Denver College of Nursing

About Denver College of Nursing

Denver College of Nursing is a specialized, degree-granting institution rather than a comprehensive university. Its history began with the incorporation of Professional Education Corporation, doing business as Denver School of Nursing, on July 1, 2003. Classes started in 2004, authority to award associate and bachelor’s degrees was granted that year, and the institution became Denver College of Nursing in July 2017. It began offering the Master of Science in Nursing in 2018. The college is owned and operated by Education Affiliates, Inc., a privately held career-education company, while institutional control rests with its governing board. The Denver campus delivers pre-licensure nursing education, while post-licensure RN-to-BSN and MSN study is available online. This structure suits students seeking a direct nursing pathway, including applicants transferring prerequisite coursework and registered nurses pursuing further education. It is less suitable for students who want extensive choice outside nursing or a conventional residential university experience. The 2026 catalog states that Denver’s associate and bachelor’s nursing programs have programmatic accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and full approval from the Colorado Board of Nursing. It also identifies Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accreditation for the BSN and MSN degree programs. Students should still confirm that a selected program meets licensing or distance-education requirements in the state where they intend to practice.

Admission requirements differ between pre-licensure, RN-completion, and graduate study. Across programs, applicants must submit an application, provide evidence of high-school or college completion, be at least 18 when study begins, authorize a background check, and sign an enrollment agreement. ADN, BSN, and RN-to-BSN applicants also submit a one-page personal statement. Health insurance, immunization records, and CPR certification are required on the timetable communicated during the admissions process, while clinical sites may impose additional requirements at the student’s expense. The on-campus BSN completion pathway requires a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, grades of C or better in prerequisites, and completion of all prerequisites before the program begins. Applicants selected to continue may be interviewed and must provide official postsecondary transcripts. Requirements involving prerequisite age, entrance testing, transfer evaluation, drug screening, and background checks should be reviewed directly for the intended start term. RN-to-BSN applicants must have completed an accredited ADN or RN diploma program and hold an active, unencumbered RN license. MSN applicants need a BSN from a program accredited by CCNE, ACEN, or CNEA, at least a 2.5 undergraduate GPA, grades of B or better in undergraduate nursing courses, three recommendations, an essay, current RN licensure, and at least one year of RN clinical practice; two years are preferred. International credentials must be translated and evaluated. The college does not accept international students into its online programs.

Academic offerings center on nursing at three degree levels. The on-campus Associate Degree in Nursing is a pre-licensure pathway built on transferred general-education prerequisites; students bringing all 24 required quarter credits can usually complete its nursing portion in six quarters, or about 18 months. The on-campus BSN completion option similarly assumes substantial prior coursework: students may transfer up to 80 quarter credits, and those entering with all required general education can usually finish the professional nursing component in seven quarters, or about 21 months. Licensed registered nurses can pursue the RN-to-BSN option online. The 2026 catalog describes it as a minimum five-quarter program that may be completed in about 15 months, depending on prior education. Its curriculum includes healthcare informatics, evidence-based practice, population-based nursing, policy and quality, leadership, and a capstone. The online MSN comprises 56 quarter credits and focuses on nursing education and leadership; the catalog gives a typical completion range of 15 to 18 months. Clinical, laboratory, simulation, and classroom learning are integral to the pre-licensure curricula. The catalog emphasizes direct patient care in the ADN and broader preparation in evidence-based practice, population health, quality, informatics, systems, and leadership in the BSN. Some cataloged variants are not currently enrolling, including the LPN-to-ADN option and the full BSN pathway for students without prior college credits, so applicants must verify which version is open before planning prerequisites.

Key Highlights

• Specialized institution focused on nursing degrees and nursing career preparation
• Operating under the Denver College of Nursing name since July 2017
• Associate, bachelor’s, and master’s nursing degrees are documented in the 2026 catalog
• Owned by the privately held Education Affiliates, Inc.

Student Life & Environment

Student life is organized around a compact professional nursing environment rather than residence halls, varsity athletics, or a broad liberal-arts campus. Denver students spend substantial time in classes, skills laboratories, simulation, clinical preparation, and off-campus clinical experiences. The college notes that on-ground classes may be scheduled during the day or evening on weekdays, on Saturdays, or at other necessary times, so students should account for schedule variability alongside employment and family commitments. Student Services connects learners with academic advising and career assistance and serves as a liaison to local Student Nurse Association chapters. It also provides referrals for mental-health and other community resources, plus guidance about housing, transportation, and child care. Campus activities described by the college include Nurses Week events, barbecues, free-lunch days, career fairs, and community health fairs. Academic resources include a Learning Resource Center with print materials, databases, and study space, together with a virtual library available continuously online. Online RN-to-BSN and MSN students receive support adapted to distance study. Because the official materials describe housing advice rather than institution-operated accommodation, prospective students should plan to arrange their own Denver housing and confirm commuting requirements for classes and clinical placements.

Location & Surroundings

The Denver campus is at 1401 19th Street, Denver, Colorado 80202, in the city’s downtown area. Its central location places students in an urban setting rather than a self-contained residential campus. This can provide access to the wider metropolitan area and to clinical learning sites, but clinical assignments may require travel beyond the college building. Applicants should ask how sites are assigned and whether a car or other dependable transportation is needed for their particular program. The college does not present the Denver experience as residential and instead offers students housing and transportation advice through Student Services. Prospective students should therefore budget independently for accommodation, commuting, parking, and daily living expenses. Parking is explicitly excluded from published on-campus program costs. Denver’s campus-specific facts should not be confused with those for the institution’s Houston branch. The 2026 catalog distinguishes the two locations, and some approvals, veterans’ benefits, programs, and student-handbook provisions are campus-specific. Applicants to the Colorado campus should use Denver materials and confirm where all classroom, laboratory, simulation, and clinical requirements will occur.

Costs & Career Outcomes

The college’s current tuition page lists program totals rather than a single institution-wide price. As of August 2026, the on-campus ADN has a published total cost of $45,403, including $38,872 in tuition plus listed books and institutional, testing, clinical, simulation, technology, equipment, application, and graduation charges. The on-campus BSN completion option totals $59,930, including $52,863 in tuition. These figures exclude the general-education coursework students must complete before or alongside the nursing sequence. Published totals are $14,668.60 for the online RN-to-BSN and $17,899.92 for the online MSN. Students may also face separate expenses for health insurance, background checks, immunizations, admissions or licensing examinations, and parking. Costs can change, so applicants should request a start-term estimate and compare it with the enrollment agreement. Qualifying students may use federal financial aid, Veterans Affairs funding, credit-based alternative financing, or the college’s interest-free in-house payment plan. Career Services offers counseling, résumé and interview guidance, nursing job postings, career fairs, and tracking of licensure and graduate outcomes. Pre-licensure graduates must satisfy state eligibility requirements and pass the NCLEX-RN before practicing as registered nurses. The college expressly states that employment assistance does not guarantee a job or salary. Students planning to work outside Colorado should verify that their program and clinical preparation meet the destination state’s licensing requirements before enrollment.