University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) · Chapel Hill, NC · school's own site (opens the school's website in a new tab)
ActiveIn personlast verified Oct 2026
Prerequisites
The courses UNC-Chapel Hill 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 (or Anatomy) · BIOL 252/252LWithin 5 years of the application deadline; must be complete by the deadline; counts in the science GPA.
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Anatomy and Physiology I (or Anatomy) | B- or better | Within 5 years of application deadline”
labrequiredmin gradeB- - 02Anatomy & Physiology IIAnatomy and Physiology II with lab (or Physiology) · BIOL 253/253LWithin 5 years; may be outstanding at application but must be complete by December 31. A&P I and II must be a sequence at the same institution, or a complete Anatomy course plus a complete Physiology course.
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Anatomy and Physiology II (or Physiology) | B- or better | Within 5 years of application deadline”
labrequiredmin gradeB- - 03MicrobiologyMicrobiology with lab · MCRO 251 or BIOL 422/422LWithin 5 years; lab required.
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Microbiology with Lab | B- or better | Within 5 years of application deadline”
labrequiredmin gradeB- - 04General PsychologyGeneral Psychology · PSYC 101Within 10 years; counts in the science GPA.
source · nursing.unc.edu
“General Psychology | C or better | Within 10 years of application deadline”
labnomin gradeC - 05StatisticsStatistics · STOR 151, 155 or 120Within 10 years; counts in the science GPA. Credit hours are not published.
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Statistics | C or better | Within 10 years of application deadline”
labnomin gradeC
Minimum grades
B- in A&P I, A&P II and Microbiology; C in General Psychology and Statistics
source · nursing.unc.edu
“A grade of B- or better in BIOL 252/252L, BIOL 253/253L and MCRO 251 (lab required) within 5 years of the application deadline A grade of C or better in PSYC 101 and STOR 151 or 155 or 120, or approved equivalents within 10 years of the application deadline”
Prerequisites done by the deadline
At least 3 of the 5 prerequisites, including A&P I, by the application deadline; A&P II may be outstanding; all five by December 31
Another page says something different. UNC's university policy page (2015) says all five prerequisite science courses must be complete at application. We go by the program's own page. See both sources
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Applicants must have completed at least three of the science prerequisites by the application deadline. Anatomy and Physiology I must be completed by the application deadline.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Do prerequisites expire?
Course age limit
Sciences (A&P I, A&P II, Microbiology) within 5 years of the application deadline; Psychology and Statistics within 10 years
Another page says something different. UNC's university policy page (2015) says courses must be completed within 10 years of matriculation. We go by the program's own page. See both sources
source 1 · nursing.unc.edu
“A grade of B- or better in BIOL 252/252L, BIOL 253/253L and MCRO 251 (lab required) within 5 years of the application deadline”
source 2 · nursing.unc.edu
“All applicants must have completed Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology within five years of the application deadline. General Psychology and Statistics must have been completed within 10 years of the application deadline.”
Course attempt limits Not published. Confirm with the school. No cap on attempts is stated, but every graded attempt counts in the science GPA. Pages checked: prerequisites, how to apply, FAQ, policy.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
GPA and grades
Minimum cumulative GPA for admission
3.0, over all college-level courses with a letter grade, including graduate work
source 1 · nursing.unc.edu
“3.0 minimum cumulative GPA and science GPA”
source 2 · nursing.unc.edu
“Yes. All college coursework, including graduate-level courses, is included when calculating an applicant's cumulative GPA.”
Science GPA
3.0 over all graded attempts of the five prerequisites (A&P I, A&P II, Microbiology, General Psychology, Statistics)
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Science GPA consists of all graded course attempts for each of the five pre-requisite science courses (Anatomy & Physiology I, Anatomy & Physiology II, Microbiology with Lab, General Psychology, and Statistics”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Is there an entrance exam?
Entrance exam
None required
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Do you require the GRE, MAT, TEAS, HESI, or NLN PAX exam? No. We do not require any entrance exams.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Where can courses be taken?
Where prerequisites can be taken
A local community college or any regionally accredited institution, or UNC's Friday Center
source · nursing.unc.edu
“through the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education at UNC-Chapel Hill or through a local community college, or other regionally accredited institution.”
Pass/fail grades
Not accepted for the five prerequisites
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Nursing does NOT accept Pass/Fail grades for the science prerequisites (BIOL 252/252L, BIOL 253/253L, MCRO 251(lab required), PSYC 101, and STOR 151/155/120).”
Online labs Not published. Confirm with the school. Microbiology must include a lab. No statement about online labs on any page checked.
AP / CLEP credit Not published. Confirm with the school.
