Frequently Asked Questions

Persons interested in nursing, who either have a previous Bachelor's degree, an IGETC Certification, a CSU Breadth Certification, or an Associate's Degree Transfer (ADT), and can attend school full-time. Before applying to the program, take time to consider your financial situation, career goals, family responsibilities, and your ability to become a full-time college student again. The ABSN program is full-time, on campus, and accelerated which requires students to devote forty (40) or more hours per week to lectures and clinical work for a 15-month period.

We do not require a previous Bachelor's degree, but if you do not have one, you will need either an IGETC certification, a CSU Breadth certification, or an Associate's Degree Transfer (ADT). If you do not know if you have either the IGETC or CSU Breadth, you will need to check with your academic advisor at the community college that you most recently attended.

The ABSN program is full-time, on campus, and can be completed in 15 months.

The ABSN program was approved by the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) in July 2008 and accredited by Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in March 2009.

No, there is not a part-time option for this program. Employment is strongly discouraged while students are enrolled in the program. The ABSN program is full-time and accelerated, and in order to be successful in the program, your time commitment will include hours during the day, evenings, and weekends for classes, class preparation, and clinical rotations.

View tuition and financial aid information.

The ABSN program requires a total of 59 units (including Theology classes). Students need to plan approximately $60,000 - $62,000 for the program (includes tuition, books, uniforms, insurance, etc.). Tuition and fees are tentative and subject to change. Please refer to the Bursar website for current tuition and fees.

Yes, a limited amount of financial aid is available. Please contact the Financial Aid department for any aid related questions ([email protected]).

Generally, core nursing classes from other nursing schools are non-transferable and must be repeated upon acceptance into the ABSN program. However, individuals have the option to challenge specific first-semester courses. Credits from previous nursing core courses will be assessed for equivalence on a case-by-case basis.

Individuals with military experience in nursing, including those who have completed nursing-related courses with a theoretical foundation or who have held healthcare positions in the military, may also challenge specific first-semester nursing courses.

Please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Each admission term, the program is limited to sixty-four (64) students. The average acceptance rate is between 24% - 26%.

This is the general profile of past successful ABSN candidates.

After you have successfully completed the ABSN program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), you will be eligible to practice as a Registered Nurse.

Unfortunately, the ABSN program is currently not accepting international students. 

Completion of a bachelor degree in another country does not necessarily mean you are an international student. It is possible for U.S. Citizens and/or U.S. Permanent Residents to earn a degree from a foreign school.

International students are defined as students who are enrolled at institutions of higher education in the U.S. who are neither a U.S. Citizen nor a U.S. Permanent Resident.

All students who have completed their Bachelor's degree in non-English speaking countries must achieve a TOEFL score of 100 or higher to apply to the ABSN Program. A TOEFL score is not required for students who earned their Bachelor's degree or have completed two years of studies at a U.S. regionally accredited university/college.

The ABSN Program admits students three times a year: Spring, Summer, and Fall.Nursing admissions will be transitioning to the rolling admission model starting with the Summer 2024 cohort.

Completed applications will be reviewed using the following guideline:

Intended term: Summer 2024 (Classes begins in May 2024)

• Application review starts: mid September 2023
• The last day to apply*: January 15, 2024 (for IRVINE on-ground campus)
  March 15, 2024 (for RANCHO CUCAMONGA hybrid campus)

Intended term: Fall 2024 (Classes begins in August 2024)

• Application review starts: early November 2023
• The last day to apply*: June 1, 2024(for IRVINE on-ground campus)
  July 5, 2024 (for RANCHO CUCAMONGA hybrid campus)

* If last day to apply falls on a public holiday or weekend, the date will automatically be forwarded to the following business day.

Minimum required cumulative GPA is 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale). Cumulative GPA refers to the combination of bachelor degree and classes taken after degree completion. For a general idea of your cumulative GPA, you may use the following unofficial GPA calculator.

Prerequisite courses must be completed with a minimum cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or higher and a "C" or better must be earned in each course, except the science courses (see below)

Each science prerequisite class with lab must be completed with grade “B-” or higher. Must have been completed within the last five years of intended admission term. Of the four science prerequisite courses only two of them can be repeated once.

All foreign transcripts must be detail-evaluated by the International Education Research Foundation (IERF). This organization will convert your transcript to U.S. credit units and U.S. semester grades. An official IERF detailed-report must be submitted with your application. If you have completed a WES Evaluation, please contact [email protected] for approval. No other evaluation service is accepted.

