St. Louis has three CCNE-accredited accelerated BSN programs, and each serves a different type of student.
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing offers the strongest hospital integration, with clinical training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital plus three annual start dates.
Saint Louis University created the nation’s first accelerated BSN program in 1971 and combines a nationally recognized nursing school with a 97% first-time NCLEX pass rate.
Missouri Baptist University is the lowest-cost option, doesn’t require a completed bachelor’s degree, and is the only evangelical Christian university in St. Louis offering an accelerated BSN.
Grand Canyon University also operates a St. Louis learning site, but its nursing program has an accreditation consideration discussed below that applicants should review before enrolling.
Because all three programs have similar timelines, the biggest differences are hospital partnerships, admissions requirements, tuition, and the overall educational experience.
St. Louis ABSN Programs at a Glance
| School | Est. Cost | Duration | Min. GPA | Key Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$37K | 12 months | 3.2 | – no bachelor’s or TEAS – 765 clinical hours – INACSL simulation; evangelical Christian | |
$50K | 12 months | 3.0 | – Hospital-embedded; – Barnes-Jewish + St. Louis Children’s – 3 annual starts – Washington U affiliated | |
$57K | 12 months | 3.0 | – first US ABSN (1971) – top 7% nationally – Jesuit Catholic – low clinical faculty ratio | |
GCU* | $51K | 16 months | 3.0 | – 3 starts/year – Christian worldview – initial MO Board approval only |
* Grand Canyon University’s St. Louis nursing program does not list CCNE accreditation and currently holds initial approval only from the Missouri State Board of Nursing.
How to Choose the Best Program For You
Best St. Louis ABSN Programs by Goal
- Lowest cost: Missouri Baptist University — ~$36,480 for 60 credits at $608/credit, with a laptop included in tuition
- Best published NCLEX outcome:
- Saint Louis University — 97% first-time NCLEX pass rate
- Missouri Baptist University — 95% NCLEX (2022) and 100% employment in nursing upon graduation.
- No bachelor’s degree required:
- Missouri Baptist University — the only St. Louis CCNE-accredited ABSN that accepts students based on prerequisite completion and a 3.2 GPA rather than a completed four-year degree.
- Saint Louis University also offers a junior-entry pathway for current undergraduates with at least 71 transferable credits.
- Most scheduling flexibility (3 annual starts): Barnes-Jewish College — Spring, Summer, and Fall starts
- Most elite clinical environment: Barnes-Jewish College — students train at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- Faith-based with values-integrated curriculum:
- Missouri Baptist University — the only evangelical Christian university in St. Louis
- Saint Louis University — Jesuit Catholic tradition with Theology and Philosophy prerequisite requirements
Best St. Louis ABSN Programs by Student Type
You want the lowest overall cost
Missouri Baptist University
At approximately $36,500, Missouri Baptist has the lowest published tuition among St. Louis’s CCNE-accredited ABSN programs. It also includes a laptop in tuition, does not require a completed bachelor’s degree, and reports a 95% NCLEX pass rate with 100% nursing employment after graduation.
You don’t have a completed bachelor’s degree
Missouri Baptist University
Missouri Baptist is the only CCNE-accredited accelerated BSN in St. Louis that admits students based on prerequisite completion rather than requiring a prior bachelor’s degree, making it the most accessible option for career changers with an associate degree or significant college credit.
You want the strongest hospital-based clinical experience
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing
Students train within Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, two nationally recognized teaching hospitals affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine. Few accelerated BSN programs offer this level of direct integration into a major academic health system.
You want a nationally recognized nursing program
Saint Louis University
SLU launched the nation’s first accelerated BSN program in 1971 and remains one of the country’s highest-ranked nursing schools, reporting a 97% first-time NCLEX pass rate and maintaining low clinical faculty-to-student ratios.
You need the most flexible application schedule
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing
With Spring, Summer, and Fall entry points, Barnes-Jewish offers more opportunities to begin than any other CCNE-accredited accelerated BSN program in St. Louis.
