Research College of Nursing
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) · Kansas City, MO · school's own site (opens the school's website in a new tab)
ActiveIn personlast verified Oct 2026
Prerequisites
The courses Research College of Nursing 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 (with lab)Must be complete at application. A combined A&P I/II course is acceptable. Must be within 5 years of applying. The TBSN/Fast Track list shows 4 credits; no ABSN credit count is printed.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Anatomy and Physiology I and II (with labs)”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 02Anatomy & Physiology IIAnatomy and Physiology II (with lab)Must be complete at application. Must be within 5 years of applying.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Anatomy and Physiology I and II (with labs)”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 03MicrobiologyMicrobiology (with lab)
source · researchcollege.edu
“Microbiology (with lab)”
labrequiredmin gradeC - 04PathophysiologyPathophysiologyMust be within 5 years of applying.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Pathophysiology”
min gradeC - 05StatisticsStatistics
source · researchcollege.edu
“Statistics”
min gradeC - 06Lifespan / Human Growth & DevelopmentDevelopmental Psychology
source · researchcollege.edu
“Developmental Psychology”
min gradeC - 07NutritionHuman Nutrition
source · researchcollege.edu
“Human Nutrition”
min gradeC
Minimum prerequisite grade
C or better
The transfer credit policy requires a 'straight C or better'.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Completion of all prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better”
Applying with courses in progress
Only A&P I & II must be complete at application; remaining prerequisites must be completed before the program starts.
Proof of the remaining courses is due within 7 calendar days of the course start date. Official transcripts are due within 30 days.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Admission is conditional upon successful completion of all 60 credit hours of prerequisite coursework”
One course, one prerequisite
A single transfer course cannot satisfy more than one prerequisite
source · researchcollege.edu
“Single course transfer will not satisfy multiple course prerequisites”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Do prerequisites expire?
Course recency
A&P and Pathophysiology within 5 years of applying
The pre-nursing page mentions only A&P for the 5-year limit.
source · researchcollege.edu
“*Anatomy and Physiology and Pathophysiology courses must have been earned within five (5) years of applying to the program.”
Course attempt limits Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
GPA and grades
Minimum GPA for admission
3.0 (or 2.8 with B- or better in Anatomy & Physiology)
The program page says cumulative college GPA. The 2026-27 catalog instead says the GPA is calculated only on required prerequisite coursework, with 2.8-2.99 considered if the A&P average is B- or higher.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Cumulative college GPA of 3.0* or higher”
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
ATI TEAS, Proficient level or higher, taken within 24 months of the intended start
The 24-month window comes from the catalog.
source · researchcollege.edu
“ATI TEAS ® score at “proficient” level or higher”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Where can courses be taken?
Accepted institutions
Courses must come from institutions accredited by the listed institutional accreditors (including ACCJC and HLC).
Community colleges are not explicitly addressed.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Transfer institutions must be accredited by one of the following higher education accreditors:”
Pass/fail
Accepted only if the institution defines pass as a straight C or better
source · researchcollege.edu
“Pass/fail credit accepted if pass is defined as straight C or better in the institution’s academic”
Credit by exam
Credit by assessment from another institution is not accepted.
The 2025-26 catalog accepts CLEP (minimum score 50, maximum 30 credit hours) and AP scores of 3 or above.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Credit by assessment from another institution will not be accepted”
Online labs Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Application deadlines and start dates
Upcoming cycles Research College of Nursing publishes. A date without a year on the school's page is noted rather than guessed.
January startDeadline not publishedNo ABSN application deadline or exact start date is printed. The November 1, 2026 deadline and January 11, 2027 start on the Fast Track page belong to the Fast Track program, not the ABSN.
source · researchcollege.edu
“The program begins each January and May.”
May startDeadline not publishedNo ABSN application deadline or exact start date is printed.
source · researchcollege.edu
“The program begins each January and May.”
Rolling admissions (2025-26 catalog)Rolling admissionFrom the 2025-26 catalog, which may be stale. The 2026-27 catalog does not restate rolling admissions. Only one reading of the page found this cycle.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Application Window: Rolling admissions until class is full”
NursingCAS
NursingCAS per the 2025-26 catalog
The 2026-27 catalog does not mention NursingCAS. It refers to a Research College of Nursing general application and a separate program application.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Applicants must hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and apply via NursingCAS.”
