Top Tennessee Nursing Schools for Online RN to BSN Completion

Magnet hospitals and academic health systems in Tennessee increasingly list a BSN as a hiring preference or a within-four-years condition of employment, which pushes ADN and diploma nurses back to school while they keep working full shifts.

That creates a scheduling problem more than an academic one. Every program discussed here delivers coursework entirely online, with no travel to campus required, so hybrid tracks that mandate on-site visits are set aside. Formats run from eight-week terms at the public flagships to rolling-admission private colleges, and per-credit rates swing hundreds of dollars between schools.

For many nurses the real lever is employer tuition assistance, which can absorb a meaningful share of the bill before the first course even starts.

Top 100% Online RN to BSN Programs in Tennessee, Ranked for 2027

Tennessee nurses have more fully online RN to BSN options than they sometimes expect, from flagship public universities to private colleges with rolling admissions. The ten programs below all deliver their coursework entirely online, and they range widely in cost, pace, and how much credit they will award for what you already know. Each entry shows the institution's average net price after aid and the share of its students who graduate.

Tennessee RN to BSN Tuition Comparison: Per-Credit Rates and Total Program Cost

The number that decides what your completion degree actually costs is the per-credit rate attached to the online nursing track, not the annual full-time tuition a university advertises to traditional freshmen. RN to BSN students rarely enroll full-time, rarely live on campus, and rarely pay the fees bundled into a published sticker price. Compare credit hour to credit hour instead.

Published rates and required nursing credits

• King University (private, flat online rate): $350 per semester hour, with a reduced $250 rate published for active military students and those using tuition assistance. Major coursework runs 36 credits, which puts tuition at roughly $12,600 before fees. A $65 background check charge and a $40 insurance fee are billed separately.
• University of Memphis (public): The online nursing core is 30 credits, and nursing courses carry a $40 per-credit-hour course fee layered on top of base tuition. Ask whether that fee applies to every course in your plan.
• Tennessee Tech (public): Listed nursing coursework totals 30 credits, but plans are built individually from your transcript and RN license, so the credits you are billed for may come in lower.
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville (public): The pathway awards 26 proficiency credits for prior nursing preparation alongside 34 hours completed online, which shrinks the number of credits you pay full price for.
• Tennessee Wesleyan University (private): 64 nursing credits sit inside a 120-credit degree, 33 of them upper division, with escrow and challenge credit covering a sizable block.¹

Do the multiplication yourself

Take the per-credit rate for your residency status, multiply it by the nursing credits your advisor confirms after a transcript evaluation, then add per-credit online or nursing course fees as a separate line. Memphis is the clearest example of why fees belong in their own column: a $40 charge across 30 credits adds $1,200 that no tuition table shows.

Where the spread shows up

Public in-state per-credit rates in Tennessee typically land well below private flat rates, though several schools do not post a dedicated online RN to BSN rate and will quote it only on request. That gap matters less than it looks. A private flat rate like King's applies the same whether you live in Bristol or out of state, while a public school's nonresident rate can erase its in-state advantage entirely. Request a written per-credit quote and a credit count from every program before you commit.

What Is the Cheapest RN to BSN Program in Tennessee? Net Price at the Lowest-Cost Schools

Austin Peay State University in Clarksville is the cheapest RN to BSN option in Tennessee by net price, averaging $9,735 a year after grants and scholarships. Net price is an institution-wide average for undergraduates after grant aid, not a quote for the RN to BSN track. A working RN taking a short online completion sequence may pay a very different total, so use these figures alongside the per-credit tuition table above before deciding.

How ADN Credits Transfer and What Clinical Work Looks Like Online

A credit audit is how an RN to BSN program turns your associate coursework and nursing license into a tally of what you have already earned and what remains. The math differs by school, so it helps to see how a few Tennessee programs build the degree.

The Credit Math

Tennessee Tech's BSN totals 120 credits. Up to 32 can transfer in from an associate nursing program, 30 are online nursing courses, and 58 are general education. Through the Tennessee Mobility Act, qualifying students may receive credit for more than half of the upper-division nursing courses, and experiential credit may apply to community health and leadership/management content.

UT Knoxville awards 26 proficiency credits for prior learning and then delivers 34 credits of online coursework. The school does not spell out whether those credits come from licensure, ADN work, or other learning. King University's major is 36 semester hours across nine courses. It accepts an ADN as meeting general education only if the degree includes at least 26 general education hours, with a transferable course in humanities or fine arts, social or behavioral science, and natural science or math.

Tennessee Community College Transfer

The Tennessee Board of Regents general education core is 41 semester hours and transfers as a block among public institutions.¹ Completed categories transfer too, so you generally avoid retaking English, math, or science. UT notes that TBR-institution graduates already meet its general education requirement. Graduates from other systems and diploma nurses may need extra courses.

Tennessee Transfer Pathways are 60 hours: 41 of general education and 19 of pre-major or elective credit.² They are reviewed every five years.² They do not guarantee that a nursing course will substitute for a specific BSN course, so the nursing credit decision still belongs to the university.

