BSN with RN License | Online RN Degree

Become a registered nurse with WGU’s innovative BSN prelicensure program

Program Details
Eligibility Requirements
In-Hospital Clinical Experience
Tuition and Fees
How the Program Works
Accredited and Credible
Program Support
Founding Clinical Partners
National Advisory Committee
Grants and Support
About WGU
Become a WGU Clinical Coach or Instructor

B.S. Nursing (Prelicensure)

WGU is currently recruiting students for programs in Southern California, Texas, Florida, Indiana and Utah. See admissions requirements below.

Want to become a nurse? Now is the perfect time to become a Registered Nurse (RN). WGU’s B.S. in Nursing (Prelicensure) degree program prepares you with the content knowledge and extensive in-hospital clinical experience to earn your bachelor’s degree and prepare you to sit for the NCLEX licensing exam.

Your clinical education also includes learning skills and patient care competencies in simulation lab “boot camps” followed by agency-based clinical “intensives” where patient care competencies can be honed and mastered. These “intensives” take place in hospitals and other key healthcare facilities under the guidance of expert staff nurses who provide coaching and clinical learning opportunities.

You will become a technologically proficient, caring, bachelor’s degree-prepared nurse who is ready to preserve, promote, improve, and maintain the health and well-being of individuals and families in your community.

Program Details

This program includes several domains of study plus intensive clinical rotations for each clinical subdomain of study:

Anatomy and Physiology
Foundations
General Education
Nursing Related Science
Nursing Science
Nursing Theory and Practice

To be considered for enrollment in the program, students must have earned a bachelor’s or associate’s degree AND/OR completed the following program admissions prerequisites:

Liberal Arts and Sciences
Foundations
Language and Communications
Quantitative Literacy
Literature, Arts, and Humanities
Behavioral Science
Nutrition
Anatomy and Physiology
Clinical Microbiology

Total Program: 120 Competency Units (credit equivalents)
Less: any competency units waived through transfer of prior college credits and prerequisites

More details about your challenging course of study

View the PDF program guide

Program Admissions Requirements

NOTICE: There will be limited clinical opportunities available in select hospitals in Southern California, Texas, Florida, Indiana and Utah. Because of limited clinical opportunities, this is a highly selective program. Future expansion is planned in all five states and in additional states this year and beyond.

Students are responsible for the cost of travel to their clinical and lab site, therefore it is highly recommended that the student live within a 50-mile radius of the clinical site.

WGU is now opening admissions to aspiring nurses in these select areas who have completed all prerequisites as outlined below. Enrollment into this program is conducted in two phases of admissions: Pre-Nursing Curriculum and the Clinical Nursing Program.

To be considered for enrollment into the Pre-Nursing Curriculum, you must meet the following requirements:

Possess BLS Certification at the Healthcare Provider Level from the American Heart Association.
Take and pass the ATI TEAS V Exam at the “Proficient,” “Advanced,” or “Exemplary” Level. Click here to learn more about the TEAS V Exam.
Submit a professional resume.
Submit a letter of intent.
Submit at least two professional letters of recommendation. (If currently working in the healthcare industry, one should be from your current employer.)
Submit official transcripts from all previous institutions that show:

You have earned a bachelor’s or associate’s degree AND/OR
You have completed the program admissions prerequisites in Liberal Arts and Sciences and Behavioral Sciences
You have completed all nursing-related science prerequisites in:

Anatomy and Physiology I, II with Labs
Microbiology with Lab

Click here to see the specific assessment requirements

Note: Preference will be given those individuals with a prior college degree. All prerequisites must be complete before an application for enrollment can be considered.

For enrollment into the Clinical Nursing Program, you must meet the following requirements:

Enrollment into the Pre-Nursing Curriculum and admission into the Clinical Nursing Program is competitive. Students must first be accepted and enrolled into the Pre-Nursing Curriculum. Students who are successful in the Pre-Nursing Curriculum will be allowed to apply for admission for the Clinical Nursing Program. Enrollment in the Pre-Nursing Curriculum is not a guarantee for admission into the Clinical Nursing Program.

Approximately 60 days after enrollment into the Pre-Nursing Curriculum, if you qualify, you must apply for admission into the Clinical Nursing Program. To be considered for admission, the following support documentation must be provided by you as part of the application process:

Proof of health insurance.
Proof of student malpractice insurance (usually a modest $29/year cost).
Proof of successfully passing of a criminal background check*.
Proof of successfully passing a urine drug test*.
Proof of successfully passing a physical exam*.
Proof of a current immunization record and current negative TB test. Click here to see what immunizations are required of you.
Proof of meeting the specific physical requirements in accordance with the core performance standards of the nursing profession. Click here to see examples of physical requirements.
Successful completion of WGU’s Introduction to Nursing Skills Performance Exam.
Participation in an interview with nursing department representatives.

