The Lehigh Valley has three accelerated nursing programs within a few miles of each other, and the differences between them are sharper than the geography suggests.
- Cedar Crest is by far the most affordable — roughly half the cost of the other two — but holds ACEN rather than CCNE accreditation for its BSN, which requires a confirmation step before enrolling.
- DeSales has the lowest GPA bar in the group, a direct graduate school pathway embedded in the ABSN curriculum, and the strongest five-year NCLEX record.
- Moravian is the choice for students drawn to a globally and holistically oriented curriculum — it’s the only Lehigh Valley program with access to both major regional health systems (St. Luke’s and LVHN) and the only PA program with a Honduras clinical experience built into the curriculum.
All three are in-person, all three start in the first half of the year, and all three serve the same Lehigh Valley clinical market.
The deciding factors are cost, accreditation, graduate-school plans, clinical experiences, and the type of nursing education you want.
Lehigh Valley ABSN Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Est. Cost | Duration | Min. GPA | NCLEX Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allentown | $27K | 15 months | 3.0 | 100% (recent cohorts) | |
Center Valley | $49K | 15 months | 2.75 | 92% (5-yr avg) | |
Bethlehem | $50K | 16 months | 2.75 | Not published |
Best Lehigh Valley ABSN Programs by Goal
- Lowest cost: Cedar Crest College — ~$26,730 (54 credits × $495, following a tuition reduction in Fall 2024)
- Best published NCLEX outcomes: Cedar Crest College — 100% first-time NCLEX pass rates in recent cohorts
- Graduate school fast-track built into the BSN:
- DeSales University (ABSN+ option) — embeds graduate courses within the curriculum and grants direct entry to an MSN or DNP
- Cedar Crest College — 3 graduate credits embedded at no additional per-credit cost
- Lowest GPA minimum (2.75):
- Access to both Lehigh Valley health systems: Moravian University — the only Lehigh Valley ABSN that explicitly places students at both St. Luke’s University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network
- International clinical experience: Moravian University — Honduras clinical experience embedded in the curriculum
- No entrance exam required: Cedar Crest College — TEAS waived for all ABSN track applicants; most generous transfer credit policy
- Smallest cohort / most personal attention: Moravian University — cohort capped at 48 students
- Fully in-person immersion: DeSales University — all coursework, labs, and clinical experiences are on campus or at clinical sites
How to Choose the Right ABSN Program for You
Best Lehigh Valley ABSN Programs by Priority
You want the lowest overall cost
Cedar Crest College — At approximately $27,000, Cedar Crest costs roughly half as much as the other two Lehigh Valley programs. It also publishes one of Pennsylvania’s highest clinical hour totals (819), waives the TEAS for ABSN applicants, and includes graduate nursing credits in the curriculum. Confirm that an ACEN-accredited BSN meets your long-term education or employment plans before enrolling.
You’re planning on earning an MSN or DNP
The ABSN+ pathway embeds graduate coursework into the BSN and provides direct progression into an MSN or DNP for qualified students. Cedar Crest also includes graduate credits, but DeSales offers the clearest graduate-school pipeline.
You have a lower undergraduate GPA
DeSales University or Moravian University
Both accept applicants with a 2.75 minimum GPA, making them more accessible than Cedar Crest’s 3.0 requirement. Choose DeSales if graduate school is your goal; choose Moravian if you’re looking for a smaller cohort and a more globally focused curriculum.
You want a smaller, more personal learning environment
Enrollment is capped at approximately 48 students per cohort, giving Moravian the smallest classes in the Lehigh Valley. The curriculum emphasizes holistic care, integrated therapies, and global health alongside clinical experiences at both St. Luke’s and Lehigh Valley Health Network.
You want the strongest clinical preparation
Cedar Crest College or Moravian University
Choose Cedar Crest for its published 819 clinical and lab hours—including a 105-hour one-on-one preceptorship.
Choose Moravian if rotating through both major Lehigh Valley health systems is more important than total clinical hours.
You want a unique nursing curriculum
Moravian is the only Pennsylvania ABSN offering a Honduras clinical experience, integrated therapies coursework, and global disaster preparedness training, making it the region’s most distinctive curriculum.
Which Program Length Is Right for You?
Need the fastest path (15 months)?
- Cedar Crest College — May start; ~$26,730; 819 clinical hours; 100% NCLEX; ACEN-accredited BSN; embedded MSN credits
- DeSales University — May start; $48,800; 92% NCLEX (5-yr); ABSN+ grad pathway; fully in-person; January 1 deadline
Want 16 months or an August start?
- Moravian University — August start; $49,458; Honduras clinical; integrated therapies; St. Luke’s + LVHN access; 48-student cohort cap
Moravian’s August start is a meaningful differentiator for applicants who need more time to finish prerequisites or who miss the January 1 DeSales deadline or the May start window at Cedar Crest and DeSales. The extra month (16 vs. 15) reflects Moravian’s extended holistic and global curriculum rather than a slower pace.
Cost Comparison
Cedar Crest College — ~$26,730: Cedar Crest reduced its nursing tuition to $495 per credit beginning Fall 2024, making it one of the lowest per-credit rates among accelerated nursing programs in any mid-Atlantic metro. The 54-credit ABSN nursing sequence totals approximately $26,730 in tuition — roughly half the cost of DeSales or Moravian.
