10 BSN Programs That Accept Transfer Students 2026

Transferring into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is one of the most common and affordable routes into the nursing profession. Every year, thousands of students complete prerequisites at a community college, then transfer to a university nursing program to finish their degree.

The trick is knowing how each school structures its transfer pathway, because "accepting transfer students" can mean several different things in nursing. The programs below all welcome transfer students, whether you're bringing general prerequisites, an associate degree in nursing, or an active RN license.

Do BSN Programs Accept Transfer Students?

Most do, through one of two main routes. The first is transferring into a prelicensure BSN program: you complete lower-division prerequisites at your current school, then apply to the university and its nursing major, typically entering at the junior level. Admission to the nursing major itself is competitive at nearly every school, so a strong GPA in your science prerequisites matters more than anything else on your application.

The second route is the RN-to-BSN bridge, designed for students who earned an associate degree in nursing (ADN), passed the NCLEX, and hold a Registered Nurse (RN) license. These programs, often many fully online, award substantial transfer credit for your associate degree coursework and often connect to community colleges through formal articulation agreements that guarantee how your credits apply.

Top 10 BSN Programs That Accept Transfer Students

The programs below include transfer-entry prelicensure BSNs, RN-to-BSN bridges, and schools offering both. Match the pathway to where you are now: prerequisites in progress, ADN in hand, or RN license active.

1. University of Arizona

The University of Arizona recently moved its BSN to a direct admission pathway that explicitly includes transfer students alongside high school seniors and current students. Transfer students who arrive with a 3.6 or higher cumulative GPA on their transfer coursework are admitted directly to the nursing major.

Transfer applicants are generally expected to have completed most prerequisite and general education coursework before arriving, which keeps them on track for upper-division nursing courses. Students who don't meet the direct-admit GPA can still pursue nursing through an Advanced Standing Conference with an academic advisor once final prerequisites are underway.

2. University of Texas at Arlington

University of Texas at Arlington's (UT) College of Nursing and Health Innovation runs one of the largest nursing programs in the country and builds transfer students directly into its BSN prelicensure admissions process. Transfer applicants take the TEAS entrance exam like everyone else and are ranked alongside the incoming junior class. Area community colleges publish field-of-study guides mapping exactly which courses transfer.

For licensed RNs, UT Arlington's RN-to-BSN program applies up to 29 credit hours from an ADN or diploma program toward the degree. Full-time students can finish the nursing coursework in as little as two semesters, with campus, online, and cohort-based options available.

3. University of San Francisco

University of San Francisco (USF) states plainly that transfer students are a core part of each BSN class, and the school gives admissions priority to students seeking a first bachelor's degree who most recently attended a community college. The minimum eligibility GPA is 3.3, though competitive applicants typically exceed it.

USF keeps the application process refreshingly simple for a nursing program: no TEAS exam and no letters of recommendation. Transfer credit applies to major requirements with a grade of C or better, and applicants submit transcripts from every institution attended along with a personal statement.

4. Seattle University

Seattle University admits students to its BSN as junior-level transfers or post-baccalaureate students through a single transfer application; there's no separate nursing application to manage. Students enter once a year in fall quarter, with applications due by December 1.

Applicants complete prerequisite courses before entry and respond to two essay questions about their path to nursing. Seattle University limits applicants to a maximum of two repeated prerequisite courses, so strong first attempts in your science coursework carry real weight here.

5. San Diego State University

San Diego State University’s (SDSU) prelicensure BSN admits transfer students who arrive with at least 60 transferable semester units and all eight nursing prerequisite courses complete. Prerequisites can be finished at a community college or four-year school, and they must be done by the December before fall admission.

Admission is highly competitive given limited seats, and applicants must meet criteria for both the university and the School of Nursing. SDSU also offers a second-bachelor's pathway in nursing for students who already hold a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution.

6. University of Central Florida

University of Central Florida (UCF) offers transfer students several routes into nursing: a traditional on-campus BSN for transfer applicants, a concurrent ASN-to-BSN option completed alongside partner state colleges, and a fully online RN-to-BSN for licensed nurses. That range makes UCF workable whether you're pre-nursing or already practicing.

The university maintains extensive articulation agreements with Florida's state colleges, including program-to-program agreements covering the nursing Associate of Science (AS) degree. Florida's statewide 2+2 transfer structure means credits from state colleges apply predictably toward the bachelor's degree.

7. Arizona State University

Arizona State University (ASU) pairs a large nursing program with some of the most developed transfer infrastructure in the country, including structured pathway tools that map community college coursework to its BSN prerequisites. Transfer students can track exactly which courses apply before they ever submit an application.

For working nurses, ASU offers RN-to-BSN options designed around community college graduates. The school's transfer-friendly posture extends across formats, with online coursework available for students balancing jobs and clinical schedules.

8. University of Cincinnati

University of Cincinnati’s (UC) online RN-to-BSN program is built for transfer students from the ground up, with formal articulation agreements at community colleges across Ohio and beyond that spell out exactly how ADN credits apply. Graduates of partner programs like Sinclair Community College arrive with UC's general education requirement already satisfied.

The program has no prerequisite courses required for admission; remaining general education courses can be completed alongside the nine core nursing courses. Full-time students can finish in as little as two semesters, or stretch the program across twenty months part-time.

9. Ohio University

Ohio University runs a transfer-friendly RN-to-BSN program delivered fully online, making it a practical pick for working nurses across the state and beyond. Licensed RNs bring in their associate degree credits and complete the remaining bachelor's-level coursework on a flexible schedule.

