Accelerated BSN Programs 2025
Because the healthcare industry is increasingly multifaceted, there is greater need for better-educated nurses than ever before. The ABSN programme has opened a critical educational avenue for career-changers and non-nursing graduates to step into the nursing career in a timely way. This in-depth review will highlight the best ABSN programmes in 2025 to help prospective students make an informed decision on their new adventure.
The nursing profession now has firm growth projections up until 2025, and ABSN graduates find themselves consistently positioned well in the job market, thanks to their varied educational backgrounds and intensive, focused clinical preparation. The current first-time pass rates on the NCLEX for candidates educated in the U.S. are an impressive 91.16% in 2024 and a testament to the quality of nursing education across the country; many of the highest-ranking ABSN programmes are above this number.
What are Accelerated BSN Programs?
Accelerated BSN programmes are meant for students who had been pursuing another bachelor’s degree in a different field and want to switch to the nursing field. These types of intensive programmes compress the usual four years of nursing education into a much shorter time frame, typically between 12 and 19 months.⁵.. Many of the nutritional sciences know that with the BSN programmes already provided to students, they are nursing-specific, and coursework clinical experiences do help prepare you to take graduates and enter the nursing workforce.
These programmes are so intensive that students must commit to full-time status, and curricula consist of:
Core nursing theory and practice
Training in different clinical settings
Training up to October 2023. Simulation skills laboratories
Pre-professional development, and leadership training
Key Benefits of ABSN Programs
Time Efficiency: Earn a BSN in as few as 12-16 months compared to 2-4 years in many traditional programs
Career Development: FastTracking in Nursing career
Leveraging Prior Knowledge: Make Use of previous academic foundations
Cohorts with Diverse Businesses: Learning with professionals from diverse educative fields
Competitive Edge: Studying for two qualifications valued by employers
Top ABSN Programs for 2025
Here are the top ABSN programmes for 2025 based on a total analysis of NCLEX pass rates, graduation rates, student-faculty ratios, programme characteristics and institutional characteristics.
Duke University
It is a full-time, campus-based ABSN programme with a 16-month duration that prepares students with a focus on leaders in nursing, wellness, health promotion, disease prevention, clinical leadership, and evidence-based practice.
Programme Highlights:
Duration: 16 months
Tuition: $26,369 per semester⁸ for 2024-2025 academic year
Type: On-campus, full-time
Clinical Hours: 750+
NCLEX Performance: Sustained above-average pass rates
Notable: Faculty members are leaders in their respective fields and have real-world clinical experience; access to one of the most advanced health systems in the world
University of Pennsylvania
The BSN Second Degree Program, offered through UPenn, allows those with a bachelor’s degree in another field to obtain their nursing degree in an accelerated format and is highly beneficial for students looking to pursue an advanced practice role after gaining some nursing experience.
Programme Highlights:
Delivery: School-based with integrated clinical training
Tuition: $30,038 estimated, per year
Special Features: Ability to start graduate-level coursework while earning BSN; sub-matriculation options into MSN programs; extensive alumni network
Institutional Strength: Top-ranked nursing school with 6:1 student-faculty ratio; simulation facilities
KAISER HEALTH NEWS — By, New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing
NYU’s Accelerated 15-Month Program allows students with previous bachelor’s degrees to graduate with a BS in nursing and seek work as registered nurses in just over a year.
Programme Highlights:
Duration: 15 months
Program type: Intensive residential experience
What You Get: Practical learning opportunities, modern simulation centers, in-depth mentorship, and clinical experience
NYU nursing graduates are in high demand in the healthcare market
Creighton University
Creighton has one of the longest-running and most successful ABSN options available in the nation, with students able to graduate with their nursing degree in only 12 months.
Programme Highlights:
Duration: 12 months (shortest available)
Tuition: $55,425 total program (2025-2026) 3
Structure: Five eight-week terms; one two-week term; one three-week term
Pass Rates for the NCLEX: Our NCLEX pass rates consistently surpass the national average
Rank: No. 30 in its category, U.S. News & World Report
January and August options in Omaha and Phoenix
Emory University
Emory’s unique Distance ABSN (DABSN) programme empowers students to complete a highly sought-after nursing degree in just one year—without sacrificing the prestige of an Emory education—within a distance-learning format.
Programme Highlights:
Duration: 1 year (three semesters)
About: Full-time, intensive study online and in-person intensive campus sessions
Class Size: 30 Students , for Personal Attention
Clinical Experiences: Combination of on-campus intensives and placements near students’ homes
Special Focus: Reducing the shortage of nurses working in high-need or medically underserved areas.
Villanova University
In addition to the second-degree accelerated BSN track, Villanova also features two different paths—14-Month Express Track and 23-Month Flex Track—to allow for variation between students and with regard to life circumstances.
Programme Highlights:
# Two Track Options: 14-Month Express or 23-Month Flex
Tuition: Approximately $51,000 a year for both tracks
Accreditation: Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing approved and fully accredited by the CCNE
Clinical Experience: > 1,000 hours of direct patient care
Traits: Cohesiveness of class, quality of faculty mentorship, opportunities for collaborative research¹
University of Washington
The UW ABSN is a full-time, four-quarter programme that prepares students to earn their BSN degree in an accelerated timeline so they are able to change careers in less than two years.
Programme Highlights:
Clinician Experience: 1,000 hours + of patient care
Facilities: Empowering skills through our innovative Simulation Center
Placements: Clinical placements with leading hospitals via Clinical Placement Northwest partnership
Preparation for Graduates: Leadership practices; understanding of social determinants of health; health promotion methods; health equity efforts
Cal State LA (School of Nursing, Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing)
The 15-month ABSN program open to non-RN students with bachelor’s degrees in other fields is offered through Cal State LA.
