RN to BSN
Online Program Option

Yes!

You may think the cheapest or fastest RN to BSN program will be the best fit. Yes, time and money matters—but there’s nothing more important than your career success.

Herzing University exists to empower your professional success and guide you as a lifelong learning partner. Earning a BSN degree with Herzing means developing career-focused skills to not only blossom as an RN with a BSN, but continue following your passion to carve a personalized, fulfilling career path.

You can block transfer up to 70 semester credit hours from your associate degree or nursing diploma into Herzing’s RN to BSN program, with the possibility of transferring up to 90 total credits. Because the BSN requires 120 credits overall, transferring credits can significantly reduce what you have left to complete and lower your tuition, since you pay for fewer remaining credits.

Herzing University’s RN to BSN is an online BSN program for working nurses: a degree-completion program that helps you earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) while you keep working. You can move from your diploma or associate degree (ADN/ASN) to a BSN in as little as 12 months, with 100% online classes and no traditional clinicals. The curriculum includes a 45-hour community health project, and you’ll have dedicated student support along the way. The program was ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the best online bachelor’s programs in 2026.

The advantages of a BSN can include:

• Increased autonomy in decision making while on the job
• Open doors to more specialties in the nursing field
• Become a more attractive candidate for hospitals seeking Magnet Recognition
• Build a foundation to grow into education or leadership pathways
• Positions you better for nursing jobs with higher pay
• Qualify to enroll in an MSN program
• Become more familiar and educated with evidence-based practice opportunities
• Increase knowledge and understanding of RN specialties and skills
• Transition from “technical” to “professional” RN
• Gain a deeper knowledge of nursing theory and leadership theory

A 2023 study from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) indicates employers have the level of education at top of mind in the hiring process. Based on responses from nursing schools, the survey revealed 69.8% of employers show a strong preference for BSN graduates.

The ultimate benefit is bettering yourself, becoming the best nurse you can be and following the career path of your choosing.

Increasingly yes, but it ultimately depends on the institution who issued the degree.

As the popularity of online degrees continues to rapidly trend upward, so has mainstream acceptance of online degree programs.

Attitudes toward online degrees were already becoming more positive before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the issue. According to a 2019 study from Northeastern University, 61 percent of HR leaders say online learning is “of equal or greater quality to more traditional methods.” More than half believe that in the future, most advanced degrees will be online.

Regarding nursing applicants who earned online degrees, there are a few important factors employers consider:

• The school and degree program’s accreditation. Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and programmatically accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).ⁱ
• If you have earned nursing licensure. Our programs are designed to help you pass any necessary exams and become licensed before getting your first job.
• The school’s reputation and history of producing excellent employees. Consider our many happy graduates and 50+ years producing more than 40,000 alumni.

For all these reasons employers know what it means when they see “Herzing University” on a resume!

i. Programmatic accreditation varies by program and by campus location. Find details about all Herzing University accreditations and approvals.

Herzing offers 6 start dates per year for the RN to BSN program, so there are no application deadlines to work around: you can apply when you’re ready and prepare to get started soon. Classes are delivered in 8-week sessions, and admissions are rolling. You can review upcoming start dates on Herzing’s academic calendar.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for registered nurses is $98,430 per year ($47.32 per hour)*. Nurses with a bachelor’s degree tend to fall on the upper side of that average due to their advanced education and their qualification to help hospitals earn Magnet Recognition.

The BLS projects a 5% increase in need for registered nurses from 2024-2034.* RNs are in demand, and earning a BSN can help your resume stand out and give you a better chance of getting the job you really want.

BSN stands for Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a baccalaureate undergraduate nursing degree you can earn as a key step to becoming a Registered Nurse (RN), or the next educational pathway for current ADN nurses seeking career advancement.

A BSN is a step up from an associate in nursing (ADN/ASN) and can offer further job opportunities for nurses seeking a particular specialty or are looking ahead to earning a master’s degree in nursing (MSN).

Herzing’s RN to BSN program does not require traditional clinicals. You will complete a 45-hour community health project that applies your coursework in a community setting instead of hospital-based clinical hours. 

Herzing’s RN to BSN program costs $450 per credit hour. With a 120-credit BSN and up to 90 credits eligible for transfer, your remaining tuition depends on how many credits you transfer in. For example, transferring 90 credits leaves 30 credits to complete. A per-semester learner resource fee also applies, and Herzing currently waives the enrollment fee. Several scholarships and grants may be available to those who qualify, including the Nurses Circle of Achievement, which offers a 10% tuition reduction to RN to BSN students entering with a 3.8 GPA or higher.

Yes. Herzing’s RN to BSN is a 100% online BSN program built for working nurses who need to balance school with their careers. Because it’s fully online with flexible full-time and part-time scheduling, you can keep working while you earn your BSN. You’ll have access to virtual student services, including academic advising, tutoring, technical support and library services. See how online learning works for more details. The online RN to BSN program is available in select states.

Regulation has been deliberated for many years. There is currently only one state which has taken concrete action to make BSNs effectively mandatory for nurses – New York. Their “BSN in 10” bill, passed in January 2017, requires registered nurses holding an associate degree to earn their BSN qualification within 10 years of their initial RN licensure.

Two primary competing factors cloud the issue:

1. Hospitals are incentivized to hire more BSN-prepared nurses. Organizations seeking Magnet Recognition must require all nurse managers to hold a BSN.
2. Nurses are in very high demand. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) calls it a shortage in nursing. Raising minimum education requirements may decrease the pool of eligible employable RNs.

Because of the high demand for nurses, sweeping legislation making bachelor’s degrees mandatory across the board seems unlikely. However, make sure to keep an eye on what’s happening in your state!

You can complete Herzing’s RN to BSN program in as little as 12 months. Classes run in 8-week sessions with full-time and part-time options, so you can set a pace that fits your work and life.

Yes. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Herzing University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE),ⁱ and Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. If you want to keep going after your BSN, you can earn dual credit toward a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) through the RN to BSN to MSN track, or explore the accelerated RN to MSN program to move from ADN to MSN.

ⁱThe baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Herzing University Madison is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). Herzing University is approved to offer programs in an online learning modality through association with the main campus in Madison, Wisconsin.