Starting with Spring 2023 admissions, completion of a minimum of 100 hours of qualifying patient care experiences is required. Examples (but not limited to): Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), COPE Health Scholar/Clinical Care Extender, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Medical Assistant (back office), Home Health Aide, Physical Therapy (PT) Aide.

Please refer to the Healthcare Hours Verification Form for additional details.

Prerequisite classes are transferable from any regionally accredited college/university, provided the course descriptions meet the ABSN requirements.

Applicants may choose to complete prerequisite classes at Concordia University Irvine as "non-degree seeking" students. These classes will be offered as undergraduate classes which will follow Concordia University Irvine's catalog requirement and undergraduate schedule. Non-degree seeking students are limited to twelve (12) units per semester.  Please contact the Registrar's Office for further information in regards to registering as a non-degree seeking student.

Online science classes that solely rely on virtual laboratories will not be accepted. However, online science classes that incorporate home-kit laboratories are acceptable.

Due to the unprecedented situation regarding COVID-19, the Department of Nursing has approved the following in regards to online science/communication classes:

1. Online science (and labs) and/or communication classes completed in Spring 2020 through Spring 2022 will be given exceptions when on-ground labs/classes are otherwise not available. 
2. Online science and/or communication classes must be completed at regionally accredited colleges and/or universities.   
3. Complete syllabus for the online science classes with labs, completed in Spring 2020 through Spring 2022, must be submitted at the time of application to the ABSN program.  
4. Online science and/or communication classes completed prior to the Spring 2020 semester and/or after the Spring 2022 semester are not eligible for exceptions.

Yes, there is a time limit on science prerequisite classes. All science classes with laboratory portion are required to be completed within five (5) years of intended admission term. Human Nutrition is required to be completed within seven (7) years of intended admission term (i.e. for Summer 2019 admission: the last acceptable science courses are from Spring 2014, and the last acceptable nutrition course is from Spring 2012). Non-science prerequisite classes (general education) do not have a time limit.

Yes, all applicants are allowed to have a maximum of 3 (three) classes in-progress. You must provide proof of enrollment for in-progress classes (i.e. payment receipt and/or unofficial transcripts). Please be advised that admission to the ABSN program is very competitive. Any in progress classes at the time of application might give a disadvantage in the admission selection process.

All prerequisites classes must be completed by:

• For Spring applicants: January 1st of the intended term (i.e. January 1, 2024 for Spring 2024)
• For Summer applicants: May 1st of the intended term (i.e. May 1, 2024 for Summer 2024)
• For Fall applicants: August 1st of the intended term (i.e. August 1, 2024 for Fall 2024)

If you are completing classes very close to the deadline listed above, provide either unofficial transcripts OR a signed and sealed letter from your professor, verifying your progress report and/or current grade(s).

If your degree is not posted by the application deadline, here are the next steps:

• You are still required to provide official transcripts from your college (even without degree posted).
• You will need two (2) additional letters to be included in your application packet.
  • Current Concordia University Irvine students, please contact the Admission's Office for requirements.
• Letters need to come from your academic advisor and registrar/enrollment office. Both letters:
  • Must include verification that you filed for graduation and are ready to graduate once grades are posted.
  • Must be in signed and sealed envelope.

Provide final official transcripts with degree posted as soon as available.

Due to the high volume of applicants, the admission counselor will not grant individual appointments to discuss prerequisite classes or transcripts.

If you have questions about an individual course, send an e-mail to [email protected] with the following information:

1. Course name and number
2. Semester Unit or Quarter Unit Value
3. College name and the semester when course was completed
4. Course description from the college official catalog

If you need to have your entire transcript evaluated, you must complete and follow the instructions of the "pre-evaluation transcript" form. The processing time for pre-evaluation forms is generally 7-10 business days.

Submit an application to the ABSN program using the online application portal available at Concordia University Irvine's website. Only one (1) application to ABSN program is required. Please refer to the ABSN Application Procedure.

Please refer to the "ABSN Application Checklist" for list of documents. All the forms are available on this page.

The best way to check on the status of your application is to login into your application portal. Please note: documents received might take up to 7 business days before they are posted on your application portal, especially when it is close to an admission deadline.

Yes, an admission interview is required and it is by invitation only – not every applicant will be invited to an interview. The ABSN Admission Committee will review all completed files after each deadline and then, if the Committee determines you have a strong application profile, you will be contacted via email for your assigned interview schedule. Nursing Admission began utilizing the video interviewing platform, Spark Hire, starting with the Summer 2022 admission term. The goal of the video interview is for the ABSN Admission Committee members to get to know you beyond your academic profile.

If you fail to complete the interview assignment, the Committee will automatically assume that you would like to withdraw from the admission process.

Please refer to the ABSN program general timeline.