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 total tuition + fees
$49,670 ($675 per credit hour); $19,295 after HCA Work Loan Forgiveness
HCA forgiveness ($30,375) requires a two-year RN work commitment at HCA. The 2025-26 catalog listed a $29,696 ABSN total.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Tuition + Fees | $49,670 |”
Application fee 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
Conferred non-nursing bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
The degree grants block credit for the remaining pre-nursing requirements.
source · researchcollege.edu
“To be eligible, you must hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.”
CNA
Not required
source · researchcollege.edu
“Direct entry: Begin your journey with a bachelor’s. No prior CNA, LPN, or ADN certifications are needed.”
Student visas
No visa sponsorship; applicants must be legally authorized to study in the U.S.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Research College of Nursing does not provide sponsorship for student visas.”
- Criminal background check and drug screen required upon admission. A positive result for marijuana metabolites counts as a failed screen.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Upon admission, students must complete a criminal background check and drug screen.”
- Applicants with prior nursing program enrollment must submit transcripts, a letter of good standing from the prior program, and a personal statement for committee review.
source · researchcollege.edu
“Applicants who have been enrolled in a prior nursing program will undergo an additional review process to determine eligibility for admission to RCoN.”
Interview Not published. Confirm with the school.
Essays Not published. Confirm with the school.
Recommendations Not published. Confirm with the school.
Healthcare experience Not published. Confirm with the school.
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
In person, full-time
source · researchcollege.edu
“In-person expertise: Get hands-on experience in patient-centered care under the guidance of faculty experts.”
Start terms
January and May
source · researchcollege.edu
“The ABSN is an intensive, 12-month track that begins each January and May.”
Deferral
One-time deferral allowed; a second change withdraws the acceptance
source · researchcollege.edu
“Once a student has been accepted to the program for a specific start date, they may request to defer their start date one time to a future term.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Sources
Every page we read for Research College of Nursing, 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 Nursing | Research College of Nursingtier 1 · program page · checked Oct 14, 2026
- Fast Track BSN Program | Research College of Nursingtier 1 · program page · checked Oct 14, 2026
- Nursing School Campus Visits | Research College of Nursingtier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 14, 2026
- Nursing School Tuition & Fees | Research College of Nursingtier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 14, 2026
- https://researchcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/FINAL-AC-26-27.pdftier 1 · pdf · checked Oct 14, 2026PDF text truncated (107 pages)
- Pre-Nursing | Research College of Nursingtier 1 · prereqs · checked Oct 14, 2026
- https://researchcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Revised_Final-25-26-RCoN-Catalog.pdftier 1 · pdf · checked Oct 14, 2026PDF text truncated (81 pages)
- Legal | Research College of Nursingtier 3 · policy · checked Oct 14, 2026
Open questions we're still checking
- Does the ABSN still use NursingCAS? The 2025-26 catalog says so, but the 2026-27 catalog describes an RCoN general application plus a separate program application.
- No ABSN application deadlines or exact start dates are published, and it is unclear whether admissions remain rolling.
- Is the minimum GPA computed on all college coursework (program page) or only on prerequisite coursework (2026-27 catalog)?
- What numeric TEAS score counts as 'Proficient' is not stated.
- No credit-hour minimums are printed for the ABSN prerequisites, only for the TBSN/Fast Track lists.
- No ABSN application deadlines or exact start dates are published; only January and May start months.
- Does the ABSN still use NursingCAS? The 2025-26 catalog says yes, but the 2026-27 catalog describes an RCoN general application followed by a separate program application.
- Is the 3.0 minimum a cumulative college GPA (program page) or a prerequisite-only GPA (2026-27 catalog)?
- Does the 2.8 alternative require B- in each A&P course or a B- average across A&P coursework?
- Prerequisite credit-hour minimums for the ABSN are not stated (credit hours are listed only for the TBSN and Fast Track).
- The 5-year recency limit covers Pathophysiology in the catalog but only A&P on the Pre-Nursing page.
- The CLEP/AP credit policy in the 2026-27 catalog is not visible in the excerpt; the 2025-26 catalog allowed up to 30 CLEP credits.
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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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