Oklahoma’s five accelerated nursing programs cover more structural variety than the state’s size would suggest.
- The fastest completes in 12 months on-campus;
- the most affordable charges roughly $15,000 in nursing-major tuition;
- one delivers everything asynchronously online with clinicals near your home;
- and one builds all prerequisites into the curriculum so career changers can start without backfilling science coursework
Two programs hold ACEN accreditation rather than CCNE — worth understanding before enrolling.
For career changers comparing second degree nursing programs in Oklahoma, the right choice depends first on how long you can be in school, how close to campus you live, and what GPA and prior degree you’re working with.
Oklahoma ABSN Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Est. Cost | Duration | Min. GPA | NCLEX Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edmond | $15K | 16 months | 2.5 | Not published | |
Oklahoma City | $24K–$32K | 12 months | 3.0 | 84.31% (2024) | |
Oklahoma City (OUHSC) | $25K | 14 months | 2.5 | 92.05% (2024) | |
Online (Tulsa bootcamp) | $38K | 21 months | 3.0 | 100% (2024); 95% avg 2021–2023 | |
Hybrid (Draper, UT campus) | $65K | 20 months | 2.75 | 94.31% (2024) |
How to Choose an Oklahoma ABSN Program
Best Oklahoma ABSN Programs by Goal
- Flagship academic health center: University of Oklahoma — trains students at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City
- Fastest finish (12 months): Oklahoma City University — the only 12-month, on-campus accelerated BSN in Oklahoma
- Lowest tuition: University of Central Oklahoma — approximately $15,000 in nursing-major tuition for 59 professional credits
- Lowest GPA floor: University of Central Oklahoma or University of Oklahoma — both require a minimum 2.5 GPA
- Best published NCLEX outcomes: University of Tulsa — 100% first-time pass rate in 2024 and 95% average from 2021–2023,
- Most scheduling flexibility: University of Tulsa — three annual start dates (late August, mid-January, mid-March)
- Fully online coursework / local clinicals: University of Tulsa — asynchronous online delivery with 630 clinical hours in your local community and a single one-week on-campus skills bootcamp in Tulsa.
- No prerequisites needed: Joyce University — builds in anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and statistics
- Associate degree accepted (no bachelor’s required): Oklahoma City University
- Automatic merit scholarships: Oklahoma City University — all students with a 3.0+ transfer GPA automatically receive $9,750–$17,250 in scholarships, bringing many students under $25,000 for the entire program.
Best Oklahoma ABSN Programs by Student Type
| If You Are… | Consider |
|---|---|
Need the fastest path | |
Need the lowest cost | |
Want the flagship academic medical center | |
Need online flexibility | |
Have no science prerequisites completed |
Two Accreditation Notes Worth Understanding
Oklahoma City University and the University of Tulsa hold ACEN accreditation rather than CCNE accreditation. Both ACEN and CCNE are nationally recognized nursing accrediting bodies approved by the U.S. Department of Education, and neither affects NCLEX eligibility.
Prospective students who plan to pursue graduate education or work for specific employers should verify acceptance of ACEN-accredited degrees with those institutions before enrolling. The other three Oklahoma programs — UCO, OU, and Joyce — hold CCNE accreditation.
Which Program Length Is Right for You?
Need the Fastest Path Into Nursing?
Oklahoma City University — 12 months; the only accelerated BSN in Oklahoma that can be completed in a single calendar year. Students move through three consecutive full-time semesters with clinical rotations in major Oklahoma City healthcare facilities and simulation training in the Meinders Simulation Center.
Want a Balance of Speed and Affordability?
University of Oklahoma — 14 months; Oklahoma’s flagship academic health center option. Students complete 60 nursing credits across four consecutive terms at the OU Health Sciences Center while benefiting from public-university tuition and strong NCLEX outcomes.
University of Central Oklahoma — 16 months; Oklahoma’s most affordable accelerated BSN. The hybrid format combines online coursework with one campus day per week plus clinical and lab experiences in the Oklahoma City metro.
Need Maximum Flexibility or Distance Learning?
University of Tulsa — approximately 21 months; fully asynchronous online coursework with clinical placements arranged in students’ local communities. Only a one-week skills bootcamp in Tulsa is required.