You want a faith-based nursing education
Choose the program that best matches your preferences:
- Missouri Baptist University — evangelical Christian curriculum and values-based education.
- Saint Louis University — Jesuit Catholic tradition with a broader liberal arts and service-oriented foundation.
You want the fewest admission barriers
Missouri Baptist University or Saint Louis University
Neither program requires the TEAS or another standardized entrance exam. Missouri Baptist also does not require a completed bachelor’s degree, while SLU uses a holistic admissions review that considers leadership and service alongside academic performance.
Which Program Length Is Right for You?
All three CCNE-accredited St. Louis programs complete in 12 months — a meaningful contrast to Kansas City, where timelines range from 12 to 18 months. GCU’s St. Louis site runs 16 months.
All three 12-month programs, differentiated by entry point and start timing:
- Barnes-Jewish College — Spring, Summer, or Fall start; three annual entry points; ~$49,322; BJC clinical system
- Missouri Baptist University — June start; ~$36,480; no bachelor’s required; 765 clinical hours; Feb 1 deadline
- Saint Louis University — annual cohort (contact for specific dates); ~$56,180; 97% NCLEX; holistic review; top 7% nationally
The primary timeline differentiator among these three programs is start date, not duration. Students who miss MBU’s February 1 deadline or who want more entry options during the year should look at Barnes-Jewish’s three annual cohorts. Students whose prerequisite timelines don’t align with MBU’s June cohort may find SLU’s rolling review or Barnes-Jewish’s Summer or Fall starts more workable.
Cost Comparison
Missouri Baptist University — ~$36,480 (laptop included): Missouri Baptist has the lowest published tuition among St. Louis’s CCNE-accredited ABSN programs. Tuition covers 60 nursing credits and includes a required laptop, while background checks, drug screening, and other compliance costs remain additional. At roughly $13,000 less than Barnes-Jewish College and $20,000 less than Saint Louis University, it’s the region’s strongest value for students focused on minimizing upfront costs.
Barnes-Jewish College — ~$49,322: Tuition reflects the program’s unique position inside BJC HealthCare, where students complete clinical training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Additional ABSN program fees bring the estimated total to about $49,322 before books, uniforms, transportation, and clinical supplies.
Saint Louis University — ~$56,180: SLU has the highest published tuition among St. Louis’s CCNE-accredited ABSN programs, reflecting its nationally ranked nursing school and Jesuit university environment. The university publishes slightly different credit totals across admissions materials, so applicants should confirm the current billable credit count before enrolling.
Bottom line: Missouri Baptist is the clear value leader based on published tuition, costing roughly $13,000 less than Barnes-Jewish College and about $20,000 less than Saint Louis University. Barnes-Jewish justifies its higher cost with direct integration into the BJC HealthCare system, while Saint Louis University’s premium reflects its nationally ranked nursing school, Jesuit mission, and long-standing reputation. For many applicants, the decision comes down to whether those institutional advantages outweigh the lower tuition at Missouri Baptist.
Prerequisite Course Patterns
All three programs require Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Statistics.
The most distinctive prerequisite requirement in the group belongs to Saint Louis University, which requires Theology or Religion (3 credits), Philosophy (3 credits), Fine Arts (3 credits), English Composition II, and Oral Communication alongside the standard sciences — a broader general education prerequisite set than any other St. Louis program, reflecting its Jesuit mission.
Students completing sciences at a non-Jesuit institution will need to plan for these additional courses.
Missouri Baptist University requires a B or better in Anatomy & Physiology I, A&P II, Microbiology, and Pathophysiology on the first attempt, and applies a 7-year recency window to those core sciences. No TEAS or standardized test is required. Old Testament History and New Testament History are allowed to be completed during the ABSN rather than before it.