Programme Highlights:
Duration: 15 months
(March 2025 for the Winter 2025 cohort.
Tuition: About $32,000 ($595 per semester unit for 53 units)
Prerequisite courses, successful completion of the ATI TEAS exam with scores of 70% or better in each category, a bachelor’s degree by Fall 2024
Period of Application: November 1, 2024, to January 7, 2025
What to Look for in an ABSN Program
NCLEX Pass Rates
The NCLEX pass rate is an important quality indicator. (The national first-time pass rate for U.S.-educated candidates in 2024 stands at 91.16; a number of top ABSN programs best that benchmark.) For example:
Morgantown and Bridgeport pass rates reported at 100% in 2024 for WVU’s ABSN program
The ABSN program at Elon University had a 100% first-time pass rate for two years in a row.
Find programmes with consistent NCLEX performance over a few years; this shows sustainable educational quality.
Program Duration and Format
Length and delivery method of ABSN programmes vary:
One-year programs: Creighton, Emory (most rigorous)
15–16 month programs: Duke, NYU, Cal State LA (most common)
There are extended programmes, such as Villanova’s 23-Month Flex Track (which enables part-time employment).
Format options include:
It has traditional on-campus programs
Hybrid models that include both online learning and in-person clinical components
Distance learning programs requiring some attendance on campus (such as Emory’s DABSN)
Costs and Financial Considerations
Costs of ABSN programmes vary widely:
Duke University: $26,369 per semester (2024-2025)
Creighton University: $55,425 total programme
Loyola University Chicago: $66,160 for four terms (Spring 2025 cohort)
Pacific Lutheran University: About $69,700 in total ($1,025 per credit hour for 68 credits)
Additional costs to consider:
Training fees (technology, testing, laboratory fees)
Living expenses
Textbooks and supplies
Health insurance
Transportation needed for the clinical rotations
Many programmes do not offer much financial aid for ABSN students. For instance, Pacific Lutheran University states, “PLU gift aid or scholarship assistance is not available for the ABSN programme,” and advises students to explore monthly payment plans or private loans.
Location and Clinical Transcription:
Whether you are physically in school or attending the ABSN programme online, your location can impact your educational experience and future employment possibilities:
Programs in metropolitan areas are often diverse in clinical experience and in healthcare systems.
A difference in healthcare delivery and community nursing may be held by rural programs
Some non-competitively funded programmes like Roseman University offer hybrid-online programmes, with clinical placements in certain geographic areas (Southern Nevada or Utah).
Admission Requirements
This can include things such as:
Non-nursing bachelor’s degree
Minimum GPA requirements (generally 3.0-3.25)
Prerequisite coursework completion (i.e., anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, statistics)
Admission/Entrance Exams (some require the ATI TEAS with minimum score requirements)
Letters of recommendation
Personal statements or essays
Healthcare experience (not required, but occasionally preferred)
All program prerequisites must be met to qualify for application to many programmes; for example, Cal State LA has a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 in the last 60 semester units, and all four science prerequisite courses must each be a minimum of a “B” grade and a 70% or above in each category of the ATI TEAS exam.
Application Timing and Strategy
Most ABSN programmes have set application periods. For example:
Roseman University Spring 2025 ABSN – Hybrid-Online: Opens 8/1/24; Closes 11/15/24
Roseman’s Fall 2025 ABSN – On-Campus: Opens 8/8/24, Closes 6/1/25
Cal State LA Summer 2025 ABSN: Opens November 1, 2024, closes January 7, 2025
Strategic Application Tips:
Anticipate vs Early: Complete prerequisite coursework — at least 1-2 years before intended program start
Be prepared to take entrance exams well before application deadlines
Apply to several programs with different levels of selectivity
A number of programmes also have rolling admission where applications are accepted throughout the year, which you should consider as well.
Showcase how your non-nursing experiences are unique to influence nursing practice
Enliven your application with paid/voluntary work experience in healthcare
Outlook for ABSN Industry for Your Career
ABSN graduates emerge into a strong job market with admirable employment opportunities:
The nursing profession remains in high demand, with California leading the list with 230,256 job postings requiring bachelor’s or master’s degrees in the healthcare workforce.
And some programmes have excellent outcomes, reporting what seem like high job employment rates19, including Elon University’s 100% job placement for the 2023 ABSN cohort19.
ABSN graduates frequently seek positions in a range of environments, from hospitals to outpatient facilities, community health centres, and speciality care units.
Graduates from top programmes are especially competitive, and schools like Duke, UPenn, and NYU have all reported that graduates from their nursing programmes are highly sought after and often gain employment straight out of school.¹..
Final Thoughts: Deciding Which Route To Nursing Greatness
Most accelerated BSN programmes serve as an alternative educational track for those looking to switch careers and become registered nurses within as few as 12-16 months. Finding a school or program that aligns with your goals is crucial; consider factors such as NCLEX pass rates, program structure, cost and location, clinical opportunities, and alignment with your professional objectives.
Ultimately, the best ABSN programme for you is the one that aligns with your unique circumstances, educational style, and career goals. Then, too, navigate this fast track path to becoming a registered nurse and delivering much-needed healthcare delivery into 2025 and beyond by thoroughly researching options, familiarising yourself with admission requirements, and planning intelligently.
Whether you opt for an established academic tradition at Duke or UPenn, 12-month accelerated options at Creighton or Emory, or any number of excellent programmes throughout the country, your ABSN education will prepare you to tackle healthcare needs in communities across the nation.
