Arizona College of Nursing - Tucson

Arizona College of Nursing at Tucson is a private, for-profit nursing school, and it’s basically set up to do one thing: get people through an accelerated BSN. It’s not a big university vibe with a bunch of majors and electives; think smaller campus, nursing-only focus, and a pretty structured schedule. Cost-wise, it’s private-school pricing, so it’s usually way more than a community college or state university BSN. Most students I’ve seen talk about it mention financing is a big part of the plan (loans, payment plans, etc.), so it’s worth going in with eyes open on total cost, not just “per term” numbers.

For clinicals, the Tucson market is pretty hospital-heavy (Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, Tucson Medical Center, Northwest Medical Center, St. Mary’s Hospital/CHS), but Arizona College of Nursing doesn’t always publish a clean, guaranteed list of exact clinical sites for each cohort. Because clinical placements can change, anyone considering it should ask the campus for the current site list in writing for the Tucson location and what the typical drive looks like for clinical days (some programs place students all over the metro area). They do have on-campus skills/simulation labs, and a lot of the early competencies are practiced there before students go out to clinical.

Location/commute-wise, this is still Tucson...parking/traffic isn’t Phoenix-level, but it can get annoying depending on time of day and which side of town someone’s coming from. It’s the kind of place where a “15 minutes” commute can turn into 30+ if it’s rush hour or if clinical starts across town at 6:00 a.m., so most students end up planning their whole week around school/clinical routes.

Teaching-wise, these accelerated BSN schools tend to run fast and pretty exam-heavy, with a lot of check-offs, skills validations, and tight deadlines. Their average weighted RN NCLEX pass rate is 91.7%, which is solid (above 90%), but it’s a bit under Arizona’s 2024 state average of 93.7%, so it’s not one of those “way above the state” numbers.

Updated on: 06 Jan, 2026

The Arizona College of Nursing in Tucson offers a 3-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). This accelerated program is designed to accommodate busy students by offering evening general education classes during the first four semesters. The program begins every eight weeks, providing flexibility for enrollment.

Admission Requirements:

A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 from high school or college is required. Alternatively, a composite score of 60% on the HESI A2 Admission Exam is acceptable, with the GPA requirement being waived if the HESI score is 75% or higher.
Applicants must complete a background check and health check as part of the admission process.

Clinical Rotations:

Students will complete over 600 hours of clinical rotations at various healthcare facilities, gaining hands-on experience in different nursing specialties.

Location and Accessibility: