Iona University

Iona University’s nursing program is designed to meet the urgent demand for highly skilled, compassionate RNs. The traditional four-year BSN is a direct-entry program that integrates a values-based liberal arts core with rigorous clinical science. For career changers, Iona offers a 16-month Accelerated BSN (ABSN) that fast-tracks the transition into nursing for those with a prior non-nursing degree. Graduate students can pursue an MSN with tracks in Nursing Education or Healthcare Organizational Leadership, both recently earning CCNE accreditation in late 2025. The BSN curriculum requires 125 credits, emphasizing interprofessional education (IPE) where nursing students collaborate with peers in occupational therapy and social work to simulate real-world team-based care.

The program's "crown jewel" is the Kelly Center for Health Sciences on the Bronxville campus, which opened in 2023. This 32,000-square-foot facility features five high-fidelity simulation rooms, virtual reality suites, and "bedside skills" labs that replicate the exact environments found in NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals. Students use advanced manikins that mimic human physiological responses to practice everything from routine assessments to emergency triage. Clinical rotations begin in the second year, providing nearly three years of hands-on experience at NewYork-Presbyterian facilities—the only Magnet-recognized healthcare system in New York to achieve this honor across all its hospitals. This partnership ensures that Iona students are not just observing, but are being actively recruited by the system before they even graduate.

Compared to other New York programs, Iona stands out for its small clinical ratios and its #5 national ranking among Catholic colleges for student experience (WSJ, 2026). The university also provides a $3,000 annual Health Professions Scholarship for ABSN students. Admission is competitive, with successful BSN applicants typically holding a 3.6 high school GPA, while ABSN applicants must have a "B" or better in key science prerequisites like Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology.