11 Accelerated Nursing Programs in Indiana (BSN & MSN) – 2025


Written By: Editorial Staff @ NursingProcess.org

It’s not too late to become a registered nurse in Indiana even if your college major wasn’t nursing. Accelerated Nursing programs in Indiana take much less time than traditional BSN degrees because you’ll get credit for many of the classes that are already on your transcripts. As an RN in the Hoosier State, there will be plenty of demand for your services since employment opportunities for RNs are projected to rise by more than 8 percent in the next 10 years. And you’ll earn an average salary of $75,580 a year. Find out more by reviewing this list of the best Accelerated Nursing programs in Indiana for 2025.



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Following is the List of 11 Accelerated BSN Programs in Indiana for 2025


1. Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis


Indiana University School of Nursing has been preparing nurse practitioners, expert clinicians, innovators, scientists and leader since 1914. Being at the forefront of nursing education and research, it enjoys 200 clinical partners throughout Central Indiana. Staying congruent with the university’s mission of leading with excellence, its accomplished faculty facilitates shaping of career through innovative teaching, practice, research and partnerships.

The 16-month, full-time BSN Accelerated Second Degree program at IUPUI starts four times every year (January, May and August). This program moves at a very fast pace, so you are advised not to take up any sort of employment. By not taking up employment you can dedicate all you time and energy to ensure you get the right foundation to kickstart your career as a nurse. The curriculum is cutting-edge and includes graduate level nursing courses thus giving an outright advantage if you decide to pursue - MSN, DNP or PhD.

2. Purdue University, West Lafayette


Purdue School of Nursing is an integral part of the College of Health and Human Sciences. With just 30 nursing students in 1963, today the school has witnessed rapid growth in enrollment. Coming to be known for its solid grounding in nursing the school provides every little opportunity to students to gain professional expertise. Through its Family Health Clinic of Carroll County and Monon, students interact with the rural community and understand the dynamics that go into nursing rural patients.

If you are looking for a career change to the lucrative nursing field, the fast-track Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Purdue University West Lafayette will take you only 16 Months to complete. This full-time program is a serious commitment, where you will have to dedicate more than 40 hours per week attending classes and practicing at various clinical sites. This 4-semster program starts once every year in fall. Gradates of this program go on to take the NCLEX-RN and start working as an RN or further their education by pursing a DNP or PhD.

3. Ball State University, Muncie


The School of Nursing at Ball State University is recognized for its high-quality nursing education in the state of Indiana. Its students are taught to gain knowledge through discovery, integrate learning experiences and grow to become civic and professional leaders. The school innovates, challenges and transforms, inspiring students to pursue evidence-based and culture relevant nursing practice. With a diverse student population that enriches its campus culture, students thrive in this diversity.

Ball Sate offers a 24-month Second Degree Nursing Program in IN, which can be completed in as little as 19 months. A comprehensive curriculum supported by state-of-the-art laboratories and dedicated faculty has led to this program being recognized by the National League for Nursing (NLN) as one of the best programs in the nation. To provide real-world experiences the program includes extensive clinical training sessions, during which graduates work in various hospitals, long-term care facilities and clinics located all throughout East-Central Indiana.

4. Valparaiso University, Valparaiso


Valparaiso University College of Nursing and Health Professions has been around for 50 years. Over the years it has carved a niche for itself with academic excellence. Students are trained to be adaptive, collaborative and visionary. They are offered with ample opportunities in community-based experiences. Additionally, cross-cultural communication skills are strengthened with many learning trips to countries such as Nicaragua, Costa Rica, China, Thailand, India, Tanzania and Ireland.

Valparaiso offers a 15-month, fast paced ABSN program in Indiana for:

- Transfer students who have completed all the required general education and science courses with a minimum C.
- Individuals who hold a degree in a non-nursing field with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

The program begins during the summer semester in May. You must complete all the required prerequisites before starting with your classes. Please note for students who have not completed their prerequisites prior to start of the program, the length of the program will be longer.

5. Indiana University-Purdue University, Columbus


The IUPUC School of Nursing is amongst the most respected nursing schools in the nation. It focuses on positively impacting the health of rural Indiana through its nursing education and research. The school believes in core values of collaboration, integrity and quality. By providing an environment of mutual respect, it teaches its students to practice nursing that is morally and ethically right. To produce a positive academic outcome it continuously improves its programs. This is exactly why IUPUC nursing graduates are known to be knowledgeable care givers, effective communicators and leaders.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Second Degree at IUPUC is exclusively designed for bachelor’s degree holders from non-nursing fields who are IUPUC alumni or residents of Brown, Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Ohio, Ripley, Shelby, and Switzerland. One of the main goals of this 16-month, fast track program is to prepare nursing students to become critical thinkers who will use evidence as a basis for clinical reasoning and decision making thus providing excellent patient care.

6. Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion


IWU School of Nursing had its first batch of nurses graduate in 1972. In these years the school has grown from strength to strength and today offers some of the most dynamic nursing programs in the country. IWU’s faith- based education prepares a workforce of nurses that are highly motivated to provide optimum patient care. This is enabled by the conducive learning environment it provides, equipped with modern state-of-art simulation labs where students can get ample practice to sharpen their skills.

