Nursing Schools in Denver: Top Online & Campus Programs

Front Range Community College offers two options for those seeking an ADN leading to eligibility to sit for the NCLEX-RN and obtaining RN licensure. The Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AASN) is a five-semester, full-time program for students with little or no nursing or college experience and is available on Front Range’s campuses in Westminster and Larimer. Current licensed practical nurses intent on becoming fully-licensed RNs can shave a semester off their degree completion times by opting for the four-semester LPN to ADN program available on the Westminster campus.

Front Range sets itself apart from most community colleges by offering a fully-online RN to BSN program for students who already have ADNs or who have completed the first year of an ADN program. A three-semester Practical Nursing Certificate program is available as well.

The Department of Nursing at Metropolitan State University of Denver focuses exclusively on four undergraduate degree options, all of which are very affordable. Students in the campus-based Traditional BSN complete all general education and nursing prerequisite coursework in their freshmen and sophomore years and all BSN nursing courses and clinicals in their junior and senior years. Students with non-nursing bachelor’s degrees can opt for the 17-month Accelerated BSN. Along with their previous bachelor’s degrees, applicants to this highly-competitive program must have completed all prerequisite coursework with a minimum 3.0 GPA and taken the HESI exam.

MSU Denver’s RN to BSN and Dual Enrollment options both combine 100% online didactic coursework with one clinical practicum placement. Both programs can be completed in as little as a year.

A major healthcare provider in the Denver and Rocky Mountain region, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus hosts a range of undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and certificate programs through its College of Nursing. These include four pathways for earning a BSN degree, starting with a 24-month, full-time Traditional BSN completion program for students requiring all upper-division nursing coursework and clinical hours. The Accelerated BSN program allows students with non-nursing bachelor’s degrees the ability to obtain their BSNs and NCLEX-RN eligibility with 12 months of full-time study. CU Anschutz also offers a 100% online RN to BSN and an RN to BSN Early Decision Option for current ADN students.

Graduate nursing options at CU Anschutz include a partially-online MSN program and post-graduate certificates, each with a dozen specialization tracks. Additionally, its DNP and PhD in Nursing programs combine online courses with on-campus intensives.

Colorado Christian University offers both undergraduate and graduate nursing degree programs all with distance learning components. The RN to BSN features 100% online didactic coursework and clinical hours attended at practice facilities in students’ local areas. The program is part-time to accommodate working nurses and can be completed in a few as 14 months. For pre-licensure students, CCU offers an Adult Undergraduate Student Pathway BSN that is primarily campus-based, but students can complete prerequisite courses online.

CCU’s online graduate nursing programs include an MSN with specialization choices in Nursing Education and Clinical Care Management in Adult and Geriatrics and a DNP with online coursework and a 525-hour clinical experience requirement that can be completed with two years of full-time study. Tuition rates for CCU nursing programs are surprisingly competitive.

The Denver College of Nursing is a private institution focused on educating and training registered nurses and nursing leaders. DCN offers two online programs for current RNs seeking career advancement and additional knowledge and skills. The RN to BS program features fully-online, asynchronous coursework along with 24/7 online tutoring and support services and can be completed in 15 months. The curriculum consists of 90 quarter credits of general education and upper-division nursing courses. Students receive an additional 90 quarter credits from their ADN degrees to reach the 180 total credits. The MSN Online program consists of six quarters of coursework and can be completed in 15 to 18 months.

Costs at DCN are surprisingly competitive, especially for a private college. The current estimated total program cost for tuition, fees, and books of the RN to BSN program, for example, is just under $15,000.

Regis University, a private Jesuit-affiliated institution, hosts the most comprehensive and convenient lineup of online nursing degree and certificate programs of any of Denver’s nursing schools. The undergraduate RN to BSN Completion program gives the option of completing all requirements through 100% asynchronous or web-based synchronous class formats or a combination of the two. All classes are eight weeks long, and students can complete the entire program in 10 months by taking two classes at a time or in 20 months by taking one class at a time.

Regis’ online MSN offerings include a Family Nurse Practitioner – Rural and Underserved Communities low residency program consisting of one synchronous class per week plus local clinical rotations. There’s also a Leadership and Healthcare Systems program that is fully online and asynchronous or synchronous, a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program with one synchronous class per week plus local clinical rotations, and an RN to MSN program that combines synchronous and asynchronous classes. Additional online programs at Regis include an MSN to DNP, Post-BSN to DNP, and an FNP Post-Master’s Certificate.