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University of Cincinnati-Main Campus · College of Nursing

Accelerated Direct-Entry Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

MSNDirect-Entry MSNPrelicensure — leads to a first nursing license examPublic

Award: Master of Science in Nursing

Program facts last verified October 6, 2026. Each fact links to the official page it came from.

Overview

Five-semester graduate pathway for career changers with a non-nursing bachelor's degree. The curriculum includes four courses that apply toward a specialty MSN, and students prepare for the NCLEX-RN.

Credential
Master's degree in nursing
Pathway
Direct-Entry MSN
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Delivery
Not verified
Study intensity
Not verified
Duration
Five semesters
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Credits
Not verified
Campus
Uptown (Clifton) Campus — Cincinnati, OH

Entry background & licensure

Who can apply
Bachelor's degree in another field
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Licensure stage
Prelicensure: prepares students who are not yet licensed for a first license exam
Licensure exam
Curriculum prepares students to take the NCLEX-RN
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026

Admissions requirements

Prior degree
Bachelor's degree in a field other than nursing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Minimum GPA
Minimum 3Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the bachelor's degree
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Prerequisite courses
Prerequisite science and health courses (anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, nutrition) with a grade of B- or higher
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
References
Three to six references
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Essays / personal statement
Personal statement of 500-700 words
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Application fee
$80NursingCAS application fee
Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026

Requirements not listed here are unknown to us — not “not required”.

Tuition & fees

Shown exactly as the school publishes it, with its fee basis. Per-credit, per-term, annual and total-program figures are never treated as comparable.

  • $836 per credit

    In-state — Ohio resident, part time (9 credits or fewer) · 2025-26

    Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026

  • $1,423 per credit

    Out-of-state — Non-resident, part time (9 credits or fewer) · 2025-26

    Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026

  • $8,359 per semester

    In-state — Ohio resident, full time (10 credits or more) · 2025-26

    Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026

  • $14,228 per semester

    Out-of-state — Non-resident, full time (10 credits or more) · 2025-26

    Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026

Other fees

  • Matriculation fee upon acceptance (applied toward first-semester tuition): $500 (one time) · mandatory Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
Institution-wide tuition (all students, not nursing-specific)
  • Average undergraduate tuition, in-state, full-time, 2023-24: $11,228
  • Average undergraduate tuition, out-of-state, full-time, 2023-24: $26,562
  • Required fees, in-state undergraduates, full-time, 2023-24: $1,678
  • Average graduate tuition, in-state, full-time, 2023-24: $13,224
  • Average graduate tuition, out-of-state, full-time, 2023-24: $24,996
Source: nces.ed.gov · verified October 6, 2026

Start terms & deadlines

Start terms: Spring, Summer Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026

A date without a year printed next to it on the school's page is shown as “date not confirmed”. Passed dates are never rolled forward.

Clinical, simulation & campus requirements

Clinical arrangements: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

We never infer a placement guarantee from marketing wording; only arrangements the school states are shown.

Accreditation & approval

Program accreditation, state board approval and institutional accreditation are separate. Records below cover this program's degree level at this institution as the body lists it.

Nursing program accreditation

  • CCNE— Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

    Master's (MSN) · College of Nursing, Cincinnati, OH

    Initial: September 29, 2001 · Most recent: January 25, 2016 · Term expires: December 31, 2026 · Next review: Spring 2026

    Source: directory.ccnecommunity.org · verified October 6, 2026
    Accredited

  • CCNE— Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

    Scope as stated by the source

    Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
    Accredited

State board of nursing approval

  • BON— Ohio Board of Nursing

    Scope as stated by the source

    Source: nursing.uc.edu · verified October 6, 2026
    Full approval

Sources

  1. CCNE-Accredited Programs directory (OH) — Accreditor directory, verified October 6, 2026
  2. nursing.uc.edu/about-us/accreditation.html — Official school page, verified October 6, 2026
  3. nursing.uc.edu/academic-programs/accelerated-direct-entry-msn.html — Official school page, verified October 6, 2026
  4. nursing.uc.edu/academic-programs/accelerated-direct-entry-msn/admissions.html — Official school page, verified October 6, 2026
  5. nursing.uc.edu/academic-programs/accelerated-direct-entry-msn/tuition-fees.html — Official tuition/fees page, verified October 6, 2026

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