 in tuition and listed fees. Eligible applicants receiving $30,375 in HCA forgiveness have $19,295 remaining in tuition and listed fees, tied to a two-year RN work commitment.
Choose Rockhurst University if you want a hybrid format, a 2.7 GPA floor, and three entry points per year without committing to full-time campus attendance. The only required in-person time is a 10-day residency in Kansas City during the first semester; everything else is online with clinicals arranged near home by a dedicated coordinator. Rockhurst’s 97% NCLEX pass rate (2023) is the strongest in the KC market for hybrid programs.
Choose UMKC for a five-semester program with more than 1,050 total clinical hours, including a 300-hour internship. Kansas and Missouri residents receive the resident nursing academic program rate; fifteen Heartland states qualify for a separate discounted rate.
University of Saint Mary offers a 12-month hybrid route with two Leavenworth residencies. A prior bachelor’s degree is not required for every applicant, but supporting and general education requirements must be met. Tuition is estimated at $45,000 for the displayed 60-credit sequence at current rates, before fees and any transfer adjustment.
Compare Program Features
Shortest Programs
12-month programs: MidAmerica Nazarene University, Research College of Nursing and University of Saint Mary offer one-year routes, with different instructional schedules and entry requirements.
MNU uses six modules with January and August entry. Research uses three intensive terms beginning in January or May. Saint Mary follows six terms from Summer II through Summer I the following year.
14.5-month program: Baker University delivers 62 nursing credits in four levels, combining online didactic coursework and long-weekend in-person clinical experiences in Topeka.
16-month programs: Avila University and Rockhurst University both run four semesters across 16 months. Avila pairs online coursework with hands-on simulation in its Nursing Education and Resource Center and clinical rotations throughout the KC area. Rockhurst delivers everything online except a 10-day Kansas City residency in the first semester, with local clinical placements arranged by a dedicated coordinator.
Program Formats
Kansas has more delivery variety than its small program count suggests.
MidAmerica Nazarene University combines on-site, online and hybrid instruction in Olathe. Research College and UMKC use campus-based learning. Baker University teaches didactic coursework online with in-person clinical attendance.
Rockhurst is fully online plus a single 10-day KC residency.
USM is primarily online with two on-campus residencies and in-person clinicals.
Avila blends online coursework with on-campus simulation and live clinical rotations.
Programs Open to Students Without a Bachelor’s Degree
Three Kansas programs extend eligibility beyond the standard second-degree model.
Avila University lists at least 60 transferable college credits on its current ABSN checklist. Its program introduction addresses applicants with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree; confirm eligibility for the prior-credit route with admissions.
University of Saint Mary accepts qualifying prior-credit applicants without a bachelor’s degree after required general education and supporting coursework. The standard cumulative and science/mathematics GPA is 3.0; probationary consideration is conditional.
MidAmerica Nazarene University accepts a qualifying associate or bachelor’s degree, or an eligible prior-credit route with at least 60 credits. LPNs and MICT applicants may qualify through the latter route.
For career changers who built their first career through a two-year credential or a healthcare licensure pathway, these three programs offer access that the remaining four do not.
Reviewed Tuition and Required Fees
University of Saint Mary — estimated $45,000 tuition for the displayed sequence. The June 2026 cohort rate is $750 per credit: 57 nursing credits cost $42,750, and a billed 3-credit supporting course adds $2,250. Required fees include $1,060 in program fees and a $30 Student Success Fee per billed semester; supporting-course transfers and the billing schedule affect actual charges.
MidAmerica Nazarene University — $36,225 tuition; $46,814 including listed fees. The AY2027 table budgets 63 credits at $575, with $10,589 in technology, clinical, testing, simulation and other fees. The 60-credit nursing core alone is not the full budgeted accelerated plan.
Prerequisite Course Patterns
Prerequisite subjects and equivalencies differ. Saint Mary, Baker and Avila list anatomy/physiology, laboratory sciences and statistics; MNU allows anatomy/physiology plus approved additional life sciences to satisfy its science minimum.
Nutrition is required in the reviewed Saint Mary, MNU, Baker and Avila nursing plans. Check each school’s approved equivalents and transfer evaluation.
MNU requires lifespan development; Baker lists developmental psychology/human development; Avila lists developmental/lifespan study; Saint Mary accepts an approved additional psychology/development course.
Saint Mary requires a TEAS score of at least 70%. Avila’s current public checklist does not state an entrance-examination threshold; confirm its current testing policy with nursing admissions.
Testing requirements are pathway-specific. Review each school’s current application checklist rather than assuming that all programs have the same entrance-exam policy.
Start Dates and Cohort Availability
| School | Start Date(s) | Application Window | Admissions Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
Three per year | Contact program | Three annual cycles | |
August and January | Rolling; committee review within ~2 months | Two annual cycles; rolling | |
January and May | Nov 1 for January start; confirm May deadline | NursingCAS; review as received | |
Summer II | June 1; late review if space remains | One annual cycle | |
Contact program | Contact program | Contact program for current cycle | |
Contact program | Contact program | Contact program for current cycle | |
Fall | Nov 1–Jan 31 application window | University admission followed by clinical application |
Maximum flexibility: Rockhurst’s three annual starts are the most entry points available in Kansas, reducing the maximum wait between decision and enrollment.
