National Louis University
Accelerated B.S. in Nursing (ABSN-H) Hybrid · Chicago, IL · school's own site (opens the school's website in a new tab)
ActiveHybridlast verified Oct 2026
Prerequisites
The courses National Louis says you need before you start, as published on its own pages. Credits, labs, and minimum grades are shown where the school states them.
- 01General BiologyGeneral Biology with Lab (Survey of Biological Science and Lab) · SCI 102/102L5 QH lecture plus 2 QH lab at NLU.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“SCI 102/102L - Survey of Biological Science and Lab”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 02General ChemistryChemistry (Chemistry for Healthcare) · SCI 112An outside chemistry course must include organic and biochemistry components.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“SCI 112 - Chemistry for Healthcare or other chemistry course with organic and biochem components”
min gradeC - 03MicrobiologyMicrobiology with Lab · SCI 311/311LThe admission list prints the lab as SCI 300L; the course list prints SCI 311L.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“SCI 311/300L - Microbiology and Lab”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 04Anatomy & Physiology IAnatomy and Physiology I with Lab · SCI 200/200L
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“SCI 200/200L - Anatomy and Physiology I and Lab”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 05Anatomy & Physiology IIAnatomy and Physiology II with Lab · SCI 305/305L
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“SCI 305/305L - Anatomy and Physiology II and Lab”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 06General PsychologyIntroduction to Psychology · PSY 101
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“PSY 101 - Intro to Psychology”
labnomin gradeC - 07Lifespan / Human Growth & DevelopmentDevelopmental (Lifespan) Psychology · PSY 315
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“PSY 315 - Lifespan Development (Developmental Psychology)”
labnomin gradeC - 08NutritionNutrition (Nutrition for Healthcare) · HTH 201A transfer course must include nutrition across the lifespan. The catalog lists it as a science prerequisite, and it cannot be met by exam.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“HTH 201 - Nutrition for Healthcare or other relevant nutrition course”
min gradeC - 09Philosophy / LogicIntroduction to Philosophy · PHI 107The program page lists it as a prerequisite. The catalog says it is only needed before PHI 205 in Term 3.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“While not a prerequisite to Full Admission/starting the Nursing Professional Sequence, PHI 107 or another introductory philosophy course must be completed (with a C or higher) before students take PHI 205 in Term 3 of clinical work”
labnomin gradeC - 10College AlgebraCollege Algebra or higher · MTH 101The program page says 'College Algebra or higher'. The catalog accepts MTH 101 or other college-level mathematics.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“MTH 101 - Introduction to Mathematical Concepts or other college-level mathematics”
labnomin gradeC - 11StatisticsStatistics · MTH 102
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“MTH 102 - Statistics”
labnomin gradeC
Minimum prerequisite grade
C
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“Have a minimum grade of C in all prerequisite courswork - science prerequisites and non-science prerequisites”
Applying with prerequisites in progress Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“You can apply before finishing prerequisites and receive Preliminary Admission (Pre-Nursing), which requires a 3.0 GPA. All prerequisites must be complete before full admission and before starting NUR 204.” vs “Allowed through Preliminary Admission (Pre-Nursing); all prerequisites must be done before full admission and NUR 204”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Do prerequisites expire?
Course age limit
5 years
The catalog also says: 'Science prerequisite coursework taken within a conferred degree (associate's or bachelor's) has an age limit of 7 years.' Applicants with older science coursework and long-standing professional experience can request a review by the Nursing director (current CV required).
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“Science pre-requisite coursework taken outside a conferred degree has an age limit of 5 years”
Prerequisite attempt limit
Two attempts per prerequisite taken at NLU; withdrawals count
The pages do not state a limit for attempts taken at other schools.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“Two-attempt limit on all prerequisite courses taken at NLU (including course withdrawals)”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
GPA and grades
Minimum cumulative GPA for admission
3.0
The catalog says applicants with a cumulative GPA of 2.75–2.99 may petition for High Potential Admission status.
source · nl.edu
“Students who have completed the pre-requisite courses below with a C or better within the last 5 years from a 2 or 4 year accredited school, and who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for all college level coursework are encouraged to apply.”
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.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Where can courses be taken?