Full-time ABSN tuition is billed at about $12,375 per semester. This figure covers tuition only; additional costs include a $500 ABSN deposit, clinical nursing fees, ATI testing fees, CastleBranch compliance costs, and program supplies. The ACEN vs. CCNE accreditation distinction for the BSN is the primary confirmation step before enrollment.
DeSales University — $48,800: DeSales publishes a fixed total tuition of $48,800 divided across four terms, which includes nursing coursework, fees, standardized program testing, and NCLEX preparation. This is one of the cleaner published price points in the state — no per-credit variability. Housing, meals, and personal expenses are not included.
The ABSN+ option (direct grad entry) requires a 3.0 GPA but carries the same published tuition.
Moravian University — $49,458: Moravian’s 2025-2026 cohort tuition is $49,458, structured as a comprehensive program charge divided across six sessions rather than a per-credit rate. This functions as an all-in tuition figure for the post-baccalaureate cohort, though it excludes textbooks, uniforms, and personal equipment.
At $658 more than DeSales, the two programs are effectively priced identically — the choice between them rests on curriculum, clinical access, and graduate plans rather than cost.
Because DeSales and Moravian differ by less than $1,000 in published tuition, curriculum, clinical opportunities, and graduate pathways are likely to have a greater impact on your decision than price alone.
Prerequisite Course Patterns
All three Lehigh Valley programs require Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Statistics. The programs diverge modestly on additional requirements.
Cedar Crest requires nine prerequisites including Introduction to Sociology and Life-Span Development, and is one of the few Lehigh Valley programs that waives the TEAS entirely for ABSN applicants.
DeSales requires prerequisites within five years of program entry — the tightest recency window in the group — and applicants may be conditionally accepted while finishing final prerequisites.
Moravian requires only six prerequisites and accepts provisional admission for applicants finishing prerequisites before the program start, with completion required by a stated pre-start date.
None of the three Lehigh Valley programs require a TEAS or HESI for admission. Cedar Crest explicitly waives the TEAS for ABSN applicants. DeSales and Moravian do not list a standardized entrance exam as an admission requirement. This makes the Lehigh Valley group among the most accessible in Pennsylvania from an entrance exam standpoint.
Start Dates and Application Deadlines
| School | Start Date | Application Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
May (Summer Term) | Contact program | TEAS waived; generous transfer credit policy; ACEN-accredited BSN; confirm deadline directly | |
May | January 1 | Fully in-person; ABSN+ requires 3.0 GPA; prerequisites within 5 years; selected applicants invited to interview | |
August | November 1 (Early Decision); February 1 (Regular) | 48-student cohort cap; $400 deposit by June 1; faculty interview possible; reliability of transportation required |
Two May starts, one August start: Cedar Crest and DeSales both start in May — applicants who miss DeSales’s January 1 deadline or are still finishing prerequisites in the spring have Moravian’s August start as a Lehigh Valley fallback rather than having to look elsewhere in Pennsylvania.
Moravian’s Early Decision advantage: Submitting by November 1 rather than February 1 gives applicants more time to schedule and complete the possible faculty interview and still meet the June 1 deposit deadline. Given the 48-student cohort cap, early submission is worth prioritizing.
DeSales’s hard January 1 deadline: Applications due January 1 for a May start; selected applicants are then invited for an interview. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission — the admissions committee weighs the full file. Plan accordingly if a late December submission is unavoidable.
Clinical Training Structure
Highest published clinical hours: Cedar Crest College publishes 819 total clinical and laboratory hours — the highest in the Lehigh Valley group and one of the highest published totals among any Pennsylvania ABSN. Notably, 105 of those hours are completed one-on-one with a nurse preceptor in an Independent Practicum, which is a more intensive supervision model than standard group clinical rotations. Students also have free, unsupervised access to the simulation center outside of class hours for additional skills practice.
Access to both major Lehigh Valley health systems: Moravian University places students at both St. Luke’s University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network — the two dominant health systems in the Lehigh Valley — across inpatient clinical rotations averaging up to three days per week. Students may rotate through multiple units including emergency, ICU, pediatrics, and women’s health based on placement availability. Some sites can be up to 30 miles from campus; reliable personal transportation is required.
Honduras global clinical: Moravian’s NURS 320 (Nursing of Populations at High Risk for Health Problems: Honduras) is the curriculum’s most distinctive component — an international clinical experience focused on healthcare challenges in high-risk populations, paired with NURS 321 Integrated Therapies in Health and NURS 391 Global Disaster Preparedness and Management. No other ABSN program in Pennsylvania includes a structured Honduras clinical experience.
Simulation: Cedar Crest’s simulation program integrates high-fidelity simulators and standardized patients, with free unsupervised access to the simulation center — meaning students can return after hours to practice skills before clinical shifts.
DeSales uses simulation labs and clinical site placements throughout the Lehigh Valley region as part of its fully in-person format.
Moravian integrates simulation alongside its cohort-based clinical structure at St. Luke’s and LVHN.
One Accreditation Note
Cedar Crest College’s baccalaureate nursing program holds ACEN accreditation rather than CCNE. Cedar Crest’s graduate nursing programs (MSN, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificates) hold separate CCNE accreditation. ACEN is a nationally recognized nursing education accreditor and NCLEX eligibility is unaffected, but students planning graduate study at another institution or employment at a health system with a CCNE preference should confirm acceptance before enrolling. DeSales and Moravian both hold CCNE accreditation for their BSN programs.