Joyce University — approximately 20 months; hybrid format with online coursework, local clinical placements, and brief skills immersions in Utah. Ideal for students who need a remote-friendly pathway or who have not completed science prerequisites.
Need a Program You Can Complete Mostly From Home?
University of Tulsa and Joyce University are the only Oklahoma-eligible options designed around remote learning. Both arrange clinical placements near the student’s home, making them attractive for career changers who live outside the Oklahoma City metro or need greater scheduling flexibility.
This version helps a visitor quickly self-select into the right group instead of making them interpret program lengths on their own. It follows the same style that worked well on the Ohio page.
Most Affordable Programs
University of Central Oklahoma — ~$15,000 nursing-major tuition: UCO’s 59 professional nursing credits at approximately $254 per credit produce the lowest nursing-credit tuition in Oklahoma.
University of Oklahoma — ~$24,500 in-state: OU’s published tuition and fee estimate for in-state residents covers the full 60-credit program at the Health Sciences Center — a transparent all-in figure that includes mandatory fees.
Prerequisite Course Patterns
All four in-person and hybrid Oklahoma programs require Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, and Chemistry before enrollment. Psychology, Statistics, and a nutrition or lifespan development course appear on most checklists.
UCO requires the most expansive prerequisite list — 38–39 credits including Sociology, Philosophy, and an Introduction to Nursing course — while TU requires only 12 science prerequisite credits (A&P I and II and Chemistry), the leanest prerequisite requirement among Oklahoma programs with conventional prerequisites.
Joyce eliminates the prerequisite period entirely by integrating all sciences into its curriculum. No Oklahoma program requires a TEAS or HESI as a mandatory admission component — a consistent feature of this state’s programs unlike many peers nationally.
OU allows applicants to apply while still completing prerequisites, requiring only two of four laboratory sciences at the time of application — a partial-completion flexibility that benefits students still working through their prerequisite sequence.
TU similarly allows applications before all prerequisites are done, as long as nursing foundation courses are complete before nursing major courses begin.
Start Dates and Cohort Availability
| School | Start Date(s) | Application Deadline / Window | Admissions Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall I (late Aug), Spring I (mid-Jan), Spring II (mid-March) | Feb 5 (Spring II); contact for others | Three annual cycles | |
Contact program | Contact program | Hybrid; contact for OK-eligible starts | |
Fall only | Contact program; competitive review | One annual cycle; ~56 students; preference for UCO students | |
Summer | Contact program; 30+ hours complete at application | One annual cycle | |
Contact program | Contact program; limited cohorts | Limited annual cohorts; apply by stated deadlines |
Maximum flexibility: University of Tulsa’s three annual starts are the most entry points of any Oklahoma program — a Fall start in late August, Spring I in mid-January, and Spring II in mid-March. The eight-week accelerated session structure means cohorts stagger throughout the year rather than aligning to a single academic calendar.
Single annual cohorts: UCO and OU each admit one cohort per year. UCO’s preference for existing UCO students is a meaningful tiebreaker when qualified applications exceed available seats — external applicants should apply early and confirm their standing. OU requires at least 30 prerequisite hours to be complete at application time, meaning students earlier in their prerequisite sequence won’t qualify for the summer start even if they’ll finish before enrollment.
Clinical Training Structure
Oklahoma programs range from roughly $15,000 in nursing tuition to over $64,000 and 12 to 21 months in length. Clinical models span hospital-based metro rotations, preceptor-led local cohort clinicals, and nationally coordinated placement services.
Programs with published clinical hour counts: University of Tulsa publishes 630 total clinical hours across six eight-week preceptored rotations in students’ local communities — the highest stated count in Oklahoma among programs with published totals. Clinical coordinators match students with sites near their homes, though specific placements aren’t guaranteed.
Joyce University completes 517.5 supervised local hours, with clinical placements arranged near Oklahoma students’ residences.
Academic health center access: OU is the only Oklahoma ABSN embedded within a comprehensive academic health system — OU Health, the state flagship’s clinical enterprise. Clinical rotations are integrated across summer, fall, spring, and final summer terms, touching adult acute care, psychosocial, family-focused, community, and leadership coursework throughout. The scale of OU’s 302-candidate 2024 NCLEX class reflects a large, well-resourced program.
