Nursing BSN
- Major
- BSN
- In-Person
- Greeley
9 Semesters
Fall Term 2025
Save the Dates: Open Admission 2024-2025
Application deadline for the clinical phase is 5pm (MT) on Wednesday, January 22. Attend an Info/Q&A session via Zoom to learn more.
Nursing Overview
There’s a reason why our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program keeps climbing higher on “best-of” lists. Actually, there are a lot of reasons—Let’s start with these five.
At UNC, earning your BSN is all about working together to transform healthcare for every patient. You graduate with the knowledge, clinical skills, and confidence to make a difference from day one.
- 225 hours in senior practicum — 45 hours more than most other programs
- 1,000 hours of clinical training in OR, ER, ICU, pediatrics, psych and public health
- Fast-track option if you already have a bachelor’s degree
- Current technology and professional standards
- Tight-knit community of teachers, students, practitioners and mentors
To graduate with your Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, you’ll complete 120 credit hours:
Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC): 31 credits
- Written Communication: 6 credits
- Mathematics: 3 credits
- Arts and Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS]: 15 credits
- Natural and Physical Sciences: 7 credits
More About UNC’s Liberal Arts Curriculum
Required Major: 105 credits
Curriculum highlights include:
- Foundations of Nursing
- Research and Evidence Based Practice
- Current Issues in Health Care
- Advanced Nursing Concepts and Care
- Professionalism in Practice: Leadership and Management
University-Wide Credits: 0 credits
- This degree does not require university-wide electives
The BSN 4-year plan is the recommended schedule to complete your degree in 9 semesters (traditional track). Courses are subject to availability. Talk to a program advisor for specifics on course sequence guidance and additional graduation requirements.
Pre-clinical phase:
- Year 1: 27 credits
- Year 2: 25 credits
Clinical phase:
- Year 3: 29 credits
- Year 4: 30 credits
Prepare to Make an Impact
Admission to the BSN program is different from other majors at the University Northern Colorado:
During your first 2 years, you enroll at UNC as a pre-clinical nursing major. This phase is when you complete all your prerequisites and work with your advisor to prepare your application package for the clinical phase.
In your 4th semester, you apply for admission to the School of Nursing to become a clinical nursing major. It’s a competitive selection process — your advisor will guide you through the requirements and expectations.
When you’re accepted as a clinical nursing student, you dive into the coursework and clinical training required for graduation. Your degree qualifies you to sit for the NCLEX board exam for licensing as a registered nurse.
Accomplished Alumni
ALUMNI
“UNC was important to me because it provided me an opportunity to learn about who I was and what I wanted to do in the future. I got a great education and foundation in nursing when I was there... I think back to what I learned and how prepared I felt when I actually went out into the workforce.”
Meghan Sirochman, RN, MSN
BSN ’06
Field Clinical Specialist, Edwards Life Sciences
Superior Instruction, Exceptional Opportunities
Full program information for the BSN degree is available in the university’s course catalog.
Admission to the BSN program is a competitive process. During each application cycle, we admit 72 students into the traditional program, and 36 students into the BSN-2nd Degree program. On average, we have a 50% acceptance rate.
There are many components that go into our admission criteria that help us see who you are:
- Your GPA and the HESI exam give us a glimpse of how you perform academically.
- The Casper assessment and surveys of your references tell us about your ability to work with others, communication, flexibility, problem-solving skills, and other professional attributes you possess.
The different admission criteria come together to create your admission score. If you’re not accepted into the clinical major, you may reapply the following year. There is no waitlist.
Before you begin your BSN nursing program, you need to complete some prerequisite courses (or the equivalent). These include biology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, nutrition, and statistics.
Keep in mind that not all required prerequisite courses are offered every semester, so careful planning between you and your advisor will be necessary. Your prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of the spring semester of application.
UNC’s core curriculum encompasses all major areas of nursing practice, with emphasis on professional issues such as evidence-based practice, management and leadership.
- Pre-clinical phase: The pre-clinical, or pre-nursing, portion of the plan of study consists of 4 semesters of prerequisite and general education courses that provide the liberal arts and science foundation for the clinical nursing phase.
- Clinical phase: The clinical portion of the nursing major consists of 5 semesters of nursing clinical and supporting theoretical courses. The clinical courses start during the 5th semester of the overall major, after completion of 4 semesters of prerequisite and general education courses and formal admission to the clinical portion of the major.
Students are admitted to the clinical phase on a staggered basis — one cohort starts in the summer session, the other cohort in the fall.
When you graduate from the BSN program, you’re qualified to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN®) exam for licensing as a registered nurse.
You can also obtain provisional licensure as a school nurse in Colorado.
Health policies:
- Within the academic year preceding the first clinical course, you must meet UNC’s immunization requirements.
- After admission to clinical major, you’re responsible for obtaining health clearances and/or immunizations as needed
- Yearly PPD, influenza vaccination and completion of OSHA/HIPAA compliance testing are required
Criminal background check and drug screen:
To comply with clinical agency requirements, you are required to submit evidence that a criminal background check and drug screen have been completed upon admission to the clinical portion of the major.
Interested in transferring to UNC from a community college or another school? We have resources to help:
Step 1: Read through UNC’s helpful guide for all transfer students
Step 2: Visit our campus
Step 3: Apply to UNC
Step 4: Apply to the School of Nursing
Step 5: Register for New Student Orientation for Transfer & Nontraditional Students
Why UNC Nursing is North of the Norm
National ranking
We’re climbing the ranks of U.S. News & World Report’s best BSN programs. For 2025, we jumped 32 spots to reach #54!
NCLEX pass rates
Our BSN grads earn outstanding scores on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on their first sitting.
Years of Training Excellent Nurses
UNC School of Nursing opens in 1962, graduates 5 students. Now: 400+ students in 10 programs every year.
Your Future in Nursing
With a UNC nursing degree, you’ll maximize your career potential and take full advantage of a wide range of professional opportunities. Our graduates have an outstanding employment record and students often receive job offers prior to graduation as a result of their internship experience and clinical training.
Mural in Skinner Music Library
Beyond the Classroom
UNC has strong relationships with an exceptionally broad range of health care providers. That means your clinical training and practicum assignment closely reflect your specific career interests.
Mural in Skinner Music Library
Born to Help: Arely’s Story
As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Arely Patricio grew up as biliterate in English and Spanish, helping her parents navigate the English language in their day-to-day lives. She’s now studying to support other immigrant families as a bilingual nurse.
Mural in Skinner Music Library
About the UNC School of Nursing
UNC’s online RN to BSN degree is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and holds approval from the Colorado State Board of Nursing.
Your professors and lecturers include RNs, MSNs, and PhDs. Many have additional credentials and clinical experience as advanced practice RNs, nurse managers, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse leaders, and doctors of nursing practice.
To improve the health and well-being of society by preparing compassionate, courageous, and competent nurses who advance nursing through leadership, scholarship and practice.
Contact the School of Nursing
Nursing
At UNC, nursing is about more than skills — it’s about making a difference.
Learn from expert faculty and gain hands-on clinical experience that prepares you to care for patients as whole individuals.
Grounded in a holistic view of patient care, we offer programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level that are approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (link) Our programs equip you to excel in diverse healthcare settings and have a real impact in your community.
- nursing@unco.edu
- 970-351-2293
- Gunter Hall 3080
Pre-Clinical Advising
Students enrolled in the pre-clinical major will receive academic advisement from one of the pre-nursing Advising and Retention Specialists:
Estimated Program Costs
These additional costs apply to traditional and second-degree nursing students. (Estimates updated March 2023. Costs listed are approximate and subject to change.)