exciting news!
Summer 2025 Applications Now Available!
The NursingCAS application for the Summer 2025 Accelerated BSN track is now open for submission. Don't miss this opportunity take the first step toward a rewarding career in nursing.
About the Accelerated BSN Program
The College of Nursing offers an accelerated course of study for students with a baccalaureate degree or higher in another field to pursue a baccalaureate degree in nursing. The Accelerated BSN program is offered at the Gainesville and UF Health Jacksonville campuses.
Jacksonville campus
UF College of Nursing Jacksonville
Fast Facts
The University of Florida College of Nursing’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is offered at the UF Health Jacksonville campus. Learn more about what makes this program so unique.
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The UF College of Nursing Jacksonville campus is supported by on-site nursing faculty members who serve on various UF Health Jacksonville and University of Florida campus committees. Students are taught by faculty members from the Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses via traditional classrooms, teleconferencing, and web-based delivery methods. Students rotate through the various clinical settings of the UF Health Jacksonville campus and the UF Health primary care and specialty care centers throughout northeast Florida. In addition to UF Health locations, nursing students are placed at other clinical sites and medical centers in the metropolitan area.
Track Description
The Accelerated BSN track builds on previous learning experiences and transitions individuals with undergraduate and graduate degrees in other fields into nursing. Courses and course sequencing in the accelerated baccalaureate option parallel the existing baccalaureate curriculum. The accelerated baccalaureate curriculum begins each May and is completed following four consecutive semesters of full-time study, finishing the following August.
Why Gator Nursing?
Asa Cooley
ABSN student Asa Cooley shares how she continued a Gator Nursing legacy and discovered her passion for the profession.
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Curriculum and Coursework
Nursing courses include classroom and laboratory activities alongside supervised clinical practice experiences. Students can analyze various issues in professional nursing practice and health care. They are introduced to a basic understanding of how evidence is developed, the research process, and clinical reasoning. Students will develop skills in managing patients from various backgrounds and cultures. The program moves through the continuum of care and the spectrum of complexity in the clinical setting.
Sample Curriculum Plan
View a sample Accelerated BSN curriculum plan here.
Summer 2025 ADMISSIONS
Summer 2025 Applications Now Available!
The NursingCAS application for the Summer 2025 Accelerated BSN track is now open for submission.
Admission Criteria
Applicants are required to show evidence of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a field other than nursing.
- If you attended an international institution, all documents must be accompanied by certified, literal (exact) English translations for documents not originally issued in English, along with a credential evaluation for a course-by-course evaluation with a grade point average calculation.
- A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, calculated using the most recent 60 credits taken toward the bachelor’s degree, or a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale on a master’s or doctoral degree.
- OR a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for a master’s or doctoral degree.
- The University of Florida requires proficiency in spoken and written English. This helps ensure that students who speak English as a second language can participate fully in university life, both in and out of class. Applicants from locations, including Puerto Rico, where English is not the official language, must submit language testing scores that are compliant with university expectations.
- International students whose primary language is not English will have to demonstrate a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based, 213 on the computer-based, or 80 on the web-based version of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
Program Prerequisites
The following six prerequisite courses must have been completed within the past seven years with at least a C or better grade. These courses may have been completed at the university or community college level. Any questions regarding course equivalency for use toward any prerequisites will require a detailed course syllabus to determine content. All courses must be completed by the end of the spring semester, before the summer term you are applying for. These courses should meet the following guidelines:
- 4 credits of Anatomy & Physiology 1 (including a lab component)
- 4 credits of Anatomy & Physiology 2 (including a lab component)
- 4 credits of Microbiology (including a lab component)
- 3 credits in Statistics
- 3 credits of Human Growth and Development or Developmental Psychology
- 3 credits of Human Nutrition
- State of Florida Civic Literacy Requirement
Please Note: The Admissions Committee uses a holistic assessment process that considers many factors, including student experiences, attributes, and academic metrics. Due to classroom and clinical space limitations, not all qualified applicants are admitted.
Important notification: All admitted nursing students, regardless of campus status, must complete a background check, mandatory immunization verification (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis B, Varicella, Influenza, Tetanus, Tuberculosis), fingerprinting*, and drug screening. The College of Nursing follows CDC guidelines and adheres to the safety regulations of our clinical partners. Additionally, all students must provide proof of current health insurance. Upon admission into the program, students will be given the steps to complete this process.
Students must disclose any arrests or criminal charges in their UF Program application. Upon disclosure, further information may be requested. All students must undergo a new background check, fingerprinting, and drug test. Disclosure of arrest or conviction information may impact your admission to the Nursing Program.
Ready to apply?
The NursingCAS application for the Summer 2025 Accelerated BSN track is now open for submission. The application deadline for the Summer 2025 application cycle is December 20, 2024.
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to take the next step towards your nursing career.
- Submit the University of Florida Post Baccalaureate Application.
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, and any necessary test scores must be sent to the University of Florida and the University of Florida Post Baccalaureate Application.
- Please refer to the University of Florida Office of Admissions website for more information.
- Submit a NursingCAS application.
- An essay that responds to questions specified on the NursingCAS site, one academic letter of reference and one personal letter of reference, a CV, or a resume must be submitted with the NursingCAS application.
- Unofficial transcripts from all colleges/universities attended are submitted with the NursingCAS application.
- Please refer to the NursingCAS website for more information.
- Complete the HESI A2 examination.
- HESI A2 exam registration instructions are available here: ProctorU Portal | Elsevier – HESI.
- All applicants must complete the HESI A2 by the application deadline.
- Applicants may only complete the HESI A2 for the University of Florida once.
- The HESI AS Entrance Exam is used by nursing programs nationwide as a tool to screen applicants.
- The HESI A2 consists of both an academic portion and a personality portion. The required examination areas for the University of Florida College of Nursing include Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Grammar, Math, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Learning, and Personality Style.
- The HESI A2 exam must be completed in a single session. Please ensure that you have adequate time to complete the exam before starting.
- We do not have a minimum required or recommended score for the HESI A2exam; however, a competitive score would be a cumulative score of 85 and a critical thinking score of 800 or higher.
- Should applicants have any questions or need assistance, please get in touch with the following:
- Elsevier Support at (800) 222-9570 for questions related to setting up an Elsevier account
- Please direct questions about ProctorU to (855) 772-8678
- For ProctorU testing accommodations, please use the form available here: Submit a request – ProctorU
Questions? Contact Us
The baccalaureate program at the University of Florida College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 887-6791.