Accelerated BSN Programs in Arkansas

If you're looking for an Accelerated BSN program in Arkansas, you should know that options are very limited. Right now, there are only 4 schools in the state offering these fast-track programs.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences runs a 15-month full-time ABSN program at their Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville. You'll do your clinical rotations right there in Northwest Arkansas, which is convenient. To get in, you need a bachelor's degree already (in any field) and 58 semester hours of prerequisite courses completed. One nice thing? They don't require the ATI TEAS exam for their accelerated track. Their students pass the NCLEX at a 92.1% rate, putting UAMS at #4 in the state for 2025.

Down in Fort Smith, the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith offers another 15-month on-campus ABSN option. They run on a traditional academic calendar with a March 1st deadline for fall admission and October 1st for spring. It's designed for people who already have that non-nursing bachelor's degree under their belt. Their NCLEX pass rate comes in at 89.6%, ranking them #6 statewide for 2025.

Arkansas State University takes a different approach that might work if you're trying to balance other commitments. Their ABSN uses a hybrid format - all the classroom nursing content is delivered online, but you'll be on-site for clinical work Friday through Sunday. The total tuition runs $19,564, and if you're eyeing their Fall 2 2026 cohort starting October 12, you need your application in by September 7, 2026. They want at least a 2.5 overall GPA and a 3.0 in your prerequisite courses. Their NCLEX pass rate sits at 79.4%.

For a private university experience, Harding University in Searcy stands out with the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state - 98.1%, earning them that #1 ranking for 2025. Getting in requires taking the HESI A2 entrance exam and maintaining at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA. Fair warning though: as a private school, the cost is significantly higher, with estimated tuition and fees totaling $63,096.

Once you finish any of these programs, you'll go through the Arkansas State Board of Nursing to get licensed. That means applying through their system, registering with Pearson VUE for the NCLEX-RN exam, and completing the required criminal background checks at both state and federal levels. Before you commit to applying anywhere, take time to compare these four programs using their pass rates, rankings, and locations, then double-check the specific admissions requirements and deadlines on each school's official website.