Aspen University: short answers

Aspen University publishes programme totals of $14,750 for the RN to BSN, $20,875 to $21,150 for the MSN, $30,995 to $31,270 for the RN to MSN bridge and $39,030 for the DNP.

Aspen's Monthly Payment Plan charges $325 a month for bachelor's programmes, $415 for master's and $450 for doctoral, at a 0% fixed rate with no down payment.

Aspen's monthly payments continue until the programme total is paid. That works out at roughly 46 months for the RN to BSN, 51 for the MSN, 76 for the RN to MSN bridge and 87 for the DNP.

Yes. Aspen states that approval of its Monthly Payment Plan is contingent on consent to a soft credit inquiry and a minimum TransUnion credit score of 600. A soft inquiry does not affect your score.

Yes. Aspen describes its Monthly Payment Plan as a private education loan at a 0% fixed rate of interest with no down payment. It is private credit rather than federal financial aid.

Debt taken through Aspen's private monthly payment plan is not eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which applies to federal loans. Nurses at qualifying non-profit employers should weigh that before choosing.

No. Aspen's Monthly Payment Plan carries a 0% fixed rate of interest and requires no down payment, though it is a private education loan rather than federal aid.

Aspen's published totals cover tuition and standard fees. Budget separately for textbooks, licensure or certification exam fees, background checks and immunisations where required, and any course you retake.

Yes. Aspen University is institutionally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, and its BSN, MSN and DNP nursing programmes are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

No. Aspen holds national accreditation through the DEAC rather than regional accreditation. Its nursing programmes separately hold CCNE accreditation, which is what state boards of nursing require.

Yes. Aspen University is a real, accredited institution: DEAC-accredited as an institution and CCNE-accredited for nursing. The substantive question is whether its credits transfer onward, not whether the degree is genuine.

Yes. The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is recognised by the US Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. It is national rather than regional accreditation.

Generally yes, because employers look for CCNE programmatic accreditation, which Aspen's nursing programmes hold. Employer tuition reimbursement schemes are the exception, as some specify a regionally accredited institution.

Sometimes. Aspen is nationally accredited, and each regionally accredited university sets its own policy on accepting nationally accredited credit. Ask the specific institutions you might attend, in writing, before enrolling.

No. Licensure depends on CCNE programmatic accreditation, which Aspen's nursing programmes hold. The national-versus-regional question concerns moving credit between institutions, not the right to practise.

Aspen courses run eight weeks, with designated assignments due throughout the course rather than only at the end.

Aspen permits students to take up to three courses simultaneously, though it notes most students take one or two at a time.

Aspen course start dates fall on alternating Tuesdays of each month, so new intakes come round every few weeks rather than once or twice a year.

Yes. Discussion boards are part of Aspen's online classroom experience, so weekly posting and replying to peers is built into the workload rather than optional.

Yes, in some courses. Proctored examinations typically require photo identification, working camera and microphone equipment, and a permitted uninterrupted testing environment.

Aspen states that you receive a final course grade within seven business days of completing the course.

Aspen's RN to BSN is published at $14,750, which at the $325 monthly rate is roughly 46 payments, or about three years and ten months. Transfer credit shortens both the coursework and the bill.

Aspen's student portal is at my.aspen.edu. It holds records, course registration, transcripts, transfer credit and the monthly payment plan. Coursework is not there.

In Aspen's online classroom at classroom.aspen.edu, which runs on D2L Brightspace. It is a separate system from the student portal at my.aspen.edu.

Neither. Aspen's online classroom runs on D2L Brightspace at classroom.aspen.edu.

MPP stands for Aspen's Monthly Payment Plan, a private education loan at 0% interest with no down payment, approved subject to a soft credit inquiry and a minimum 600 TransUnion score.

At Aspen a term means the eight-week course window rather than a traditional semester. Registration forms asking which term you want are asking which eight-week block.

No. On Aspen's graduate nursing routes, securing a clinical site and preceptor is the student's responsibility. Aspen publishes no placement pledge of the kind Walden or Herzing offer.

Aspen's online nursing programmes are post-licensure, so an active, unencumbered RN licence is the fundamental requirement. Confirm current programme-specific criteria with Aspen directly.

No. Aspen's campus-based pre-licensure BSN has closed, so its remaining nursing programmes all require an existing RN licence. A first nursing qualification has to come from elsewhere.

No. Aspen University continues to operate. Its campus-based pre-licensure BSN in Arizona closed after NCLEX pass rates fell below the state minimum, but the online post-licensure nursing programmes still run.

Aspen's Arizona pre-licensure BSN reached a 58% NCLEX pass rate, below the state board's required minimum. It went onto disciplinary probation in 2022, then Aspen surrendered the programme's approval and taught out existing students.

No. The closed programme was pre-licensure, training people to become nurses. Aspen's online RN to BSN, MSN, bridge and DNP are post-licensure programmes for nurses who already hold a licence, and their students never sit the NCLEX.