Best 20 Accelerated Nursing Programs in 2022 [Updated] - Best Value Schools (2023)

You have hung your college diploma proudly on your wall. Now you want to become a registered nurse — but you don’t want to spend another two to four years in school.

You’re not alone. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) says that in 2020 nearly 25,000 students across the United States were enrolled inaccelerated nursing programs. These nursing programs lead to aBachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)in just 11 to 22 months. Designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field,accelerated nursing programsare also known as second-degree nursing programs and direct-entry nursing degree programs.

Top 5 Accelerated Nursing Programs

Accelerated nursing programsaren’t like starting college all over again. They are more like doing your junior and senior years all over again. Some of the shorter, more intensiveaccelerated nursing programscan’t accept working students. They may even prohibit their students from working. But there are some part-time and online nursing programsthat can accommodate students who need to work. These programs may schedule courses for evenings and weekends, taking 18 to 22 months to complete.

It’s important to understand what an accelerated nursing program isn’t. It isn’t an RN-to-BSN program. RN-to-BSN programs are for registered nurses who are currently practiced or at least licensed to practice who need to earn a bachelor’s degree to meet increasing requirements from their employers or from state licensing boards or who just want to advance their careers. RN-to-BSN programs take about two years to complete.

Accelerated nursing programsdo not require any prior experience or education in nursing. They are for students who are new to the field seeking a fresh start.

Who are the ideal students foraccelerated nursing programs?

Accelerated nursing programsare academically rigorous. Successful students inaccelerated nursing programsneed to be organized, motivated, and academically inclined.

Accelerated nursing programsrequire students to spend a lot of time together. Students who are comfortable around different kinds of people and who can tolerate healthy interpersonal tensions are best suited for these programs (and for the profession later on).

The upside ofaccelerated nursing programsis that the sole focus is on learning to become a nurse. There’s no adjustment to having a roommate or learning to do laundry for the first time. There’s no pledging a sorority or a fraternity (other than a nursing student organization, in some cases) and there’s no worry about what to wear every day, because you will be wearing your nursing uniform.

People come toaccelerated nursing programs because they are inspired by the competence, courage, and kindness of a nurse in their lives. Or they are seeking opportunities that their first choice of career did not afford. But everyone who succeeds in an accelerated nursing program is smart, dedicated, and concentrated on becoming a nurse.

What are the important differences betweenaccelerated nursing programs?

The objective of every accelerated nursing program is giving students the coursework and training they need to practice nursing in the shortest time possible. Every accelerated nursing program offers a fast-track degree. But there are nuances betweenaccelerated nursing programsthat make a difference for choosing the right program.

• BA or BS?Some programs don’t care about their students’ undergraduate majors. A BA in any field may be fine. Other programs expect their students already to hold a BS in a science field.
• Start date.Most US academic programs start sometime between the middle of August and the first week of October, depending on the part of the country where the courses are held.Accelerated nursing programstend to start in January or October, although summer start dates are also popular.
• Online or on-campus?Some highly motivated students don’t have any trouble learning essential nursing concepts from online classes. They will still need to go to campus or a teaching hospital for their clinical work, but they don’t need to go to a physical classroom for their didactic work. Some students learn better in person-to-person interaction. These students should opt for brick-and-mortar classes with professors they see in person and students with whom they can more easily form relationships.

Any nursing program, whether it’s accelerated or not, will require 700 to 850 hours of clinical work. You’ll begin your clinical work a lot sooner in an accelerated nursing program, because you won’t be spending a lot of time, or any time, studying non-nursing subjects.

A word of caution about online nursing programs is in order. When you sign up for online coursework, you are free to play and replay your lectures as many times as you like and get your assignments done any time of day that you like. But you will face rigid dates for completing your coursework so that you will be ready for clinical rotations with the rest of your class.

No matter what your undergraduate degree, you will need to have completed some accelerated nursing program prerequisites.

There are certain courses that every student needs to have completed, usually with a grade of B or better (pass-fail may not be accepted), within the last five years before enrolling in an acceleratednursing program. These courses include:

Here’s a sample list of accelerated BSN prerequisites.

