Montana State University-Bozeman
Accelerated BSN Program · Bozeman, MT · school's own site (opens the school's website in a new tab)
ActiveIn personlast verified Oct 2026
Prerequisites
The courses Montana State 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 a lab · BIOH 201Must be completed at time of application.
source · montana.edu
“BIOH 201 - Anatomy and Physiology I with a lab”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC- - 02Anatomy & Physiology IIAnatomy and Physiology II with a lab · BIOH 211
source · montana.edu
“BIOH 211 - Anatomy and Physiology II with a lab”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC- - 03MicrobiologyMicrobiology for Health Sciences with a lab · BIOM 250/251The catalog lists 3 lecture credits plus a 1-credit lab.
source · montana.edu
“BIOM 250/251 - Microbiology for Health Sciences with a lab”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC- - 04General ChemistryIntroduction to General Chemistry with a lab · CHMY 121IN/122IN
source · montana.edu
“CHMY 121IN/122IN - Introduction to General Chemistry with a lab”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC- - 05Organic ChemistryIntroduction to Organic and Biochemistry Principles with a lab · CHMY 123/124A combined organic chemistry and biochemistry course.
source · montana.edu
“CHMY 123/124 - Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Principles with a lab”
credits4labrequiredmin gradeC- - 06Lifespan / Human Growth & DevelopmentIndividual and Family Development & Well-Being Across the Lifespan, or Developmental Psychology · HDFS 101IS / PSYX 230
source · montana.edu
“HDFS 101IS- Individual and Family Development & Well-Being –Across the Lifespan - OR - PSYX 230 Developmental Psychology”
credits3labnomin gradeC- - 07College AlgebraCollege Algebra or College Math for Health Care · M 121Q / M 140Waived for MSU Math Placement level 400 or above.
source · montana.edu
“M 121Q - College Algebra - OR - M 140 - College Math for Health Care (Students with MSU Math Placement levels of 400 or above are exempt from this requirement)”
credits3labnomin gradeC- - 08OtherIntroduction to Professional Nursing · NRSG 116May be taken in the first program semester. The catalog says all prerequisites must be completed before the program begins.
source · montana.edu
“NRSG 116 - Introduction to Professional Nursing (can be taken in the first semester of upper-division coursework)”
credits2labnomin gradeC- - 09NutritionHuman Nutrition · NUTR 221CS
source · montana.edu
“NUTR 221CS - Human Nutrition”
credits3labnomin gradeC- - 10General PsychologyIntroduction to Psychology or Introduction to Sociology · PSYX 100IS / SOCI 101ISSociology is an accepted alternative.
source · montana.edu
“PSYX 100IS- Introduction to Psychology - OR - SOCI 101IS - Introduction to Sociology”
credits3labnomin gradeC- - 11StatisticsIntroduction to Statistics · STAT 216Q
source · montana.edu
“STAT 216Q - Introduction to Statistics”
credits3labnomin gradeC-
Minimum prerequisite grade
C-
source · montana.edu
“These courses need to be completed prior to the beginning of the nursing curriculum with a grade of a C- or higher.”
Prerequisites complete at application Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“3 of 5 natural sciences, including A&P I; all prerequisites done before the August start” vs “At least 3 of 5 natural sciences, including A&P I, must be done at application; all others by program start”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Do prerequisites expire?
Prerequisite age limit
15 years, measured at program start
source · montana.edu
“Prerequisites must have been completed within the last 15 years at the start of the program from a regionally accredited institution.”
Retake limit
No more than two retakes of prerequisite coursework; a W counts as a repeat
The catalog says instead: 'no more than one repeat of a course is permitted regardless of when or where taken.' Appeals are possible through an advisor.
source · montana.edu
“In addition, you may have no more than two retakes of prerequisite coursework (a grade of “W” counts as a repeat).”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
GPA and grades
Minimum cumulative GPA for admission
3.0 in prerequisite courses
This minimum is stated as a prerequisite GPA. No cumulative GPA minimum is stated.
source · montana.edu
“You must have a calculated GPA of 3.0 or higher in prerequisite courses”
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 credit
Prerequisites must come from a regionally accredited institution
Community colleges are not addressed specifically.
source · montana.edu
“Prerequisites must have been completed within the last 15 years at the start of the program from a regionally accredited institution.”
