Online RN to BSN Degree Completion Program

We make it easy to progress through the admissions process. Our recruitment team works with you at each step, clarifying and coordinating the application and registration process.

Review our transfer application requirements.

Have questions along the way? Connect with our dedicated admissions representatives to get the support you need.

Requirements for the Online RN to BSN Program

In addition to the general APU transfer requirements, you must have the following:

• 70-90 units of transferable credit, earned with a C- or better, from regionally accredited colleges or universities and documented on official transcripts from each institution attended (transcripts must be mailed from the colleges or universities directly to APU; a lower maximum of 70 units may be transferred from a community college)
• Minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade-point average (GPA) for transferred courses in some cases, provisional admittance may be granted to individuals who do not meet this criterion if competency can be shown through multiple measures; reach out to the Student Services Center at (626) 815-2020 to learn more)
• RN licensure: You will need to provide proof that your RN license remains in good standing before starting clinical courses

• Two letters of professional recommendation

• Current résumé (your résumé must include your California RN license number; if unlicensed, indicate that with the phrase “exam pending”)

If you’re accepted to the program, you’ll receive instructions for an invitation-only registration process. You must pay any outstanding fees and complete enrollment paperwork online with an enrollment counselor.

The online RN to BSN bachelor’s completion program begins as soon as enough students enroll to form a cohort. The cohort completes the program as a group. As a student in a cohort, you need to register only once for the duration of the program.

Note: We do not recommend the online RN to BSN program for students who lack proficiency in collegiate-level English communication.

Azusa Pacific University makes a Christ-centered education affordable and accessible. To help you cover the cost of the online RN to BSN program, we offer a range of financial aid options, including federal loans, state grants, fellowships, and scholarships.

For more information, contact the Student Services Center at (626) 815-2020.

Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships and grants are considered gift aid, meaning they do not require repayment. These awards may come from federal, state, institutional, or private sources. Scholarships are often merit-based and awarded for academic achievement, leadership, or other demonstrated talents.

While APU does award scholarships, you can also find external scholarship opportunities through websites such as Finaid and Fastweb.

Contact the Student Services Center about scholarships offered through APU departments or local organizations.

Student Employment

Along with gift aid and student loans, you can apply for on-campus student employment opportunities to earn additional income to pay for education-related expenses. As an APU student, you can also find work off campus in the surrounding community.

Military and Veterans Benefits

If you are a veteran, serve in the military, or qualify as a spouse or dependent, you may access financial assistance that helps cover the cost of tuition, housing, and books. As a Yellow Ribbon and Military Friendly School, APU offers the support and flexibility needed to help you complete your bachelor’s degree.

Net Price Calculator

We’re committed to helping you understand the value of the APU experience early in the college search process. Once you’ve explored the financial aid opportunities available, take the next step by estimating your cost to attend. The Net Price Calculator provides a personalized estimate based on the information you share, so you can start planning today!

Calculate Net Price

 All stated financial information is subject to change. Contact the Student Services Center at (626) 815-2020 for more information.

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN, also called Bridge to BSN) students and graduates can advance their nursing education with the help of a partial tuition scholarship for Azusa Pacific’s accelerated RN to BSN program. APU’s School of Nursing offers this preferential pricing to ADN graduates from community colleges that have entered into an academic agreement with APU for that purpose. Through these academic agreements, ADN graduates of qualifying schools who enroll in the RN to BSN program and include the name of their school in their application receive a 10% partial tuition scholarship.

Current eligible community colleges include:

Don’t see your school on the list? Ask your school officials to contact APU’s academic partnership specialist, Ethel MacGregor, at [email protected] for details on setting up an academic agreement.

This 10% partial-tuition scholarship for RN to BSN students with an ADN cannot be combined with other institutional aid.

Academic Practice Partner Discount

Azusa Pacific pays 10% of your tuition for the RN to BSN program if you’re an employee of any of these hospitals and health systems:

• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
• USC Arcadia Hospital (part of Keck Medicine of USC and formerly known as Methodist Hospital of Southern California)
• Rady Children’s Hospital
• Redlands Community Hospital
• Riverside University Health System

To retain the academic practice partner discount, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress, stay continuously enrolled in fall and spring terms at least half-time, and submit an MOU Discount Form along with verification of employment. This discount cannot be combined with other institutional aid. Contact the Student Services Center for complete eligibility details.

Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL) Discount

As a member of the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL), you receive a 10% discount from Azusa Pacific on your tuition for the RN to BSN program. This discount lasts throughout the duration of the agreement with ACNL.

To keep the discount during your time at APU, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress, stay continuously enrolled in fall and spring terms at least half-time, and submit an MOU Discount Form along with verification of membership. This discount cannot be combined with other institutional aid. For more information, reach out to our Student Services Center at (626) 815-2020.

Kaiser Permanente Southern California Institute of Nursing Excellence (IONE) Discount

The Kaiser Permanente Southern California IONE partnership reduces your tuition by 10% if you are a full-time Kaiser Foundation Hospital employee enrolled in APU’s RN to BSN program. This funding applies strictly to tuition costs.

To maintain full eligibility during your time in the RN to BSN program, you must

• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress: Stay continuously enrolled, with a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale), and graduate within two semesters of the standard 15-month timeline;
• Fulfill a 24-Month Employment Agreement: To qualify for this discount, you are required to complete 24 months of full-time service with Kaiser Permanente Southern California postgraduation; and
• Verify Residency and Enrollment Status: You must be a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident officially enrolled as a student in good standing with a signed letter of commitment.

For this partnership, loan forgiveness is capped at two years. For more information, review the Kaiser Permanente Institute of Nursing Excellence Fact Sheet (PDF).

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Grant for APU Baccalaureate Students

The Azusa Pacific School of Nursing received two Nursing Student Loan (NSL) forgiveness grants from HRSA totaling $4,296,200. Of that amount, $2,922,987 of the grant funding applies to baccalaureate degree paths, including the RN to BSN completion program. We offer a low-interest federal loan program for nursing students with financial need. The 5% interest rate begins to accrue nine months after graduation. Through this grant, you gain access to a 10-year payback period.

You are eligible for this NSL forgiveness discount if you are

• a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States;
• enrolled or accepted for enrollment at least half-time; and
• in good standing and capable of maintaining good standing, according to APU’s standards.

For more information about the requirements for this opportunity, contact the APU School of Nursing at [email protected] or (626) 815-5386.

The APU accelerated RN to BSN experience teaches you how to apply leadership and decision-making skills to ethics conversations in the field of medicine. We infuse our curriculum with Christian values, providing direction and purpose for real situations you encounter as a nurse in a clinic or hospital.

Online Cohort Model

You can complete APU’s online RN to BSN degree in as little as 15 months. This degree completion program easily accommodates the full work schedule of a registered nurse.

At APU, we deliver the accelerated 40-unit curriculum over four semesters in an asynchronous online format, and you remain part of the same cohort throughout your time in the program. Making up a unique community, group members often act as a support system, helping each other academically, mentally, and spiritually throughout each course

As an RN to BSN student, you complete 90 hours of clinical experience at various community and public health sites. The APU team assists you with hospital or clinic placement and helps you comply with the California Board of Registered Nursing (CA BRN) requirements. Your clinical time culminates in a practicum for the final semester’s population/public health and community health/transitions courses.

During this unique learning opportunity, you complete a systematic assessment of a community health population and develop an intervention plan to improve access to medical care and prevent disease. The practicum encourages you to think critically about pathophysiological and ethical principles from other courses, using key concepts to create a strategy for change.

Azusa Pacific University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master’s degree in nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice at Azusa Pacific University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The traditional baccalaureate nursing program, upper-division transfer (2+2/LVN to BSN) programs, entry-level master’s program, and the nurse practitioner program are approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing.

Online degree programs may include requirements, procedures, and policies that differ from those of the university’s more traditional programs. For more information on how to get started in the APU online RN to BSN accelerated program, contact us at (877) 816-6546 or [email protected].

APU's RN to BSN program is 40 units. Including eligible transfer credits, students must complete a minimum of 120 total units to graduate with the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

Several types of financial aid are available. The resources range from federal loans and state grants to fellowships and scholarships. For more details about financial aid options, contact the Student Services Center at (626) 815-2020.

You must be online for a sufficient time each week to participate in threaded discussions and complete all assignments by their designated deadlines, but there is no prescribed amount of required time, as assignments and their deadlines vary across courses.

No, you complete your degree entirely online. No campus visits or meetings are required. Clinical experiences will be at local facilities that offer contracts with APU.

This accelerated program can be completed in 15 months.

You likely can complete your hours for at least one of the clinical courses at your place of employment. Otherwise, APU’s School of Nursing maintains contracts with many facilities and can also initiate new contracts.