Metropolitan State University of Denver
Accelerated Nursing Option (ANO) · Denver, CO · school's own site (opens the school's website in a new tab)
ActiveIn personlast verified Oct 2026
Prerequisites
The courses MSU Denver says you need before you start, as published on its own pages. Credits, labs, and minimum grades are shown where the school states them.
- 01Anatomy & Physiology IAnatomy and Physiology I · BIO 2310Lab component required.
source · msudenver.edu
“BIO 2310 Anatomy and Physiology I”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 02Anatomy & Physiology IIAnatomy and Physiology II · BIO 2320Lab component required.
source · msudenver.edu
“BIO 2320: Anatomy and Physiology II”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 03MicrobiologyMicrobiology for Nursing · BIO 2000BIO 2400 General Microbiology also accepted. Lab required.
source · msudenver.edu
“BIO 2000: Microbiology for Nursing (BIO 2400 General Microbiology also accepted)”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 04PathophysiologyClinical Pathophysiology · PUB 4600
source · msudenver.edu
“PUB 4600: Clinical Pathophysiology”
min gradeC - 05NutritionIntroduction to Nutrition · NUT 2040
source · msudenver.edu
“NUT 2040: Introduction to Nutrition”
min gradeC - 06Lifespan / Human Growth & DevelopmentPsychology of Human Development · PSY 2210
source · msudenver.edu
“PSY 2210: Psychology of Human Development”
min gradeC - 07StatisticsIntroduction to Statistics · MTH 1210PSY 2310 also accepted.
source · msudenver.edu
“MTH 1210: Introduction to Statistics (PSY 2310 also accepted, but does not count as Quantitative Literacy course)”
min gradeC - 08General ChemistryPrinciples of Chemistry with Lab · CHE 1100 & 1150CHE 1800 & 1801 also accepted.
source · msudenver.edu
“CHE 1100 & 1150: Principles of Chemistry with Lab (CHE 1800 & 1801 also accepted)”
labrequiredmin gradeC
Minimum prerequisite grade
C or higher
source · msudenver.edu
“Students must earn a letter grade of a "C" or higher in each course to fulfill the requirement, and must have a 2.75 cumulative GPA in these courses.”
Prerequisites in progress
Fall applicants must finish all requirements in the preceding Spring term; Spring applicants could take final courses in the preceding Fall
source · msudenver.edu
“If you are applying for a Fall cohort you must finish all requirements in the preceding Spring term.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Do prerequisites expire?
Course age limit Not published. Confirm with the school.
Retakes Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
GPA and grades
Average admitted GPA
About 3.5
source · msudenver.edu
“The average GPA fluctuates between terms and ANO and TNO programs, however it is consistently around a 3.5 average.”
Minimum prerequisite GPA
2.75 across the eight nursing prerequisites
Scoring: 2.75–2.99 earns 0 points but may apply; 2.74 and lower not eligible.
source · msudenver.edu
“Students must earn a letter grade of a "C" or higher in each course to fulfill the requirement, and must have a 2.75 cumulative GPA in these courses.”
Retake GPA calculation
All attempts within the last 9 semesters are averaged
source · msudenver.edu
“The admissions manager will calculate every attempt taken within the last 9 semesters from application cycle and average the grades.”
Minimum cumulative GPA for admission Not published. Confirm with the school.
Science GPA Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Is there an entrance exam?
Entrance exam Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“Casper Assessment required ($70); no TEAS or HESI mentioned” vs “Casper Assessment (situational judgment test) required; no TEAS/HESI mentioned”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Where can courses be taken?
Transfer courses
Equivalent courses from other institutions accepted if approved by transcript evaluation
Taking 12+ credits at MSU Denver earns application points.
source · msudenver.edu
“Courses may be either MSU Denver courses or equivalent courses from another institution and approved by MSU Denver's transcript evaluation team.”
Online labs Not published. Confirm with the school.
Pass/fail Not published. Confirm with the school.
Credit by exam Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Application deadlines and start dates
Upcoming cycles MSU Denver publishes. A date without a year on the school's page is noted rather than guessed.
Fall 2027 startDeadline Feb 15, 2027opens Dec 1, 2026Deadline is 5:00pm MT. Fall applicants must finish all requirements in the preceding Spring term (Spring 2027). Exact start date not published. ANO cohorts will be fall-only after Fall 2027.
source · msudenver.edu
“Applications for the Fall 2027 Traditional (TNO) and Accelerated (ANO) cohorts will open on December 1, 2026 and close on February 15, 2027 at 5:00pm MT.”
Spring 2027 start (last spring ANO cohort)Due September 1 each yearnext Sep 1, 2027 · opens July 1The page says 'Applications for the Spring 2027 cohort are closed' and that Spring 2027 is the last Spring ANO cohort; this recurring spring timeline appears stale and will not apply to future cycles.
source · msudenver.edu
“ANO Spring Applications open on July 1 at 8:00 am and close September 1 at 5:00pm MT”
Application route
No; apply to MSU Denver (Undeclared Pre-Nursing) then the ANO application with MSU Denver credentials
source · msudenver.edu
“You must also apply to the nursing program using your MSU Denver credentials once you are eligible.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Cost
Tuition and fees as the school publishes them. Living costs vary; the source link has the full table.
