South Carolina offers five accelerated nursing programs that span a wider range than the state’s small size suggests.
In-state costs run from roughly $23,000 at Clemson to over $64,000 for a hybrid option.
- NCLEX first-time pass rates go as high as 99% at the state’s academic medical center.
- Two programs are faith-based and admit students without a completed bachelor’s degree.
- One is the only comprehensive academic health science center in the state.
- And one delivers all coursework asynchronously online with weekend clinicals — a schedule designed specifically for students who are still working.
For career changers comparing second degree nursing programs in South Carolina, the geographic split between Upstate (Anderson, Greenville) and the Lowcountry (Charleston) is often the first filter, followed by cost, format, and outcomes.
Best South Carolina ABSN Programs by Goal
- Lowest in-state cost: Clemson University — ~$23,300 in-state across five semesters, the most affordable accelerated nursing option in South Carolina at a major public research university.
- Best NCLEX outcomes: Medical University of South Carolina — 99% first-time pass rate, ranked #40 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, with 140 years of nursing education history.
- Work-friendly schedule: Charleston Southern University — asynchronous online coursework, weekday evening labs, and weekend clinicals make it the only South Carolina ABSN designed around a working student’s schedule.
- No bachelor’s degree required: Anderson University (59+ credits), Charleston Southern (58-60+ credits), or MUSC (60 semester hours) — three of South Carolina’s five programs admit students without a completed four-year degree.
- No prerequisites needed: Joyce University — the only South Carolina-eligible program that builds anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and statistics directly into its curriculum, eliminating the prerequisite period entirely.
- Academic medical center training: Medical University of South Carolina — the state’s only comprehensive academic health science center, where nursing students train within MUSC Health across gerontologic, psychiatric, women’s health, pediatric, and medical-surgical rotations.
- Cadaver lab access: Anderson University — operates a cadaver lab reserved exclusively for nursing students, a rarity among ABSN programs nationally.
- Hybrid or online format: Charleston Southern University (hybrid with evening labs and weekend clinicals) or Joyce University (fully remote with local clinical placements and Utah skills immersions).
- Clinical mission trips: Anderson University — faith-integrated curriculum with medical mission opportunities abroad, the only South Carolina ABSN with this option.
South Carolina ABSN Programs at a Glance
| School | Location | Est. Cost (In-State) | Duration | Min. GPA | NCLEX Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greenville | $24K | 20 months | 3.0 | Not published | |
Charleston | $35K | 4 semesters | 3.0 (3.5 = priority) | 99% | |
Charleston (hybrid) | $44K | 18 months | 3.0 (prereq GPA) | 97.10% (2024) | |
Anderson | $57K | 15 months | 3.0 | 95%+ (5-yr avg) | |
Hybrid (Draper, UT campus) | $65K | 20 months | 2.75 | 94.31% (2024) |
Comparing South Carolina ABSN Programs
TL;DR: Quick-Match Guide
Choose Anderson University if you’re in the Upstate, value a faith-based clinical education with hands-on differentiators, and don’t yet hold a bachelor’s degree. Anderson’s cadaver lab reserved exclusively for nursing students, medical mission trip opportunities, and 95%+ five-year NCLEX pass rate combine with an accessible 59+ credit entry path that bypasses the four-year degree requirement most programs impose.
Choose Charleston Southern University if you need to keep working while completing the program and are in the Charleston area. Weekend clinical rotations, asynchronous online coursework, and weekday evening labs are specifically designed for students managing other commitments. The 97.10% first-time NCLEX pass rate in 2024 and the highest 9-year NCLEX average in South Carolina make the outcomes case as well.
Choose Clemson University if in-state affordability and access to the Greenville healthcare market are the priorities. At roughly $23,300 in-state across five semesters, Clemson is the most affordable accelerated nursing option in South Carolina — located in Greenville, the state’s largest healthcare hub, with clinical rotations at major area hospitals minutes from the nursing building.
Choose Joyce University if you’re a South Carolina resident who needs a hybrid format and wants to skip the prerequisite phase entirely. All sciences are built into Joyce’s 85-credit curriculum, so you can start without backfilling coursework. Skills immersions in Draper, Utah are condensed to roughly one week per semester; everything else is online with local clinical placements arranged near your home.
