Lakeview College of Nursing

About Lakeview College of Nursing

Lakeview is an independent, degree-granting college focused exclusively on nursing rather than a comprehensive university with multiple subject areas. The Illinois Board of Higher Education approves the college, the Illinois nursing regulator approves it to grant the BSN, and the Higher Learning Commission accredits it at the baccalaureate level. The BSN program also has specialized accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The institution began as the Danville Training School for nurses in November 1894. It later developed a baccalaureate nursing program, which Illinois approved in 1987. Lakeview subsequently operated a Charleston location through an arrangement connected with Eastern Illinois University, but the college states that it made the decision to close that location in May 2025. Current academic calendars list classes, orientation, examinations, and commencement at the operating institution through Summer 2027. Students should understand Lakeview’s unusual structure before comparing it with traditional colleges. The BSN requires 120 semester hours, divided between 60 hours of general education and prerequisites and 60 hours of nursing study. Applicants normally complete the preliminary coursework before beginning Lakeview’s nursing sequence. This structure can suit transfer students and people who already hold an LPN or RN credential, but it requires careful advance evaluation of prior coursework. The institution’s narrow academic scope also means students seeking majors outside nursing should look elsewhere.

Lakeview is not a conventional first-year-entry college for most applicants. Before starting nursing courses, degree-seeking students generally need 60 semester hours of approved general education and prerequisite coursework, with grades of C or better, and a cumulative college GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. An admission test score is required under the published 2025–2026 requirements, although registered nurses are exempt. High-school seniors may instead apply for Guaranteed BSN Admission to reserve a future place while completing preliminary study. The application requires an online form, essay responses, applicable test results, a current course schedule or prerequisite-completion plan, and official transcripts from every college attended. LPN and RN applicants must provide their current Illinois nursing license. The catalog lists a $30 nonrefundable application fee. Applications are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis. Lakeview’s current application page advises submission by June 1 for a fall start and November 1 for a spring start; these dates differ from earlier recommendations still printed in the 2025–2026 catalog, so applicants should follow the live application page and confirm timing with admissions. Lakeview does not issue Form I-20 documents. Its published policy requires applicants to be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents, with documentation required from applicants born outside the United States. Foreign transcripts must be translated and evaluated by an approved evaluation service. Admission also leads to health-record, background-check, and mandatory orientation requirements before clinical study.

Lakeview’s only verified degree field is nursing. Its 120-credit BSN consists of 60 semester hours of general education and prerequisite work plus 60 semester hours of nursing courses. Required preliminary subjects include areas such as composition, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, statistics, human development, and humanities or social-science electives. Because most prerequisites are transferred from other institutions, applicants should obtain an official transcript evaluation rather than assume that similarly titled courses will satisfy Lakeview’s requirements. The nursing sequence covers foundations of professional practice, health assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, mental and behavioral health, adult health, maternal-newborn care, pediatric care, population and global health, evidence-based practice, leadership, and concept synthesis. Courses incorporate theory, laboratory work, simulation, and clinical learning. The published credit-hour schedule documents substantial required clinical or laboratory time across the four-semester prelicensure sequence. Four progression options appear in the 2025–2026 catalog: traditional, accelerated, LPN-to-BSN, and RN-to-BSN. The traditional prelicensure pathway spans four fall and spring semesters. The accelerated pathway uses four consecutive semesters, including an intensive summer, but the college cautions that this option may not be offered every year and requires satisfactory Lakeview performance before acceleration. LPN and RN pathways recognize prior preparation through proficiency or accepted coursework. Graduation requires completion of the full curriculum, at least 30 nursing credits earned through Lakeview, 20 hours of service learning, required program outcomes, and the college’s NCLEX-RN review class.

Key Highlights

• Independent college authorized to award the Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
• BSN program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Founded as a nurse-training school in Danville in 1894
• Charleston location closed in May 2025; current operations are centered in Danville

Student Life & Environment

Student life is shaped by Lakeview’s small, specialized, professionally oriented setting. The college identifies student government, career services, awards, disability services, and guidance on technology, books, and supplies among its student resources. New degree-seeking students must attend orientation during the week before their first semester; failure to attend can prevent a student from beginning a clinical course. Clinical education makes participation requirements especially important. Students offered admission must complete a criminal background check, and clinical agencies may deny placement because of a conviction. Since clinical experience is required for graduation, applicants with licensure or placement concerns should investigate those issues with the appropriate nursing regulator before enrolling. Students should also expect health-record and other clinical-readiness requirements after admission. Lakeview does not operate residence halls or other college housing. All students live off campus, and the institution maintains an informational list of local rental options, including some properties within a few blocks of the Danville campus. The college does not endorse the listed landlords or services, so students remain responsible for checking availability, lease terms, condition, transportation, and safety. This arrangement may offer independence, but it also places more housing research and coordination on the student than a residential college would.

Location & Surroundings

Lakeview’s operating campus is at 903 North Logan Avenue in Danville, Illinois. The college formerly taught students at a Charleston location associated with Eastern Illinois University, but its official history records the decision to close that location in May 2025. Applicants should therefore confirm that every course and required activity in their intended pathway can be completed through the Danville operation rather than relying on older references to Charleston. The Danville setting is particularly relevant because nursing education includes scheduled laboratory and clinical work, not merely online coursework. Prospective students should evaluate travel time to campus and assigned clinical sites, access to a dependable vehicle or other transportation, and the practical effect of early or irregular clinical schedules. The published 2025–2026 cost-of-attendance budgets include a transportation allowance, reinforcing that commuting is a meaningful planning expense. There are no residence halls. Lakeview’s housing page points students toward privately operated rentals in Danville and surrounding communities, with some options described as being within two or three blocks of campus. Availability and quoted rents can change, and Lakeview expressly treats the list as informational rather than an endorsement. Students should verify current terms directly with property owners before making enrollment or relocation decisions.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For academic year 2025–2026, Lakeview published tuition of $520 per credit hour and a course fee of $80 per credit hour, regardless of residency or full-time status. Additional charges include testing, laboratory, clinical, and graduation fees. Its course-by-course estimate places total tuition and required fees for the 60-credit nursing sequence at $39,565, excluding books, uniforms, living costs, transportation, and other variable expenses. Because no 2026–2027 tuition schedule was located, students should treat these figures as historical planning information and obtain a current bill estimate before committing. The 2025–2026 financial-aid budgets illustrate the difference between institutional charges and the broader cost of attendance. Published nine-month budgets include housing, food, books and equipment, transportation, personal expenses, and applicable loan fees. Lakeview states that scholarships, grants, and loans may be available, while actual eligibility depends on the student’s financial-aid circumstances. Payment options include approved aid, private loans, employer or third-party assistance, veterans benefits, self-payment, and a semester payment plan. Career preparation is embedded in a licensure-oriented curriculum. Graduation requirements include clinical learning, service learning, program outcomes, and an NCLEX-RN review course. Lakeview publishes NCLEX and graduate-employment information on its achievement page, but the accessible page did not expose reliable numerical values, so no rate is stated here. Career services are available, yet students should compare current NCLEX outcomes, placement evidence, likely local wages, and any debt they would need to assume before enrolling.