On-campus simulation centers: OCU’s Meinders Simulation Center provides hands-on skills development and realistic care scenarios before and alongside live hospital rotations.
TU’s mandatory one-week on-campus skills bootcamp in Tulsa serves a similar function — concentrating all simulation and foundational skills practice into a single intensive week before clinical rotations begin in each student’s local area.
Oklahoma ABSN Program Summaries
Joyce University ABSN Program
Draper | $60,520 | 20 Months
Joyce’s hybrid second-degree BSN integrates required sciences and combines online coursework with Utah skills immersions and assigned clinical placements. Completion in as few as 20 months requires qualifying transfer credits. Estimated tuition is $60,520, with a separate $3,710 NCLEX Resources Fee. Clinical schedules and locations are assigned and may require travel; the 517.5 training hours combine simulation and direct care.
Oklahoma City University ABSN Program
Oklahoma City | $32,000 | 12 Months
Oklahoma City University offers the state's only 12-month, on-campus accelerated BSN through its Kramer School of Nursing, open to students with a non-nursing associate or bachelor's degree. It pairs an intensive three-semester format with automatic merit scholarships that bring many students under $25,000 for the entire program.
Why Oklahoma City University Stands Out
- Oklahoma's only 12-month, on-campus accelerated BSN program.
- Flexible entry: open to students with a non-nursing associate OR bachelor's degree.
- Automatic scholarships ($9,750-$17,250) for a 3.0+ transfer GPA — many students pay under $25,000 total.
- Hands-on training in the cutting-edge Meinders Simulation Center, with OKC-metro clinical placements.
- ACEN-accredited and fully approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing (HLC institution).
University of Central Oklahoma ABSN Program
Edmond | $15,000 | 16 Months
The University of Central Oklahoma offers a 16-month Fast Track BSN in Edmond for students who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field. It pairs an affordable, flexible hybrid format with an unusually accessible 2.5 GPA admission standard, backed by a school preparing nurses since 1972.
Why University of Central Oklahoma Stands Out
- Among Oklahoma's most affordable accelerated BSNs (~$15,000 in tuition for the nursing sequence).
- Accessible admission: just a 2.5 retentive GPA, and no standardized admission test required.
- Flexible hybrid format — at least 51% online with one day a week on campus, plus clinical/lab days.
- Long track record: School of Nursing since 1972 with 3,500+ graduates; OKC-metro clinical placements.
- CCNE-accredited and approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing (HLC institution).
University of Oklahoma ABSN Program
Oklahoma City | $24,500 | 14 Months
The University of Oklahoma offers a 14-month accelerated BSN at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, the state's flagship academic health center. It condenses 60 credit hours of nursing coursework into a single year of full-time study, with a strong NCLEX track record and affordable in-state tuition.
Why University of Oklahoma Stands Out
- Set at the OU Health Sciences Center — Oklahoma's flagship academic health center and home to OU Health.
- Fast 14-month, 60-credit full-time pathway for students who already hold a non-nursing bachelor's degree.
- 92.05% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate in 2024 (Oklahoma Board of Nursing data, OU-Oklahoma City).
- Affordable in-state public tuition (~$24,500 resident, tuition and fees).
- CCNE-accredited and approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing (HLC institution).
University of Tulsa ABSN Program
Tulsa | $37,500 | 21 Months
The University of Tulsa offers a fully online accelerated BSN that can be completed in as few as 21 months, with coursework delivered asynchronously in eight-week sessions. Students complete clinicals in their own local community and attend just one week on campus in Tulsa, all backed by a 100% first-time NCLEX pass rate in 2024.
Why University of Tulsa Stands Out
- Fully online, asynchronous coursework — complete the program from your own community.
- Local cohort-based clinicals (630 hours) with only a one-week on-campus skills bootcamp in Tulsa.
- 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate in 2024 (95% average from 2021-2023) — among Oklahoma's highest.
- Three start dates a year, textbooks included in tuition, and 31 general education credits waived.
- ACEN-accredited and approved by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing (HLC institution).