Accelerated BSN Programs

Nursing24/7, LVN · Nov 5, 2012

Howdie, I'm in Socal too! What's your current GPA? Also, have you taken care of any of your nursing prereqs yet? Since you may be willing to relocate, you may want to look into Cal State University Los Angeles or Cal State University Northridge nursing programs. Cal State University LA has a high NCLEX pass rate and tuition is reasonable & there are a small amount of prereqs unlike at some nursing schools. CSUN is an accelerated BSN program (15 month) is a good program, with an decent NCLEX pass rate, but is VERY competetive with a high GPA requirement for admission. I'll never get into CSUN's nursing program but wish I could (It's my almamater) but my undergraduate GPA is just not high enough. Another one to consider if you have stellar grades is UCLA, it's nursing program is one of the top in the country. If I had the grades, I would have definitely applied for the UCLA program before any other program.

I am planning on applying to Cal State University LA and Western Governers University myself. Western Governers might be one you might want to consider. They are nationally accredited and it is a BSN program. It's in the $24,000 price range (but most CSU BSN programs are around that price or higher. Heck, private nursing schools charge $60,000 PLUS for BSN programs). WGU is 70% online and more of an independent studying program (so you have to be strong at self-study to succeed), so you go at your own pace--I have heard of people who are able to graduate the program in as little as 1 year. It just all depends on how much time you can put into studying, that determines how fast you can finish. You do your clinicals in local hospitals--they are affliated with Cedars Sinai, Kaiser and more of LA's top hospitals, so those are hospitals you may do your clinical cohorts at. The last 4 months are when you do your clinicals and it is supposively really intense because they HIGHLY press that you DON'T WORK the last 4 months of the program.

For me, the only downside to WGU is they have a crap load of prereqs like 15 (but most of your current GENERAL ED requirements should knock out the majority of them in your case), which is the only thing I am a little bummed about because I graduated college over 12 years ago, so alot of my general eds are now invalid/untransferable, so I have to retake alot of classes but WGU really is shaping up to be the program I think I really want to get into it just fits my family a bit better at this time in my life, than a traditional class setting would. And a plus is you can get your masters through WGU too if you decide to pursue that and their nursing master programs are 100% online. University of Phoenix also has a good online nursing masters program for around the same price CSU's are charging for their masters in nursing programs. I know several nurses employed at Kaiser who graduated from University of Phoenix master programs :)

Anymore questions PM, I'm always glad to help!

kristimariewells · Nov 5, 2012

Thank you for your great suggestions! my GPA is a little low right now, 3.15, but because i'm a year or two out from my bachelors, i have a little time to work on it, but hoping for an extremely high TEAS! (so that takes me out of the running for UCLA for sure) I have most nursing prereqs done. I've had all the normal ones done for a while! Just recently decided accelerated is the most viable option for me to get into nursing school. also wouldn't mind going out of state! anyone have out of state suggestions? does anyone have any experience with U of Montana's accelerated program?