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 Montana State publishes. A date without a year on the school's page is noted rather than guessed.
Fall (August) startDue July 15 each yearnext Jul 15, 2027No year printed. Priority deadline is January 5 (recurring, 01-05); final deadline July 15 applies only if seats remain. Priority applicants receive decisions March 15. Program starts in August (no day given).
source · montana.edu
“Fall Start : Priority deadline is January 5th . Applications will be considered until July 15th based on availability.”
Application route Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“NursingCAS” vs “Yes”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
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.
Complio application package cost
$71.10 (background check and urine drug screen)
The NursingCAS fee is not stated.
source · montana.edu
“When you enter the portal, select the $71.10 Application Package.”
Tuition Not published. Confirm with the school.
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
Non-nursing bachelor's degree completed before the August start
source · montana.edu
“All students must have completed a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing prior to the beginning of the program in August.”
- Rank the five campuses by preference in NursingCAS.
source · montana.edu
“While completing the Nursing CAS application, students are asked to rank the campuses in order of their preference.”
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.
Start term
Fall (August) only
source · montana.edu
“Accelerated BSN nursing students are placed into campus cohort groups in August of each year”
MSU application
Not required to apply
source · montana.edu
“Ensure you meet all the application requirements (application to MSU is not required to apply)”
Decision date
March 15 for priority applicants
source · montana.edu
“Priority applicants will receive their decision on March 15th .”
Campus waitlist
You may decline a non-first-choice campus and join that campus's waitlist
source · montana.edu
“If you are not offered your 1st campus choice, you may decline your guaranteed placement and request placement on the wait list for the desired campus.”
Writing, speech, and Core exemption
Writing, speech, and MSU Core courses are not required
source · catalog.montana.edu
“Students are required to have completed the same prerequisite courses as the traditional students EXCEPT for WRIT 101, WRIT 201, and COMX 111US . Post-baccalaureate students also do not need to complete Core requirements to gain a second degree.”
NCLEX pass rate
90.1% first-time (2025, all MSU nursing graduates)
source · montana.edu
“First-time NCLEX pass rates for Nursing student graduates at MSU in 2025.”
Format Not published. Confirm with the school. Our two readings of the page disagreed (“Campus-based cohorts at one of five campuses” vs “Campus-based cohorts at five campus sites”), so we are not publishing a value yet.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Sources
Every page we read for Montana State, 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 BSN Program - Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing | Montana State Universitytier 1 · program page · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing | Montana State University Academic Catalogtier 1 · program page · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Office of Admissions - Undergraduate Admissions | Montana State Universitytier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- MSU Core General Curricular Requirements | Montana State University Academic Catalogtier 2 · how to apply · checked Oct 15, 2026
- https://catalog.montana.edu/undergraduate/nursing/absn/absn.pdftier 1 · pdf · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Montana State University | Catalog | Montana State University Academic Catalogtier 3 · catalog · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Code of Student Conduct, Policies, Regulations, & Reports | Montana State University Academic Catalogtier 3 · policy · checked Oct 15, 2026
- Expenses | Montana State University Academic Catalogtier 1 · tuition · checked Oct 15, 2026
Open questions we're still checking
- Retake limit conflict: the program page allows two retakes of prerequisite coursework (W counts as a repeat); the catalog allows no more than one repeat of a course. Is the program page's limit total or per course?
- NRSG 116 may be taken in the first program semester per the program page, but the catalog says all prerequisites must be completed before the program begins.
- The NursingCAS application fee and current ABSN tuition are not stated on the pages.
- The pages do not say whether any coursework is delivered online; format is assumed campus-based.
- The retake limit conflicts: the program page allows two retakes total, while the catalog allows no more than one repeat of a course.
- The NursingCAS application fee is not stated.
- Requirements for interviews, essays, recommendations, healthcare experience, and entrance exams are not stated.
- The pages do not explicitly say whether any didactic coursework is delivered online.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on format: Campus-based cohorts at one of five campuses | Campus-based cohorts at five campus sites.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on partial_completion: 3 of 5 natural sciences, including A&P I; all prerequisites done before the August start | At least 3 of 5 natural sciences, including A&P I, must be done at application; all others by program start.
- Two readings of the page disagreed on uses_nursingcas: NursingCAS | Yes.
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.
Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it, usually within 72 hours.