BSN

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Offered by Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky

Overview

Tuition $11,436

Licensure pass rate (2025) 96.4%

Accreditor CCNE

Duration 4 years

A bachelor's-level nursing degree that prepares graduates for RN licensure and broader leadership, community-health, and evidence-based-practice roles. Many hospitals now require the BSN for advancement.

Career outlook

Employers hire BSN-prepared registered nurses for direct patient care as well as roles requiring expanded leadership, research, and community-health competencies across nearly every healthcare setting.

Getting in

What Western Kentucky University asks for, taken from its own admissions page.

Entrance exam HESI A2

Minimum GPA 3.0

Apply through School application

What you'll need

Prerequisite courses
Transcripts

HESI entrance exam required before applying (once per cycle, valid one year); overall GPA 3.0 for Fall 2024+ admits, or 80+ college hours with 3.0 in nursing prerequisites; prerequisites with C or better, A&P within 5 years (or 77%+ HESI). Deadlines February 1 (fall) and September 1 (spring); four-semester professional sequence; $575 program fee per semester.

Checked Oct 2026 on the school's site. Requirements change each cycle, so confirm before you apply.

Paths

Routes into BSN. The first step is where you enroll today.

CNA to BSN

CNA BSN

Bridge from frontline care to a four-year nursing degree, with your patient-care hours working for you.

Time: 4 years
State: All states

California State University, Fresno

View path

Georgia CNA to RN Pathway

CNA BSN

Start as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Georgia and earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Georgia State. Begin patient-care work in weeks, then ladder into a four-year BSN that prepares you to sit for the NCLEX-RN.

Time: 4 years
State: GA

University of Texas at Arlington