Ohio's statewide transfer system works in students' favor here, since the state's Transfer Assurance Guides standardize how coursework moves between public institutions. That structure reduces the guesswork about which of your existing credits will count.

10. University of South Alabama

The University of South Alabama pairs a well-regarded College of Nursing with strong support for transfer and RN-to-BSN students. Licensed nurses can complete the BSN online while continuing to work, with associate degree credits applied toward the bachelor's requirements.

South's nursing programs serve a large population of transfer and nontraditional students, and its online delivery keeps costs competitive. The school's health system ties along the Gulf Coast also give students access to substantial clinical and career networks.

How We Rank Schools

We rank schools using data from trusted sources like the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and the National Center for Education Statistics, along with each school's published admissions and transfer policies.

• Accreditation: Every nursing program listed holds accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), alongside institutional accreditation.
• Transfer pathway strength: We prioritized schools with published transfer admission processes, articulation agreements, or direct-admit transfer policies rather than informal case-by-case review.
• Pathway variety: Schools offering multiple entry points — prelicensure transfer, ADN bridges, and RN-to-BSN options — ranked higher than single-pathway programs.
• Student outcomes: We considered NCLEX pass rates, graduation rates, and each program's track record with transfer students.
• Affordability and flexibility: We weighed tuition, online availability, and how generously each program applies transfer credit toward the degree.

You can read more about our approach on our ranking methodology page.

How Credits Transfer Into a BSN Program

General education and science prerequisite credits transfer fairly predictably, but nursing schools attach conditions you should know upfront. Most programs require a C or better — often a B in sciences — for a course to count, and many enforce recency rules that expire anatomy, physiology, and microbiology credits after five to ten years.

Nursing courses themselves transfer far less freely. If you've completed nursing coursework in another prelicensure program, most schools will require you to follow a separate transfer nursing student policy, and some won't accept prior nursing courses at all. RN-to-BSN programs are the exception, since your ADN nursing credits are the foundation the entire bridge model is built on.

Articulation Agreements and Why They Matter

An articulation agreement is a formal contract between a community college and a university that locks in how specific courses and degrees transfer. For nursing students, these agreements remove the biggest transfer risk: discovering after enrollment that credits you paid for don't count toward your BSN.

The strongest versions go beyond course equivalency. Concurrent enrollment programs like UCF's let you work on ASN and BSN requirements simultaneously with a partner college, while agreements like Sinclair-to-Cincinnati satisfy entire general education blocks at once. Ask both your current school and your target university for their agreement list before you register for another semester of classes.

How to Choose a BSN Program as a Transfer Student

Your best-fit program depends on what you're transferring in with. Sort your options by pathway first, then compare the details that affect cost and timeline.

Check Accreditation

Verify CCNE or ACEN accreditation for any nursing program you consider, since accreditation affects licensure eligibility, graduate school admission, and employer recognition. Institutional accreditation matters too, because it determines whether your existing credits are eligible to transfer at all.

Match the Pathway to Your Situation

Students with prerequisites but no nursing degree should target transfer-entry prelicensure programs, while licensed RNs will move faster and cheaper through an RN-to-BSN bridge. Trying to force the wrong pathway usually means repeating coursework you've already paid for.

Request a Credit Evaluation Early

Ask each target school for an unofficial transfer credit evaluation before you apply. Knowing exactly which credits count lets you compare true remaining cost and time-to-degree across programs instead of comparing sticker prices.

Review Admission Competitiveness

Nursing major admission is competitive even at transfer-friendly nursing schools, so check each program's GPA expectations, entrance exam requirements, and seat availability. Applying to several programs protects you the same way it protects first-year nursing applicants.

Compare Tuition and Financial Aid

Public universities with articulation agreements from your community college usually offer the lowest total cost, but online RN-to-BSN programs can compete through per-credit pricing and shorter timelines. Factor in aid eligibility, employer tuition benefits, and clinical-related fees before deciding.

FAQs About Transferring Into a BSN Program

Transfer students tend to raise a consistent set of questions about timing, credits, and requirements. Here are answers to the ones that come up most.

How Many Credits Can You Transfer Into a BSN Program?

Most universities accept 60 to 90 transfer credits toward a bachelor's degree, and RN-to-BSN programs typically apply a defined block, such as UT Arlington's 29 hours, from your ADN. The ceiling varies by school, so a credit evaluation gives you the real number for your situation.

Can You Transfer From One BSN Program to Another?

You can, but expect a stricter process than a standard transfer, since schools evaluate prior nursing coursework carefully and may require you to restart the nursing sequence. Programs often ask for a letter of good standing from your current nursing program before considering your application.

Do You Need to Take the TEAS as a Transfer Student?

It depends on the school: UT Arlington requires the TEAS from all prelicensure applicants including transfers, while USF doesn't use it at all. Check each program's testing policy early, since TEAS scores usually expire after two years.

Is an Online RN-to-BSN Respected by Employers?

Yes, as long as the program holds CCNE or ACEN accreditation, your diploma won't distinguish online from on-campus delivery. Employers and graduate programs care about accreditation and your RN license, not the course format.

What GPA Do You Need to Transfer Into a Nursing Program?

Published nursing school GPA minimums typically run from 3.0 to 3.3, but direct-admit and competitive programs effectively expect more. For example, Arizona's direct transfer admission requires a 3.6 GPA. Science prerequisite grades carry the most weight, so protect your GPA in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and chemistry above all.

Discover the Right BSN Transfer Pathway

Transferring into a BSN program rewards students who plan early, protect their science GPA, and pick the pathway that matches their credentials. Keep exploring nursing program guides and school comparisons here on Learn.org to find the transfer route that gets you to the RN role you're after.