Community college courses
Accepted (2- or 4-year accredited schools)
The catalog says all transfer coursework must be from an institutionally accredited college or university.
source · nl.edu
“Students who have completed the pre-requisite courses below with a C or better within the last 5 years from a 2 or 4 year accredited school, and who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for all college level coursework are encouraged to apply.”
Credit by exam
AP, IB, CLEP and DANTES accepted for prerequisites except Nutrition
No Credit for Prior Learning is accepted for nursing major requirements. Course age requirements still apply.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“Program pre-requisites and program specific general education requirements, except Nutrition, can be fulfilled through the following nationally recognized standard examinations only: AP, IB, CLEP, and DANTES”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Application deadlines and start dates
Upcoming cycles National Louis publishes. A date without a year on the school's page is noted rather than guessed.
No upcoming application dates published. Confirm with the school.
Application route
Apply directly to NLU; NursingCAS is not mentioned
source · nl.edu
“2) Apply to NLU . It's Free!”
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.
Application fee
Free
Stated on the general transfer admissions page, not the nursing page.
source · nl.edu
“2) Apply to NLU . It's Free!”
Tuition Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Other requirements
What the school asks for beyond courses and scores.
Prior degree
Bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited institution
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“Have a bachelor's degree awarded in any discipline from an accredited college or university”
Clinical hours
More than 720
An older page (nl.edu/accelerated-bsn/) says more than 690 hours.
source · nl.edu
“You will complete in excess of 720 clinical hours, preparing you for your future role as a professional nurse.”
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended must be sent directly to admissions@nl.edu, or mailed sealed to the NLU Admissions Department in Wheeling, IL.
source · nl.edu
“Transcripts must be submitted directly from the institution to admissions@nl.edu .”
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
Hybrid: classes are online (asynchronous, with scheduled synchronous sessions). Labs, simulation and clinicals are in person in the Chicago metro area.
Lab and clinical experiences will be in person on campus and at various facilities across the Chicago metro area.
source · nl.edu
“The classes will be asynchronously online to allow for maximum flexibility.”
Degree credits
180 quarter hours
Graduation also requires a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“Requires 180 QH, including 60 QH of General Education, for completion”
Retention policy
One repeat allowed per failed major course; a second failure leads to dismissal
source · nl.smartcatalogiq.com
“If a student fails a major course requirement, they must retake and successfully pass it the second time before progressing in the program. If the student is unsuccessful the second time, they will be dismissed from the program.”
Start terms Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Sources
Every page we read for National Louis, 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 B.S. Nursing Hybrid | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 1 · program page · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Admissions | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Transfer Admissions | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Catalogs and Course Information | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 3 · catalog · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Transfer Credit and Agreements | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 1 · prereqs · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Tuition and Aid | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 1 · tuition · checked Oct 15, 2026
- FAQs | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 2 · faq · checked Oct 15, 2026
- National Louis University - Nursing (Accelerated Hybrid), B.S.tier 1 · catalog · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Accelerated BSN | National Louis University | Chicago, Illinois | Tampa, Floridatier 1 · catalog · checked Oct 15, 2026
Open questions we're still checking
- Start terms and application deadlines are not published.
- Program length is given as 5 quarters; the pages print no month figure.
- The program page applies a 5-year age limit to all prerequisites, while the catalog applies 5/7-year limits to science prerequisites only.
- The program page requires 'College Algebra or higher', while the catalog accepts any college-level mathematics (MTH 101 Introduction to Mathematical Concepts).
- ABSN tuition is not published.
- No application portal URL is given.
- No application deadlines or start dates are published.
- Length is given only as 5 quarters; no month figure is printed.
- The program page (5 years, all prerequisites) and the catalog (5 or 7 years, science only) disagree on the age limit.
- Minimum transfer credits for each prerequisite are not stated; NLU's own courses are 5 QH plus labs.
- No ABSN-specific tuition is published.
- An older ABSN page (nl.edu/accelerated-bsn/) lists 690 clinical hours versus 720 on the current page.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on partial_completion: You can apply before finishing prerequisites and receive Preliminary Admission (Pre-Nursing), which requires a 3.0 GPA. All prerequisites must be complete before full admission and before starting NUR 204. | Allowed through Preliminary Admission (Pre-Nursing); all prerequisites must be done before full admission and NUR 204.
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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