Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN)

Completion of the following courses or course equivalents, either at DeSales University or another accredited college or university, within 5 years of entering the Accelerated BSN program, with a grade of solid “C” or higher*:

• BI263: Anatomy & Physiology I w/ Lab (must be solid "B" or higher for ABSN+)
• BI264: Anatomy & Physiology II w/ Lab (must be solid "B" or higher for ABSN+)
• BI252: Microbiology w/ Lab (must be solid "B" or higher for ABSN+)
• CH107: Physiological Chemistry w/ Lab (must be solid "B" or higher for ABSN+)
  • Must include all 3 topics: general, biochemistry, and organic
• MA111: Probability and Statistics
• NU305: Therapeutic Nutrition
  • Must be taught by a Registered Dietician
• PS240: Human Development
  • Must cover full lifespan: conception to death

*Applicants may submit an application with prerequisites courses in progress.

DeSales offers several online prerequisites courses through our adult education program. Learn more

Prerequisites may be completed at any accredited college or university. If completing prerequisites at a local community college, please reference the DeSales University Community College transfer agreements on our transfer page.

Additional prerequisite online coursework is approved for DeSales ABSN applicants via Portage Learning

CLEP testing is available only for Developmental Psychology. 

We're glad you're interested in applying for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at DeSales. As part of the application process, we ask that you carefully review these guidelines prior to applying. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.  

• Apply directly to DeSales
  Annual Deadline: January 1

ABSN/ABSN+ Application Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in a non-nursing major from an accredited college or university with a graduating cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 (or a GPA of 3.0 for ABSN+ program) or higher on a 4.0 scale.
• Completed prerequisite coursework.
• Official transcripts of all coursework taken at any accredited university or college 
  • Electronic official transcripts can be sent to: gradadmissions@desales.edu
  • Paper official transcripts can be mailed to: 
    DeSales University
    ATTN: Admissions Office
    2755 Station Ave.
    Center Valley PA 18034
  • Nursing courses from other universities or institutions will not transfer; all nursing courses, with the exception of NU 305 Therapeutic Nutrition, must be completed at DeSales University.
  • All transcripts from any degree-granting institution outside the United States must be evaluated by a NACES approved evaluation service, such as World Education Services, Inc., with the resulting report submitted directly to the address above.  Please visit naces.org for additional information. DeSales University’s institutional reporting code is 002021
• ABSN Personal Statement — Explain how the program will help you achieve your professional goals and your motivation to become a nurse.

*Applicants may submit an application with bachelor's degree still in progress. 

Due to the competitive nature of this program and seat availability, demonstrating minimum admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the DeSales Accelerated nursing program. All decisions are final.

Select applicants will be invited for an interview on a rolling basis until the cohort is filled. To secure a place in the class, accepted students are required to submit a $500 non-refundable tuition seat deposit. Upon matriculation, the $500 seat deposit will be credited towards tuition.

* Prerequisite courses require a minimum grade of “C” or higher. A maximum of three (3) “C’s” out of the seven (7) prerequisite courses will be accepted. Submission of four (4) or more “C’s” will result in revocation of your provisional acceptance.

Applicants selected for admission into the Accelerated BSN Program are accepted on a provisional basis and will be required to complete a Nationwide Criminal Background Check and FBI Fingerprinting.  An offer of full acceptance into the Accelerated BSN Program is dependent on the results of the applicant's Nationwide Criminal Background Check and FBI Fingerprinting. A positive record, on either the Nationwide Criminal Background Check or FBI Fingerprinting, will result in revocation of the applicant's provisional acceptance. 

Revocation of provisional acceptance prohibits the applicant from obtaining full acceptance and from matriculating into the Accelerated BSN Program. There are no appeals.

The cost of the Nationwide Criminal Background Check and FBI Fingerprinting is the responsibility of the applicant. The Nationwide Criminal Background Check and FBI Fingerprinting must be completed via the process and paperwork stipulated and supplied to the applicant following an offer of provisional acceptance. No other method will be accepted or considered valid.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  Fully accepted Accelerated BSN students must satisfactorily meet all the health, background, drug, and clearance requirements outlined under "BSN Clinical Requirements" in the DeSales Undergraduate Catalog. Prior to the student beginning the Accelerated BSN Program and prior to the beginning of each clinical course, all BSN Clinical Requirements must be received, reviewed, and determined by the Division of Nursing to have been satisfactorily met. Inability to satisfactorily meet one or more of the BSN Clinical Requirements will prohibit the student from attending required clinical and/or laboratory experiences. Inability to attend required clinical and/or laboratory experiences will result in course failure and/or dismissal from the Accelerated BSN Program. The Division of Nursing maintains a zero tolerance policy for all BSN clinical requirements.

Affiliating clinical agencies, utilized for required student clinical experiences, reserve the right to deny a student's participation in any clinical experience/rotation because of a positive drug test, a positive criminal record, a felony or misdemeanor conviction, or a record of child abuse, pending charges, or the inability to produce appropriate documentation of required health clearances. Inability to attend required clinical experiences may result in course failure and/or dismissal from the Accelerated BSN Program.

BSN Clinical requirements may need to be updated on a yearly basis. The financial cost associated with clearances, immunizations, and examinations is the responsibility of the student.