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Application deadlines and start dates
Upcoming cycles UNC-Chapel Hill 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
UNC School of Nursing application only (applynow.unc.edu); not NursingCAS; no separate university application
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Do I have to apply to the University as well as the School of Nursing? No, the only application you will need to complete is the School of Nursing 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
In-state: $3,796 per summer term and $7,020 for the fall–spring academic year (2026–27); out-of-state: $23,374 and $47,472. Four semesters, so roughly $14,600 in-state / $94,200 out-of-state in tuition alone, plus fees
The four-semester totals are our arithmetic, not a published figure, and assume both summers at the summer rate. The nursing school's own cost page has no figures.
source · studentaid.unc.edu
“Summer 2026 Cost of Attendance | Cost | On Campus | ... | Tuition | $3,796 | ... 2026-2027 Cost of Attendance ... | Tuition | $7,020 |”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Other requirements
What the school asks for beyond courses and scores.
Prior degree
A first bachelor's degree, earned by the December before entering
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Earned your first degree by December prior to entering the Accelerated BSN program.”
Essays
Two-part essay, up to two pages: your motivation for nursing, and one provision of the ANA Code of Ethics
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Select one provision from the ANA Code of Ethics that resonates with you. Explain its significance through a personal experience or deeply held value, and discuss how it will guide your behavior and development in nursing school and future practice.”
Letters of recommendation
None
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Do you require letters of recommendation? No.”
- Official transcripts to the School of Nursing by the deadline; no high school transcript for second-degree applicants
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Second-degree students are not required to submit high school transcripts”
- Must be eligible to return to every institution previously attended
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Applicants must be eligible to return to all institutions previously attended.”
- English proficiency for non-native speakers: TOEFL iBT 100+, IELTS 7.0+ (the 2015 policy page lists different minimums)
source · nursing.unc.edu
“TOEFL or TOEFL iBT Home Edition – 100 or higher TOEFL ITP Plus for China – 627 or higher IELTS or IELTS Indicator – 7.0 or higher”
- After acceptance: criminal background check, drug screen, immunizations and NC Board of Nursing fitness documentation
source · nursing.unc.edu
“The school also requires students to undergo a criminal history database check following admission acceptance at the student's expense.”
- Holistic review: academics, essays, community service and special skills; science performance is weighted
source · nursing.unc.edu
“The admissions committee critically evaluates each applicant's academic performance, descriptive essays, community service history, and special skills and abilities that have the potential to affect care delivery or contribute overall to the nursing profession.”
Interview 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
On campus; not offered online
source · nursing.unc.edu
“Do you offer the BSN or ABSN online? No.”
Start
May, once a year
The ABSN plan of study begins in a summer term.
source · nursing.unc.edu
“The application for the ABSN program typically opens in July with a deadline in mid-September.”
Admission rate
About one third of applicants are admitted
source · nursing.unc.edu
“The number of applications received and students accepted changes each year. On average, we admit about 1/3 of applicants.”
Last verified Oct 2026 · Something wrong here? Report an error
Where the school's pages disagree
We show the program's own page as the value and keep the other page as a note. Where two pages of equal standing disagree, we show both and mark the value Confirm.
- Course age limit: UNC's university policy page (2015) says courses must be completed within 10 years of matriculation.
- Prerequisites done by the deadline: UNC's university policy page (2015) says all five prerequisite science courses must be complete at application.
Sources
Every page we read for UNC-Chapel Hill, 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.
- ABSN program pagetier 1 · program page · checked Oct 9, 2026
- ABSN how to applytier 1 · how to apply · checked Oct 9, 2026
- BSN/ABSN prerequisitestier 1 · prereqs · checked Oct 9, 2026Shared BSN/ABSN page with a dedicated ABSN section.
- Curriculum / plan of studytier 1 · other · checked Oct 9, 2026
- BSN/ABSN FAQtier 2 · faq · checked Oct 9, 2026
- Cost to attend (no figures)tier 1 · tuition · checked Oct 9, 2026
- Office of Scholarships and Student Aid: ABSN cost of attendancetier 3 · tuition · checked Oct 9, 2026
- University policy: School of Nursing Policy on Admissions (2015)tier 3 · policy · checked Oct 9, 2026Drafted 3/2015; disagrees with the program's own pages on course age and partial completion.
Open questions we're still checking
- The how-to-apply page says "Classes begin May 2026" beside a September 15, 2026 deadline; the exact May 2027 start date is not published.
- AP/CLEP acceptance for the five prerequisites is not addressed on any page checked.
- Credit hours per prerequisite are not published.
- Total ABSN tuition is not stated as a program figure; only per-term cost-of-attendance tables.
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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