Frequently Asked Questions

Persons interested in nursing, who have a bachelor's degree, 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.

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 $50,000 - $54,000 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]).

CUI will not accept any transfer students from other nursing schools. You will have to apply to the program and follow the admission procedure for general ABSN applicants. Core nursing classes are non-transferable. You'll have to repeat all classes upon acceptance into the ABSN program.

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. Medical related volunteer experience (i.e. CNA, CCE/Health Scholar, etc.) are not required, however, it is strongly recommended.

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 international students and students who completed their first degree from non-English speaking countries are required to achieve a TOEFL score of 100 or better in order to apply to the ABSN Program. A TOEFL score is not required if students earned their Bachelor degree from a U.S. regionally accredited university/college.

The ABSN Program admits students twice a year: Summer and Fall. The admission deadline for Summer is January 15 and the deadline for Fall is June 1.

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

Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA is required. Cumulative GPA is defined as a combination of B.A/B.S and classes taken prior, during, or after degree completion. For a general idea of your cumulative GPA, you may use the following unofficial GPA calculator.

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.

Volunteer experience is not required prior to acceptance into the ABSN program, however, it is strongly encouraged to have some hands-on patient care experience. Experiences/certifications that are encouraged are Clinical Care Extender (CCE), Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Patient Care Technician (PCT), EMT, Health Scholar, etc.

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 CUI as "non-degree seeking" students. These classes will be offered as undergraduate classes which will follow CUI's catalog requirement and undergraduate schedule. Non-degree seeking students are limited to twelve (12) units per semester.

Online classes from a regionally accredited college/university are acceptable. However, the following classes are not acceptable to be completed online:

1. Chemistry (w/lab)
2. Anatomy (w/lab)
3. Physiology (w/lab)
4. Microbiology (w/lab)
5. Oral Communication (Public Speaking and/or Interpersonal Communication)

**Small Group Communication is not an approved course for Oral Communication

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 classes, 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 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, applicants are allowed to have a maximum of two (2) classes in progress by the application deadline, with proof of enrollment. All pre-requisite classes must be completed by May 31st (Summer applicants) or October 1st (Fall applicants). 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.

If you completed your class(es) very close to the deadline, provide either an unofficial transcript 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 CUI 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. Pre-evaluation forms submitted five (5) weeks prior to an admission deadline will be automatically be considered for next admission term. The processing time will be 6-8 business weeks.

After acceptance into the ABSN program, the two (2) online Theology courses (total of 6 units) are required to be successfully completed, with a “C” or better, prior to enrolling in nursing core classes.

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 review the weekly emails that the Admission Office will send to you after submitting the online application. The weekly emails list each of the documents that are required for your file and if it has been received.

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. If you are invited to interview, please plan on making your own travel arrangements. It is mandatory for invited candidates to be present on campus for the interview process. If you fail to appear during the interview, the Committee will automatically assume that you withdraw from the admission process.

Please refer to the ABSN program general timeline.