Indiana Wesleyan University offers one of the shortest Second-Degree Nursing program in the state of Indiana with students having the opportunity to enter the nursing profession in as little as 14 months-time. The 63-credit hour nursing coursework which will include experiential practice sessions in clinical settings will provide you with a strong foundation in nursing skills, which will ensure you are capable of efficiently serving patients in a variety of healthcare facilities across the state.

7. Anderson University-Indiana, Anderson


The Nursing School at Anderson University, a private Christian university is widely acclaimed across the state for its nursing education. The school leaves no stone unturned in training students and 100 percent of them passing the NXLEX-RN on the first attempt, recently in 2017, is only testament to it. Staying consistent to the university’s Christian values of service, students learn to care beyond the clinical needs, providing holistic healing. This in turn leads to better health outcomes of patients and the community at large. The school provides its students with global learning experiences where they have the opportunity work in different countries, including India, Belize, Europe, Dominican Republic, Africa, Nicaragua and Hooverwood.

The Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing second-degree program at Anderson is a face to face program that will take 21 months to complete. This is a full-time program, taught by the same faculty as the traditional BSN and you will be required to attend classes or participate in clinical training sessions five days a week. After completion of pre-requisite courses, you will start off with the 14-credit hour clinical phase in May and post completion of the clinical phase you will join the junior cohort of the traditional BSN students. Extensive simulation experience and clinical training that are an integral part of this program will ensure you are job-ready by the time you graduate.

8. Indiana State University, Terre Haute


The nursing department at Indiana State University has been working towards improving health outcomes with its nursing programs since 1963. Students are trained to meet the demands of a nursing career that requires them to be advocates, leaders and vital members of interprofessional healthcare teams. This is achieved by its commitment towards excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. Armed with a dedicated faculty, ISU’s nursing school understands the value of experiential learning, community service and innovative teaching methods and provides a student-centered environment of diversity, inclusion and mutual respect.

The Accelerated 2nd Degree Track-BSN at ISU Terre Haute is a 15-month program that starts once every year in summer and runs for 5 consecutive semesters. Due to its rigorous schedule, students of this program are advised not to work for more than 12 hours per week. Students are selected based on their cumulative pre-requisite course GPA which includes (anatomy, physiology, chemistry and microbiology), Science GPA and Kaplan Admission Test score. Admission is competitive and students from the most recent class had a cumulative pre-requisite course GPA of 3.41, Science GPA of 3.36 and KAT score of 78%.

9. Purdue University Northwest, Hammond


Nationally recognized, Purdue University Northwest’s College of Nursing has been named as one of the Centers of Excellence by the National League for Nursing. Its excellent faculty, comprehensive nursing education and research is the reason for this outstanding achievement. The school manages to bring out the best in each of its students by promoting critical thinking, community engagement, life-long learning and service-oriented practice.

The application deadline for The Accelerated Second-Degree Baccalaureate Option at Purdue Northwest starting once every year in Fall is February 1st. Like most other accelerated programs, this school requires you to have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in your previous non-nursing degree. Prior to entering this program, you need to complete pre-requisite courses such as Human Anatomy and Physiology, Statistics, Nutrition, Microbiology and Behavioral Sciences. You can earn these pre-requisites before entering Purdue Northwest or can complete them at Purdue Northwest.

10. Marian University- Indiana, Indianapolis (On-Campus & Online)


The Leighton School of Nursing has 30 years of experience in training professional nurses. It provides education that is transformative in a 140,000 square foot well-equipped facility where students enjoy access to state-of-art simulation labs, hi-tech classrooms, nursing resource center, chapel, anatomy lab and café, to name a few. Understanding the importance of holistic patient care, the school collaborates with College of Osteopathic Medicine to provide interprofessional education. What more, its beautiful landscaped campus promises a student life full of opportunities to participate in events and organizations.

Marian University- Indiana offers students both a face to face and an online option to pursue the Accelerated BSN Program in Indiana.

Face to Face (On Campus): This is a 16-month program which is a combination of classroom lectures, simulation experiences at Louis C. Gatto Nursing Resource Center and clinical experiences at healthcare settings across the Indianapolis area.

Online: Like the face to face option, the online program will also take 16 months to complete. This program is a blend of online classes, simulation lab training at a site in Northwest side of Indianapolis and on-site clinical experiences at St. Vincent.

11. Indiana University Northwest, Gary


IU Northwest School of Nursing, a part of the College of Health and Human Services at the university endorses the university’s mission of promoting health and improving human lives. It emphasizes on interprofessional education and encourages Nursing students to collaborate with students from Medicine, Social Work and Dental Education to work together for patient-focused projects. In its endeavor to positively impact the health of community, the school consistently works towards strengthening partnerships with local healthcare agencies.

To apply to the BA/BS to Bachelor of Science in nursing program, you must first be admitted to the Indiana University Northwest University. The selection process for this program is quite competitive, and you should have minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher in your first bachelor's degree. Prior to starting with the nursing courses, you are required to complete all the general education course requirements. During the 1.5-year nursing curriculum phase you will be rigorously trained in classrooms, labs and clinical sites to learn skills required to efficiently work as a registered nurse.



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