MNU and Research College offer January and later-year entry opportunities. Research reviews applications as received and publishes November 1 for its January-start Class of 2027; confirm the May cohort’s final deadline.
UMKC’s two-step application process: UMKC requires applicants to first gain admission to the university under the Pre-Nursing track, then complete a separate School of Nursing supplemental application between November 1 and January 31. Admission to Pre-Nursing does not guarantee admission to the clinical major. Applicants who aren’t aware of the two-step process risk missing the nursing application window even after gaining university admission.
Research College application timing: use NursingCAS and apply early. Its current admissions page lists November 1 for January entry; review as received does not replace a posted final deadline.
MNU notifies applicants by text and email, with committee review taking approximately two months per cycle.
Clinical Training Structure
Separate tuition from mandatory fees when comparing programs. The reviewed MNU plan publishes $36,225 in tuition and $46,814 with listed fees; Baker’s current-rate tuition estimate is $39,900, and Saint Mary’s displayed-sequence estimate is $45,000. Avila publishes $42,700, with credit and fee differences that require a cohort-specific quote.
UMKC clinical hours: more than 1,050 total hours across five semesters includes the final 300-hour internship. Learning spans adult, maternal/family, child/adolescent, mental health, public health, and critical or emergent care.
Saint Mary describes 714 combined hours of clinical, simulation and laboratory learning; this is not a direct patient-care-only clinical total.
Rockhurst logs approximately 583 hours arranged locally by a dedicated coordinator.
Avila’s ABSN guide describes more than 500 supervised clinical hours. Its current plan includes Intro to Practicum, subsequent practica and a capstone; confirm the accelerated cohort plan with the school.
Research College’s Dedicated Education Unit: students receive individual mentorship from experienced nurses through six HCA Midwest Health hospitals. Its clinical model supports learning alongside hospital staff without guaranteeing a particular placement or employment offer.
This continuity of setting, relationship, and system familiarity is a clinical preparation advantage that rotating-site programs can’t replicate.
Baker’s clinical scheduling: Baker University describes long-weekend clinical experiences through its Stormont Vail partnership. Simulation and a 15-bed skills lab support practice before and alongside clinical placements; scheduled attendance remains required.
Coordinated placement services: Rockhurst uses a dedicated coordinator to arrange all clinical placements within reasonable driving distance of each student’s home — the same placement-support model available to Iowa students attending Rockhurst’s hybrid program. For Kansas students who live outside the KC core, this removes the logistical burden of site-finding that fully in-person programs don’t face.
Kansas ABSN Program Summaries
Avila University ABSN Program
Kansas City | $42,700 | 16 Months
Avila University’s ABSN in Kansas City, Missouri combines nursing coursework, simulation and in-person clinical practica. Its current checklist requires 60 transferable college credits, a 2.8 cumulative GPA and completed prerequisites, with applications through NursingCAS.
Baker University ABSN Program
Topeka | $39,900 | 14.5 Months
Baker’s 14.5-month ABSN uses online didactic courses and in-person clinical learning through its Stormont Vail partnership in Topeka. The four-level nursing curriculum totals 62 credits within a 120-credit BSN. Tuition is estimated at $39,900 using 2026–27 catalog rates; required program fees are additional... read more.
MidAmerica Nazarene University ABSN Program
Olathe | $36,225 | 12 Months
MNU’s 12-month ABSN in Olathe admits January and August cohorts and uses on-site, online and hybrid instruction across six modules. Applicants need a 3.0 prerequisite GPA and a qualifying degree or at least 60 college credits. AY2027 tuition is $36,225 for the 63-credit plan, with substantial listed fees additional... read more.
Research College of Nursing ABSN Program
Kansas City | $40,500 | 12 Months
Research College’s 12-month, in-person ABSN pairs a new 60-credit nursing plan with individual clinical mentorship through HCA Midwest Health. Eligible students can apply for tuition support tied to a two-year RN work commitment.
Rockhurst University ABSN Program
Kansas City | $47,100 incl. fees | 16 Months
Rockhurst’s 16-month Hybrid ABSN accepts Iowa, Kansas and Missouri residents with a prior non-nursing bachelor’s degree and 2.7 cumulative and prerequisite GPAs. It combines 60 credits of online coursework, 583.5 clinical hours and a 10-day Kansas City residency, with coordinated in-person placements. The current fee-inclusive rate totals $47,100 across 60 credits. Rockhurst advertises 93% ABSN NCLEX passage without a reporting year or attempt measure.
University of Missouri–Kansas City ABSN Program
Kansas City | $42,248.70 incl. bundled fees | 20 months
UMKC’s five-semester ABSN has 69 nursing credits and more than 1,050 clinical hours. At current rates, estimated simplified tuition is $42,248.70 for Kansas/Missouri residents, including bundled program fees; separate university fees are extra. Applications close January 31.
University of Saint Mary ABSN Program
Leavenworth | $45,000 | 12 Months
Saint Mary’s 12-month hybrid ABSN combines online coursework, two Leavenworth residencies and Kansas City-area clinical learning. The curriculum includes 57 nursing credits, with supporting requirements determined by transfer review. Entry is available with qualifying prior college credit; a bachelor’s degree is not required for every applicant... read more.