Mercy Health Sciences University
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing · Des Moines, IA · school's own site (opens the school's website in a new tab)
ActiveHybridlast verified Oct 2026
Prerequisites
The courses Mercy Health Sciences University 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 (standalone)Human Anatomy (with lab)C- not accepted.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ Human Anatomy (with lab)”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 02Physiology (standalone)Human Physiology (with lab)C- not accepted.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ Human Physiology (with lab)”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 03MicrobiologyMicrobiology (with lab)C- not accepted.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ Microbiology (with lab)”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 04English CompositionEnglish Composition IC- not accepted.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ English Composition I”
labnomin gradeC - 05General PsychologyGeneral PsychologyC- not accepted.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ General Psychology”
labnomin gradeC - 06College AlgebraCollege-level MathAny college-level math course; College Algebra is not specifically named.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ College-level Math (3 credits)”
credits3labnomin gradeC - 07StatisticsLower or upper-level Statistics
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ Lower or upper-level Statistics (3 credits)”
credits3labnomin gradeC - 08NutritionLower or upper-level Nutrition
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“+ Lower or upper-level Nutrition (3 credits)”
credits3labnomin gradeC
Prerequisites in progress
All prerequisites must be completed before starting the major
The page does not say how many may be in progress at application.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Successfully complete all pre-requisite courses before starting the major”
Minimum prerequisite grade Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“C (C- not accepted)” vs “C (a C- does not count)”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Do prerequisites expire?
Course age limit Not published. Confirm with the school.
Attempt limits Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
GPA and grades
Science GPA
3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, calculated from the listed prerequisite courses
No separate minimum cumulative GPA is published.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“an extracted GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale from the following courses”
Extracted prerequisite GPA
3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale across the listed prerequisite courses
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“A grade of C (not C-) or higher in the following college-level courses, and an extracted GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale from the following courses:”
Minimum cumulative GPA for admission 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.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Where can courses be taken?
Online labs Not published. Confirm with the school.
Pass/fail courses 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 Mercy Health Sciences University publishes. A date without a year on the school's page is noted rather than guessed.
Spring start · Des MoinesDue August 1 each yearnext Aug 1, 2027 · starts Jan 4, 2027Deadline applies to receipt of all application materials including all transcripts; no year printed. Program start taken from the 2026-2027 Catalog academic calendar (Spring 2027 Accelerated Programs 8-Week Term I first day of class January 4). Regional cohorts start only in summer.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Spring Semester: August 1”
Summer start · Des Moines and regional cohorts (Dubuque, Storm Lake, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids)Due January 1 each yearnext Jan 1, 2027 · starts May 10, 2027No year printed for the deadline. Program start taken from the 2026-2027 Catalog academic calendar (Summer 2027 Accelerated Programs 8-Week Term I first day of class May 10). The cohorts page says the Dubuque, Storm Lake, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids cohorts offer one start date per year in the summer.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Summer Semester: January 1”
Fall start · Des MoinesDeadline not publishedNo year printed. The 2026-2027 Catalog lists Fall 2026 Accelerated Term I first day as August 31 (2026), which has likely passed; the next fall start date is not published in the provided sources.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Fall Semester: April 1”
Application route
Apply through Mercy Health Sciences University's own online application, then program admission; NursingCAS not mentioned
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Complete our online Mercy Health Sciences University application .”
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.
Tuition (2026-27)
$810 per credit hour
Accelerated BSN Material Fee of $1,378 charged in term 1, module A & term 2, module A.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Accelerated BSN (per credit hour) | $810.00 |”
University application fee
$25
University-wide application fee; no separate ABSN program fee published.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Mercy Health Sciences University Application Fee | $25.00 |”
ABSN material fee
$1,378, charged in term 1 module A and term 2 module A
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Accelerated BSN Material Fee (charged in term 1, module A & term 2, module A) | $1,378.00 |”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Other requirements
What the school asks for beyond courses and scores.
Prior degree or credits
Bachelor's degree in a non-nursing major, or at least 65 credit hours of college credit
The cohorts page states 68 hours instead of 65; the program page value is used.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Prior completion of a minimum of 65 hours of college credit or the completion of a baccalaureate degree in a non-nursing major”
- All application materials, including all transcripts, must be received by the deadline.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Application materials (including all transcripts) must be received by:”
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
Des Moines: in-person instruction; regional cohorts: online lectures with in-person skills labs and clinicals
The cohorts page states the Des Moines cohort has "In-person instruction, skills labs, and clinical experiences with our healthcare partners".
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Our professional faculty provide online lectures with in-person skills labs and clinical rotations with healthcare facilities in YOUR area.”
Start terms
Fall, spring, and summer (Des Moines); regional cohorts summer only
Program page: "Please note that our cohorts offered outside of our Des Moines campus may have limited start dates per year." Cohorts page: regional cohorts have one start date per year in the summer.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing major offers start dates in the fall, spring, and summer.”
Core curriculum
All Mercy Core requirements except SVL285 Servant Leadership must be complete before starting; prior bachelor's holders are considered to have met Core except Servant Leadership
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Successfully complete all Mercy Health Sciences University Core Curriculum requirements prior to beginning the Accelerated BSN except for SVL285 – Servant Leadership*”
Clinical compliance
Clinical compliance is an admission criterion
Specific compliance items are not listed.
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Clinical compliance”
3+1 partner agreements
3+1 pathways with Buena Vista, Central, Faith Baptist Bible, Loras, and Simpson
source · mercyhealthu.edu
“Mercy Health Sciences University also offers 3+1 agreements with Buena Vista University , Central College , Faith Baptist Bible College , Loras College , and Simpson College .”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Sources
Every page we read for Mercy Health Sciences University, 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.
- Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursingtier 1 · program page · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Accelerated Physical Therapist Assistanttier 1 · program page · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Explore Costs | Tuition and Fees | Mercy Health Sciences Universitytier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Campus Visit | Mercy Health Sciences Universitytier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 23, 2026
- https://mercyhealthu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-PTA-Student-Financial-Fact-Sheet.pdftier 1 · pdf · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Privacy Policy - Mercy Health Sciences Universitytier 3 · policy · checked Oct 23, 2026
- https://mercyhealthu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-2027-Catalog-7.0-October-2026.pdftier 1 · pdf · checked Oct 23, 2026PDF text truncated (245 pages)
- Accelerated BSN Cohorts - Mercy Health Sciences Universitytier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 23, 2026
Open questions we're still checking
- The cohorts page lists a 68-credit minimum, 2019 outcomes, and a different 49-credit curriculum; it appears stale compared with the program page (65 credits, 52 credits). Confirm the current minimum.
- The 2026-2027 Catalog lists 'Admission Requirements for ABSN' (p.156) but that section was not included in the provided text; it may contain additional rules (age limits, repeats).
- Deadlines are printed without years; which start term each deadline maps to by year is not stated.
- Whether prerequisites may be in progress at the time of application is not stated (only that they must be complete before starting).
- The program page requires a minimum of 65 credit hours, while the cohorts page says 68; which is current?
- The program page and cohorts page list different curricula (52 vs 49 major credits); the cohorts page appears older (it cites 2019 outcomes).
- The deadline year for each start term is not printed; start dates were taken from the 2026-2027 catalog calendar.
- The pages do not state whether the partner (non-Des Moines) summer cohorts use the same January 1 deadline.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on min_prereq_grade: C (C- not accepted) | C (a C- does not count).
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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