Choose the Medical University of South Carolina if outcomes and institutional prestige are the benchmarks. MUSC’s 99% NCLEX pass rate and U.S. News #40 national ranking for accelerated BSN programs are the strongest credentials in this state, backed by 140 years of nursing education and clinical training inside a major academic medical center. Applicants with a 3.5+ GPA qualify for priority admission and early decision — a meaningful advantage in a competitive program.
Program Length and Format
Fastest program (15 months): Anderson University completes four full-time semesters in 15 months, beginning each August in Anderson. All instruction is in-person on Anderson’s main campus, with clinical rotations integrated throughout and a clinical preceptorship in the final semester.
4-semester program: MUSC runs four consecutive full-time semesters on its Charleston campus, embedded within MUSC Health and affiliated facilities. The program does not publish a specific month count, but four consecutive terms covering health assessment through a synthesis practicum positions it as one of the shorter programs in the state.
Format differences: Three programs — Anderson, Clemson, and MUSC — are fully in-person.
Charleston Southern is hybrid: asynchronous online for all theory, in-person for labs and weekend clinicals.
Joyce is the only remote-compatible option, with asynchronous online didactics and local clinical placements arranged near South Carolina students’ homes, plus three Utah immersions for simulation and skills.
Most Affordable Programs
Clemson University — ~$23,300 in-state: Clemson’s five-semester tuition and fees total is the most affordable accelerated nursing option in South Carolina for in-state residents — at a public research university in the state’s largest healthcare market.
Medical University of South Carolina — ~$34,069 in-state: MUSC’s four-semester in-state estimate covers tuition, testing fees, lab fees, and student fees — a transparent all-in published figure that most programs don’t provide.
Prerequisite Course Patterns
Every South Carolina program requires Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Microbiology, and Statistics as the core prerequisite sciences — with one exception: Joyce University builds all of these into its curriculum, eliminating the prerequisite period entirely.
Among the four programs with conventional prerequisites, Chemistry appears across Anderson, Charleston Southern, and Clemson; MUSC substitutes a “Science Elective” for the chemistry requirement.
Nutrition is required by Charleston Southern and MUSC.
No South Carolina program requires a HESI at the admission stage.
Anderson requires a TEAS with a 60% minimum — the lowest TEAS floor in this series.
Charleston Southern and Clemson and MUSC do not list a TEAS requirement in available materials.
Start Dates and Cohort Availability
| School | Start Date | Application Window / Deadline | Admissions Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
Summer II | October 15–April 1 | One annual cycle | |
May | Decisions released late November (prior year) | One annual cycle | |
Contact program | Contact program; early decision available (3.5+ GPA and military) | One annual cycle; early decision track | |
August (Fall) | November 15 | One annual cycle | |
Contact program | Contact program | Hybrid; contact for SC-eligible start dates |
Every South Carolina in-person program admits one cohort per year — missing any deadline means a full 12-month wait.
Anderson’s November 15 deadline is the earliest in the state, requiring completed transcripts, letters of recommendation, and TEAS scores well before the August start.
MUSC offers the most applicant-friendly structure through its early decision process — students with a 3.5+ cumulative GPA or active-duty military status can receive an admissions decision before the standard review window closes.
Clemson notifies applicants in late November for a May start, compressing the decision-to-enrollment timeline more than most competitors.
Clinical Training Structure
South Carolina’s programs range from roughly $23,000 to over $64,000 and 15 to 20 months in length. Clinical depth and setting vary significantly — from an academic medical center embedded in MUSC Health to weekend hospital rotations designed to fit around a working schedule.
Academic medical center immersion: MUSC is the only South Carolina ABSN where students train within a comprehensive academic health science center. Clinical rotations span gerontologic nursing, psychiatric-mental health, women’s health, pediatrics, medical-surgical care, and a final synthesis practicum — all within MUSC Health and affiliated facilities, with active nursing research integrated throughout the curriculum.
Work-compatible clinical scheduling: Charleston Southern’s weekend clinical model — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday rotations at Charleston-area hospitals — is the most distinctive scheduling structure in South Carolina and one of the few in this series designed to accommodate students who cannot leave full-time employment. Labs on weekday evenings at CSU’s campus and asynchronous online theory complete a format built around real-world constraints.