Barnes-Jewish College requires 27 credit hours of core prerequisites including English Composition I, General Psychology, and Human Growth & Development alongside the sciences, and sets an A&P and Microbiology recency requirement — confirm the specific window directly with the college. The program applies a 3.0 GPA floor to both cumulative and core prerequisite coursework, and no prerequisite may be repeated more than twice within a specified timeframe.
None of the three CCNE-accredited St. Louis programs require a TEAS for admission. SLU explicitly includes no entrance exam requirement in its published admissions materials.
Start Dates and Application Deadlines
| School | Start Date(s) | Application Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Spring, Summer, Fall | April 10 (Summer); July 31 (Fall); contact for Spring | Rolling review until filled; employment strongly discouraged; 3.0 GPA cumulative + prereqs | |
June | November 1–February 1; decisions February 15 | No bachelor’s or TEAS required; 3.2 GPA; 32-student cap; CastleBranch; laptop included | |
Annual (contact for date) | Rolling; review starts August; no published deadline | Cohort can fill before December; holistic review; personal statement + 1 recommendation; NursingCAS | |
3 per year | Contact GCU counselor; HESI A2 required | Initial MO Board of Nursing approval only; no CCNE listed; confirm accreditation before enrolling |
Barnes-Jewish’s three-start advantage: Spring, Summer, and Fall starts give St. Louis career changers the most entry-point flexibility among the CCNE-accredited programs. Students who miss MBU’s February 1 deadline or whose prerequisites won’t be complete until mid-year have Barnes-Jewish’s Summer or Fall cohorts as options without leaving St. Louis or waiting a full year.
SLU’s rolling review with no fixed deadline: Review begins in August and continues weekly until the cohort fills — there is no posted cutoff date. In practice, cohorts can fill well before December. Submit as early as possible after August; waiting until late fall significantly reduces the chance of securing a seat in the current cycle.
MBU’s November 1 opening: The application window opens November 1 for the following June start, with decisions released by February 15. The four-month window (November to February) is relatively compressed; applicants should have prerequisites in progress or completed and all materials ready well before November 1 to submit promptly.
Applicants dismissed from prior nursing programs: Barnes-Jewish College will not consider applicants with two or more failing grades from another accredited nursing program or applicants dismissed from another program. Confirm eligibility before applying if this applies to your situation.
Clinical Training Structure
Barnes-Jewish’s hospital-embedded model: Barnes-Jewish College is not a standalone nursing school that uses hospital partnerships for clinical rotations — it is a nursing college housed within BJC HealthCare, the academic health system affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine. Clinical rotations at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital place students in nationally ranked teaching environments with direct access to complex cases and specialized units. Clinical days may fall on weekdays, evenings, or weekends, and placement preferences cannot be guaranteed. This level of system integration is rare among ABSN programs nationally and is the defining feature of the Barnes-Jewish educational model.
MBU’s clinical structure: Missouri Baptist University publishes 765 total clinical hours — the only St. Louis CCNE-accredited program with a specific published clinical hour total — including a 168-hour Senior Capstone with a preceptor-based experience. Clinical rotations begin in the first semester and continue through clinical synthesis experiences across the year. Sites fall within a 75-mile radius of campus and include Mercy facilities and a growing list of St. Louis-area hospitals, community health settings, and specialty practices. Shift lengths can run 8–12 hours depending on the rotation.
SLU’s clinical network: Saint Louis University’s Valentine School of Nursing draws on a broad network of St. Louis-area clinical partners. SLU emphasizes early clinical integration with the first semester and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio across all clinical courses — a structural quality commitment that distinguishes it from programs that use preceptor-heavy models in later semesters. Total clinical hours are not published in the program copy; confirm directly with SLU.
Simulation: MBU’s INACSL-endorsed simulation program — certified by the International Nursing Association of Clinical Simulation and Learning — is the most formally credentialed simulation environment among the three St. Louis programs. Simulation labs are located in the Walker Medical Building on campus.
SLU highlights state-of-the-art classrooms and clinical labs.
Barnes-Jewish supplements direct patient care exposure with simulation laboratory experiences.