* Note: Starred items are required to be completed no sooner than 90 days prior to beginning the clinical portions of this program.

Speak to an Enrollment Counselor to better understand what is required of you.

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Your In-Hospital Clinical Experience

This program includes intensive clinical rotations. Preparation for these clinicals will be completed both online under the guidance of a WGU mentor and through mandatory attendance to high fidelity Clinical Simulation Learning Labs.

Your innovative clinical education experience includes:

Cutting-edge clinical simulations, including virtual reality and high fidelity simulations to develop clinical skills.
Agency-based clinical rotations in hospitals and other key healthcare sites.
One-on-one guidance, supervision, and support in a busy, contemporary clinical setting with a Clinical Coach—an experienced staff nurse and clinical expert.

Clinical rotations are arranged as compressed “intensives” where students work one-on-one with expert nurses. You will complete at least four sessions of clinical rotations each year.

Speak to an Enrollment Counselor for a more in-depth explanation of the in-hospital clinical experience.

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Affordable Tuition and Fees

Basic tuition: $4,250 per six-month term (includes clinical rotation fees)
Resource Fee: $145 per six-month term (non-refundable)
Application Fee: $65 (one time)
Estimated time to completion*: 2 years (from admission into the Clinical Nursing Program)
* Contingent on completing the Pre-Nursing Curriculum

Other student responsibilities:

ATI TEAS V Exam: $110 (at PSI Testing Centers; cost differs at other sites)
Consolidated Nursing fee: $350
Uniforms: $143
iTouch unit or handheld device that is compatible with Nursing Central Software (cost varies)
Lab kit fees: $315
Drug Screen, Criminal Background Check, and Immunization Tracking System: $92**

** Price includes one alias search. There will be a separate charge for each additional alias search. Due to expenses associated with accessing court documents, the fees for students in the following states will be as follows: ME ($31), MI ($10), NH ($60), NV ($12), NY ($67), SD ($15), VT ($30), and WY ($25). Fees are subject to change.

You may also be required to pay for doctor’s visit for a physical examination and immunizations to fulfill specific admissions requirements. Please speak to an Enrollment Counselor to learn more about what is required of you.

More information about Tuition and Fees

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How Your Program Will Work

WGU offers degrees, not classes. As a competency-based program, learning is measured by what you know and can do based on assessments rather than time spent in classes or courses completed. You’ll study. You’ll write papers. You’ll take tests. You’ll complete rigorous lab work, simulations, and clinical rotations.

Here’s generally how your program will work:

Your degree requirements are carefully developed to give you high-level competence in a variety of patient care settings, including chronic care, geriatrics, pediatrics, etc.
You will work with a WGU mentor to prepare for rigorous assessments, virtual reality simulations, and high fidelity simulations. Upon successful completion and demonstration of competency, you will qualify to attend your agency-based clinical rotations.
You will work one-on-one with a Clinical Coach (under the guidance of a Clinical Instructor) to complete several “intensives” of clinical rotations. Your Clinical Coach is an experienced staff nurse who is trained to help you throughout the duration of your clinical rotations.
Together with your mentor, you will largely be able to decide when you are prepared to complete course assessments. (assessment of your clinical competence will be conducted by Clinical Instructors .)
You should expect to work hard and spend at least 30 hours or more per week on your studies, and in the completion of clinical rotations and clinical simulation labs.

Speak to an Enrollment Counselor for a more in-depth explanation of how your program will work.

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Accredited and Credible

Accreditation is a key indicator of a university’s credibility among both academia and employers. WGU is:

CCNE accredited — by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, the Texas Board of Nursing, the Indiana State Board of Nursing, and the Florida Commission on Independent Education.
Regionally accredited — by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Northwest Commission is also responsible for the accreditation of other major universities such as the University of Washington, University of Oregon, and the University of Utah, to name a few.
Founded by 19 governors and supported by hospital partners — WGU was founded by 19 U.S. governors. WGU and this BSN program are also supported by hospital partners across the nation, including Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Tenet Healthcare, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Catholic Healthcare West, and Universal Health Services.

Learn more about accreditation.

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