Regardless of whether or not a student graduates from DeSales University, individuals who have a positive criminal record, a felony or misdemeanor conviction, pending charges, or a record of child abuse may be denied licensure as a health professional.

In your 15 months, experience some of the most exciting and cutting-edge technology available in healthcare education: simulation labs, the area's only gross anatomy lab, and our standardized patient lab.

Clinical Skills Lab

Our clinical skills lab provides both a 12-bed in-patient and a 12-bed out-patient practice environment. Students can practice a wide variety of clinical skills with low fidelity mannequins. Task Trainers help students gain expertise in technical procedures and clinical skills, such as catheter placement or pelvic examination for undergraduate students and more advanced skills such as central line placement or peripheral IV insertion for our graduate students.

Human Patient Simulators (HPS)

HPS, also known as high-fidelity manikins, are life-like models of the human body with software/computer equipment components to mimic human bodily functions. DeSales maintains several HPSs, including a pregnant mother and newborn infant and birthing room equipped with virtual reality glasses., and a manikin that has AI (automated intelligence) technology.

Standardized Patient Suite

This on-campus suite replicates a functioning healthcare office, complete with a waiting room and 8 fully-equipped examination rooms. Standardized Patients are real people who are specially-trained to portray different patient scenarios where they are treated as real patients by DeSales students. They actively participate in the instruction, practice, and assessment of the physical examination skills of our students, nurses, and physician assistants. Become a standardized patient 

Our Education Management Solutions, Inc. system (EMS) provides a comprehensive solution for the labs;. Digital AV software and hardware allow faculty to capture both the simulations and standardized patient environments for further review. The results provide a digital video record of individual and team performance, which assists in evaluating a student’s performance when faced with realistic clinical challenges.

A student considering withdrawal from a course should note that the summer term is subject to a different withdrawal calculation than the fall and spring terms due to a difference in the structure of the courses offered. The Accelerated BSN Program’s tuition is comprised of four, flat term rates charged during the course of the approved 15-month Accelerated BSN curriculum. Refunds are based on the flat term tuition rate, and as such, students withdrawing from one or more courses are not eligible for a prorated refund based on number of courses from which they withdrew.

The Accelerated BSN program tuition refund policy for the summer terms is as follows:

• 100% refund of the term tuition – Any withdrawal received prior to the first day of class. The first class is defined as the first didactic/lecture held for the term.
• 60% refund of the term tuition – Any withdrawal received after the first class day has commenced and prior to the fourth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.
• 0% refund of the term tuition – Any withdrawal received after the fourth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.

The Accelerated BSN program tuition refund policy for the Fall and Spring terms is as follows:

• 100% refund of the term tuition – Any withdrawal received prior to the first day of class. The first class is defined as the first didactic/lecture held for the term.
• 60% refund of the term tuition – Any withdrawal received after the first class day has commenced and prior to the sixth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.
• 0% refund of the term tuition – Any withdrawal received after the sixth day of class in the term. Class is defined as the didactic/lecture portion of a course and does not include laboratory or clinical days.

All drop and withdrawal requests must be received by the Accelerated BSN Program Director, dated, and signed by the student and the Program Director by the appropriate deadline. Registration for the Accelerated BSN program implies that a student is academically responsible for completion of the required course load as well as the satisfaction of all related financial obligations. If a registered student does not withdraw from courses but simply does not attend, a grade of “F” will be assigned to these courses, and the student will remain responsible for payment of the tuition related to those courses.

Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for further information.

Limited on-campus housing is available through graduate housing.

2024-25 Academic Year

Tuition: $48,800

Tuition payable each term:

• Summer I - $12,200
• Fall - $12,200
• Spring - $12,200
• Summer II - $12,200

Tuition covers costs of all nursing coursework, all fees, standardized program testing, and NCLEX-RN preparatory review. Each semester is billed separately and is due before the next semester begins. Tuition is the same cost regardless of your state of residence.

*All rates are subject to annual increases beginning May (Summer I Session). 

Did you know? One FREE course is offered for DeSales graduates

DeSales offers one FREE 3-credit, ABSN course to eligible* DeSales University undergraduate alumni.

*Offer effective as of May 14, 2020. The discount applies to DSU ABSN tuition only and is not applicable toward fees, textbooks, or other costs associated with the ABSN program. For details regarding evaluation for eligibility, please contact nursing@desales.edu or 610-282-1100, x1509.

All international applicants to the ABSN program, regardless of citizenship, whose native language is not English, are required to take the TOEFL iBT. Official test results must be mailed directly from the testing agency to the Division of Nursing in a sealed envelope.

• Applicants must obtain a total score of 100 with a minimum score of 26 for speaking
• The TOEFL iBT Test must have been taken within two years of application to the program
• Up-to-date information can be found at: TOEFL
• Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for further details

All transcripts from any degree-granting institution outside the United States must be evaluated by a NACES approved evaluation service, such as World Education Services, Inc., with the resulting report submitted directly to the address above.  Please visit naces.org for additional information. DeSales University’s institutional reporting code is 002021

Yes! DeSales has the Academic Success Center, nursing tutors, a writing center, a counseling center, and other wrap around services to aid in your success. DeSales also has a Nursing Librarian as well as Senior Lab Students (2 senior nursing students are chosen each year by the undergraduate chair of nursing, and they hold open lab hours where you can go and ask for help and practice).