Research College of Nursing

Key Highlights

• Operating private nursing college with separate Higher Learning Commission accreditation
• Founded in 1905 as a hospital-based nursing school
• Current degree authority is limited to the bachelor’s level
• MSN program closed in December 2024
• New 78,000-square-foot academic facility opened in 2026

Student Life & Environment

Student life is organized around a small, professionally focused nursing community. Academic support includes program-specific advising, subject and writing tutoring, facilitated study groups, academic-success planning, workshops, study rooms, and access to skills laboratories. Students can also borrow selected clinical equipment. The Goods Bank supplies donated food, household items, and school supplies, while enrolled students have free confidential access to WellConnect counseling and consultation services. Organizations emphasize nursing, leadership, service, and peer connection. Options listed in 2026 include the Research Student Governing Board, Student Ambassadors, Nurses of Faith, Earth Lovers, a recreational book club, and parenting-student gatherings. Eligible high-performing students may be invited to the Upsilon Tau chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. Campus events include professional-development activities, service projects, wellness programming, and nursing ceremonies. The college does not currently offer on-campus housing. Students must arrange rentals in the Kansas City area, and the college states that it does not vet or endorse landlords. The campus has a student lounge, study areas, food and coffee access through Research Medical Center, security patrols and escorts, accessibility support, and services for pregnant and parenting students. Prospective students should expect a commuter-oriented environment shaped more by classes and clinical shifts than by residential-campus traditions.

Location & Surroundings

The college is located at 2110 East Meyer Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, immediately beside Research Medical Center. Its new academic building opened in 2026 and places classrooms, laboratories, study areas, and clinical resources within a healthcare-campus setting. The location is south of central Kansas City rather than in the downtown university district. Proximity to Research Medical Center allows some students to move between class and clinical activity without a cross-city trip. The broader Dedicated Education Unit network, however, extends to hospitals in several parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area, including facilities in Missouri and Kansas. Students are therefore expected to have independent transportation for clinical assignments; placement at the adjacent hospital should not be assumed. The institution describes free visitor parking beside the campus and controlled key-card access for students. As a nonresidential college, it does not provide a traditional campus neighborhood or university housing system. Students considering where to live should compare commute times to both the college and potential clinical sites, along with rental terms and transportation costs.

Costs & Career Outcomes

A complete official 2026–27 tuition and cost-of-attendance schedule was not located during research, so no older tuition figure should be treated as the price for a 2026 or 2027 entrant. Costs can vary by pathway and enrollment pattern, and nursing students should budget beyond tuition for any required testing, screening, health documentation, uniforms, supplies, licensure preparation, transportation, and living expenses. Applicants should request a cohort-specific written cost sheet and compare total program cost rather than a single per-credit figure. The college participates in federal student aid and directs applicants to file the FAFSA using school code 006392. Its aid page lists federal grants and loans, Research Foundation scholarships, and an HCA Midwest Health work-loan-forgiveness arrangement. The latter advertises 75% tuition coverage in exchange for a two-year RN employment commitment at an HCA Midwest Health facility. Students should review the signed agreement carefully, including eligibility, placement, repayment, and early-departure provisions, before treating this assistance as guaranteed savings. The curriculum prepares graduates to seek RN licensure through the NCLEX-RN. Clinical work within HCA Midwest Health can provide relevant experience and employer contact, but a clinical placement is not the same as a guaranteed job. The college advertises 100% employment within six months for graduates without publishing the cohort definition or methodology on the cited program page, so applicants should request the underlying outcome data and distinguish employment from licensure-pass results.