What Clinical Work Looks Like

Most online RN to BSN programs use a practicum rather than bedside rotations. Typically that means a community or public health project, completed locally and often at your own workplace. UT's clinical course falls in the second semester and can be done virtually or near home. ETSU runs three continuous semesters, fully asynchronous except for one course, NRSE 4026, in the final semester. Out-of-state students there may need to complete clinical hours with a Tennessee institution or agency because of state rules.

Practicum hours and preceptor rules vary, and no single statewide standard applies. Ask each admissions office whether its practicum is project-based or requires a preceptor, and how many hours it requires.

A Practical Tip

Before you apply, request an unofficial transcript evaluation. It shows how many credits the school will actually accept and what you would still owe, which lets you compare programs on real timelines and costs.

Tennessee RN Licensure and the Nurse Licensure Compact

RN to BSN in Tennessee: Questions Nurses Ask Before Applying

Most working nurses weigh the same few issues before choosing a program: cost, time, clinical expectations, and how the degree fits their next career step. These answers pull together the key points from this guide and look ahead to graduate school and early enrollment options.

Fastest and Most Affordable Ways to Finish an Online BSN in Tennessee

What is the quickest realistic route to a BSN while you keep working shifts? For most Tennessee nurses, the answer is about one year, but treat that as a best case, not a promise.

Realistic Timelines

Most schools publish only an "as little as" figure for full-time study, and part-time timelines are rarely stated. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Tennessee Wesleyan University both list 12 months. Tennessee Tech reports 3 to 4 semesters, with year-round, self-paced enrollment. King University offers 3 to 6 semesters, so a heavier load finishes sooner and a lighter one stretches out. Tennessee State University lists 2 to 3 semesters, but its program is currently on hold, so confirm status before planning around it.

Term Length and Your Schedule

Term length changes the feel of the work. King uses 7-week courses and UT uses 8-week courses, so you take one or two classes at a time and finish them before the next begins. That suits nurses with rotating schedules, because a hard stretch at work affects one short course rather than a whole semester. A traditional 15-week semester spreads the same content out but keeps several classes running at once.

Cutting Time and Cost Together

Speed and savings usually go hand in hand, since every extra term adds fees and delays your pay bump.

• Transfer credit: Finish general education requirements before you start, and send all transcripts early. Every credit that transfers is one you do not pay for again.
• Accelerated terms: Short, back-to-back courses reduce the number of terms you pay fees on.
• Flat-rate or self-paced tuition: Where a school offers it, as Tennessee Tech's self-paced format may, a faster pace can lower total cost. Ask each school how it bills.
• Employer support: Ask HR about tuition assistance before enrolling.

King's 36 semester hours is a useful benchmark when comparing total credit loads. For more options beyond Tennessee, see our fastest RN to BSN programs and affordable RN to BSN programs hubs.

Admission Checklist for Tennessee Online RN to BSN Programs

Requirements differ by school, so confirm each item with the program's admissions office before you apply. Most Tennessee programs expect the following.

1. Active, unencumbered RN license

   King University accepts a Tennessee or multistate compact license. King offers provisional admission to new ADN graduates who have not yet taken the NCLEX-RN, but they must pass during the first semester. UT Knoxville offers conditional admission while licensure is pending.
2. ADN or nursing diploma, plus transcripts

   The University of Memphis requires an ACEN-accredited associate degree or diploma. Tennessee State University and UT Knoxville look for 60 credit hours of prior coursework. Have transcripts from every college you attended ready to send.
3. Minimum GPA

   Published minimums run from 2.0 at UT Knoxville to 2.75 at King. TSU and Memphis set 2.5, and Memphis also requires a 2.00 prerequisite science GPA. If you fall below a cutoff, ask admissions directly. King's provisional option covers NCLEX timing, not GPA.
4. Prerequisite courses

   Expect anatomy and physiology, microbiology, psychology and math. UT Martin requires a C or better. Memphis may accept science courses older than seven years with validation from your current employer, and it lets you finish its required math course after admission.
5. Clearance documents

   TSU requires a national background clearance, a 10-panel drug screen and liability insurance. TSU also bars applicants who failed any prior nursing course. Memphis requires a background check and CPR, and King requires CPR certification.

Typical Pay for Registered Nurses in Tennessee

Earning a BSN can open doors to leadership and specialty roles, but it helps to know what Tennessee RNs earn today.

More Fully Online Tennessee RN to BSN Programs to Consider

Beyond the programs ranked above, several more Tennessee schools offer fully online RN to BSN coursework, and they are grouped below by the part of the state where each campus sits. These entries are a directory, not a ranking. Each one notes the campus location, the delivery format, and the institution's average net price after aid, which is a school-wide figure rather than a program-specific cost, so treat it as a rough comparison point rather than an exact tuition quote.

West Tennessee

Middle Tennessee

East Tennessee

Related Articles