Estimated program tuition and fees
About $42,206 for non-residents/residents who have used COF; residents with COF printed as '$34,4898' (apparent typo)
Covers the 4-semester nursing program only; books, supplies, insurance extra.
source · msudenver.edu
“For non-residents and residents who have used COF, the tuition is estimated at $42,206.”
Application fee
Nursing application free; Casper $70
source · msudenver.edu
“The nursing application is free, however the Casper Assessment costs $70.”
Financial aid
Second-degree students are not Pell-eligible
source · msudenver.edu
“Please note that any student who holds a previous bachelor's degree does not qualify for the Federal Pell Grant, but may qualify for federal education loans and work-study.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Other requirements
What the school asks for beyond courses and scores.
Prior degree
Previous bachelor's degree required
General studies are satisfied by the previous bachelor's degree.
source · msudenver.edu
“Must have a previous bachelor's degree”
Clinical hours
At least 750
source · msudenver.edu
“You will complete at least 750 clinical hours throughout the program.”
- Apply to MSU Denver as Undeclared Pre-Nursing major and submit transcripts before applying to the nursing program.
source · msudenver.edu
“TNO and ANO students must apply to MSU Denver and choose the Undeclared Pre-Nursing major.”
- Background check and drug screen (including marijuana) after admission; re-testing not allowed.
source · msudenver.edu
“Yes. If you are admitted into the program you must successfully pass a background test and drug screen.”
- Immunizations: TDAP, MMR, Hep B, negative PPD (TB), Varicella, flu, COVID; no exceptions.
source · msudenver.edu
“Admitted students will be required to complete the following immunizations. There are no exceptions.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Good to know
What the school says about the program that is not a requirement: how it selects, how many it admits, what to expect.
Format
On-campus
Clinicals mostly in Denver metro, occasionally Greeley to Colorado Springs.
source · msudenver.edu
“On-campus”
Start terms
Fall only beginning Fall 2027 (Spring 2027 was the last spring cohort)
Page also still states 'Cohorts begin in spring semesters' (older text).
source · msudenver.edu
“ANO cohorts will begin in fall starting in fall 2027”
Application scoring
Prereq GPA up to 4 points, Casper up to 4, MSU Denver credits up to 2
source · msudenver.edu
“Applications are scored on a 10-point scoring system using these breakdowns in three categories.”
Reserved seats
One spot per cohort for military and international students
source · msudenver.edu
“We reserve one spot for military and international students in every Traditional and Accelerated cohort.”
Dual application
ANO-eligible applicants may also apply to TNO with a separate application
source · msudenver.edu
“ANO eligible students can also apply to the TNO program (you must submit an application for both)”
Reserved early-admission spot
One spot per cohort for military and international students
source · msudenver.edu
“We reserve one spot for military and international students in every Traditional and Accelerated cohort.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Sources
Every page we read for MSU Denver, with when we last checked it. Tier 1 is the program's own pages; tier 2 the nursing school's general pages; tier 3 university-wide pages.
- Traditional and Accelerated Nursing Options - MSU Denvertier 1 · program page · checked Oct 15, 2026
- https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MSU-Denver-Fast-Facts-2025-26_access.pdftier 1 · pdf · checked Oct 15, 2026
- First-Time College Student - MSU Denvertier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Undergraduate International Admissions - MSU Denvertier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- University Policies - MSU Denvertier 3 · policy · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Cost - MSU Denvertier 1 · tuition · checked Oct 15, 2026
- University Catalogs and Schedules - MSU Denvertier 3 · catalog · checked Oct 15, 2026
- College Opportunity Fund FAQ - MSU Denvertier 2 · faq · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Pre-Nursing Resources - MSU Denvertier 1 · catalog · checked Oct 15, 2026
Open questions we're still checking
- Program length in months is not stated (only '4-term continuous program that includes summer courses').
- Exact Fall 2027 start date is not published.
- Resident-with-COF tuition is printed as '$34,4898', an apparent typo.
- Credit hours for each prerequisite are not stated.
- Page still lists 'Cohorts begin in spring semesters' and a July 1–September 1 spring timeline, which conflict with the announced move to fall-only ANO cohorts after Spring 2027.
- No course age limit, lab format, pass/fail, or credit-by-exam policy is published.
- Program length in months is not printed (4 continuous terms including summer).
- Resident tuition figure printed as "$34,4898" appears to be a typo.
- Prerequisite credit hours are not stated.
- Exact Fall 2027 start date not published.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on entrance_exam: Casper Assessment required ($70); no TEAS or HESI mentioned | Casper Assessment (situational judgment test) required; no TEAS/HESI mentioned.
Something wrong here? Report an error
ABSNcheck summarizes requirements that schools publish on their own websites, with a link to each source and the date we last verified it. Schools change requirements, sometimes contradict themselves, and make individual decisions. Results show whether you meet published minimums; they are not an admission decision or a guarantee, and are not official advice from any school. Always confirm requirements with each program before you apply or enroll in a course.
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