• Biology I
• Microbiology
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Anatomy and Physiology I & II
• Developmental Psychology
• Nutrition
• Sociology
• Statistics

If you haven’t taken these courses, you will need to have completed them before you start your program.

To get into an accelerated nursing program, you will probably need to have completed your undergraduate degree with a GPA of at least 3.0. You may need to interview with the Admissions Department so they can assess your aptitude for practicing nursing.

But don’t worry a lot about your age. Life experience is considered a good thing in nursing. Mature students are welcome in mostaccelerated nursing programs.

Now let’s look at some of your options for accelerated nursing study. There are264 member schools in the AACNthat offeraccelerated nursing programs. There are another 135accelerated nursing programsthat are not listed with the AACN.

We sorted these programs first by looking for schools that have national recognition for some outstanding aspect of their programs. We found 93 schools in this category. We made sure that every school we list is accredited. Then we looked at five more criteria:

• Average Net Price to Students
• Graduation Rate, the percentage of students finishing the program.
• Financial Aid, the percentage of students receiving financial aid, and
• NCLEX pass rate, which is a good measure of the percentage of students that get their nursing licenses. The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN^®exam) ensures that it is safe for you to begin work as a nurse.

We used a statistical tool called normalization to make sure that an unusually high or low net price did not skew the results for other outcomes of the school. Then we ranked schools by giving each factor 25 percent value to the school’s final score.

There are just a few exceptions to our ranking protocol. We also included the cheapest accelerated online nursing programs in the order that they would otherwise appear in our rankings, even if they did not make the top 20. These are great schools. They just were in the top 93, not necessarily the top 20.

The Best 20 Accelerated Nursing Programs

Cheapest Accelerated Nursing Program: Northeast Alabama Community College

If you already have a bachelor’s degree in any field from any other university,Northeast Alabama Community College can help you add an RN to your professional credentials. The accelerated nursing program is academically demanding, but Northeast Alabama Community College has a passing rate of 100% on the NCLEX.

• Average Net Price to Students: $3,144
• Graduation Rate: 32%
• Financial Aid:90%
• NCLEX Pass Rate:100%

Second-Cheapest Accelerated Nursing Program: CUNY Hunter College

You wouldn’t necessarily expect an unusually inexpensive accelerated nursing program in New York City, but that is what you will find atCUNY Hunter College. Located next to the VA Hospital on First Avenue in Manhattan, CUNY Hunter College offers rotations at some of the busiest hospitals in the nation with some of the most diverse patient care experiences possible for student nurses. Many students find the CUNY program too demanding and drop out, but a substantial number go on to earn MSN degrees and doctorates in nursing.

• Average Net Price to Students: $5,215
• Graduation Rate: 52%
• Financial Aid:81%
• NCLEX Pass Rate:87%

Unusually Flexible Scheduling: Duquesne University

It’s hard to find a more flexibly scheduled accelerated nursing program than the program atDuquesne University. Classroom instruction is entirely online, and sessions start three times a year. This Catholic university finds opportunities for its students to earn money while they are still in school, and offers generous discounts on tuition.

• Average Net Price to Students: $30,540
• Graduation Rate: 80%
• Financial Aid:100%
• NCLEX Pass Rate:90%

100% Acceptance Rate: Santa Barbara Business College – Santa Maria

If you want to be absolutely sure you get into an accelerated nursing program, apply atSanta Barbara Business Collegein Santa Maria, California. They have a 100 percent acceptance rate. This small program only admits 10 to 20 students per year, and faculty invest considerable time in making sure each student succeeds. Just be very sure you understand which nursing degree you are working on.

• Average Net Price to Students: $15,789
• Graduation Rate: 67%
• Financial Aid:100%
• NCLEX Pass Rate:94%

100% Placement Rate for Graduates: Montana Tech

Montana Techhas a rigorous accelerated nursing program. Less than half of students graduate. But if you do, it is highly likely that you will pass the NCLEX on your first try and you are essentially guaranteed a job.

• Average Net Price to Students: $12,104
• Graduation Rate: 41%
• Financial Aid:87%
• NCLEX Pass Rate:100%

Have you attended one of theseaccelerated nursing programs? Please keep in mind that tuition, graduation rates, financial aid percentages and NCLEX pass rates are subject to change. We always welcome updated information.