Simulation and hands-on differentiators: Anderson University’s cadaver lab reserved exclusively for nursing students is genuinely uncommon in ABSN programs nationally — most cadaver labs are shared with pre-med and allied health programs, making dedicated nursing access a meaningful distinction. High-fidelity simulation supports skills development before live clinical rotations, and a final-semester clinical preceptorship provides transition-to-practice immersion.
Greenville clinical market: Clemson’s Greenville location places students in South Carolina’s largest healthcare market, with clinical rotations across major Greenville-area hospital systems. Students never need to travel to Clemson’s main campus — all instruction and clinical work is based in the Greenville nursing building.
Accreditation note: Charleston Southern University’s nursing program holds ACEN accreditation rather than CCNE accreditation, which the other South Carolina programs carry. Both ACEN and CCNE are nationally recognized accrediting bodies for nursing education; NCLEX eligibility is unaffected. Prospective students applying to specific employers or graduate programs may want to confirm acceptance of ACEN-accredited degrees with their intended institutions before enrolling.
South Carolina ABSN Program Summaries
Anderson University ABSN Programs
Anderson | $56,960 | 15 Months
Anderson University offers a 15-month Christ-centered accelerated BSN in Anderson, SC, admitting students with 59 college credits or a non-nursing bachelor's degree. It stands out for a cadaver lab reserved exclusively for nursing students, medical mission opportunities, and strong NCLEX outcomes.
Why Anderson University Stands Out
- A cadaver lab reserved exclusively for nursing students — a rarity among nursing programs.
- Christ-centered, values-integrated education with medical mission opportunities abroad.
- 95%+ first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate over the recent five-year span (including 100% in 2020).
- Flexible entry: 59 transferable college credits or a non-nursing bachelor's degree; 15-month, four-semester format.
- CCNE-accredited and fully approved by the South Carolina Board of Nursing (SACSCOC institution).
Charleston Southern University ABSN Program
Charleston | $43,550 | 18 months
Charleston Southern University offers an 18-month hybrid accelerated BSN in Charleston, admitting students with 58-60 college credits or a non-nursing bachelor's degree. Its schedule is built around working students, with online coursework, weekday-evening labs, and weekend clinical rotations.
Why Charleston Southern University Stands Out
- Flexible hybrid schedule: asynchronous online coursework, on-campus labs on weekday evenings, and weekend clinical rotations.
- 97.10% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate in 2024; cited as the highest 9-year NCLEX average in South Carolina.
- Affordable per-credit tuition: $650/credit, about $43,550 total for 67 credits.
- Christ-centered education; clinical rotations in Charleston-area hospitals.
- ACEN-accredited and fully approved by the South Carolina Board of Nursing (SACSCOC institution).
Clemson University ABSN Program
Clemson | $23,300 | 20 months
Clemson University offers a 20-month Accelerated Second Degree BSN based entirely at its nursing building in Greenville, SC, for students who already hold a bachelor's degree. It pairs the resources of a major public research university with affordable in-state tuition and clinical training across one of the state's largest healthcare markets.
Why Clemson University Stands Out
- Based in Greenville, SC — one of the state's largest healthcare markets — with clinicals in surrounding hospital systems.
- Second-degree BSN at a major public research university, completed in 20 months across five semesters.
- Affordable in-state tuition and fees (~$23,300; out-of-state significantly higher).
- Distinctive coursework including a dedicated Healthcare Genetics course, reflecting Clemson's genetics/genomics strength.
- CCNE-accredited and South Carolina Board of Nursing-approved (SACSCOC institution).
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.
Medical University of South Carolina ABSN Program
Charleston | $34,069 | 15 Months
The Medical University of South Carolina offers a 15-month accelerated BSN in Charleston at the state's only comprehensive academic health science center. Students train within MUSC Health, a major teaching hospital, in a nationally ranked program with a 99% NCLEX pass rate.
Why MUSC Stands Out
- Set at South Carolina's academic medical center — clinical training within MUSC Health and affiliated facilities.
- 99% NCLEX-RN pass rate; ranked 40th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
- Nearly 140 years of nursing education history, backed by active nursing research.
- Affordable in-state tuition (~$34,069 tuition and fees); 15-month, four-semester format.
- CCNE-accredited and South Carolina Board of Nursing-approved (SACSCOC institution).