What is an accelerated BSN?

An accelerated BSN (ABSN) is a bachelor’s program for people who already hold a degree in another field. It takes 12 to 18 months of full-time study and leads to the NCLEX-RN.

By Simmie J.Figures checked against official government and agency dataUpdated

Scale

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing counted 340 accelerated programs in the US in 2025, with 29,421 students enrolled and 17,029 graduates.

What it takes

You need a bachelor’s degree, plus the prerequisite courses most programs require, often a minimum GPA, and sometimes an entrance exam. The program compresses a degree into a full-time, year-round schedule, so most schools advise against working during it.

Trade-offs

Faster entry to practice comes with a heavy workload and a high up-front cost. Compare programs on net price, NCLEX results and clinical placements. See how to choose a nursing school.

Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.

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