If you are targeting Northeastern University’s Accelerated BSN at a Boston-area, Providence-area, or Charlotte site, start by mapping Northeastern ABSN prerequisites against your transcript. Second-degree and transfer applicants (62+ credits) face different course lists, but both share a hard science-lab rule, a 3.0 cumulative GPA floor, and NursingCAS admissions.
Important: Per Northeastern’s official prerequisites FAQ, prerequisite courses with a lab requirement cannot be fulfilled through online courses. That covers four courses: Microbiology with lab, A&P I with lab, A&P II with lab, and Introduction to Chemistry with lab. Plan in-person wet labs for those four at a local community college, university, or other counselor-approved campus. Non-lab courses (stats, social/behavioral, lifespan developmental psych, nutrition, and many transfer extras) may still be completable online from accredited schools after counselor review.
This guide turns Northeastern’s tables into a practical gap-fill plan. Where online coursework is allowed, PrereqCourses.com offers self-paced sections through Upper Iowa University (UIU), accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Credit appears on a UIU transcript. PrereqCourses does not guarantee that Northeastern or any program will accept a given course; final decisions rest with Northeastern ABSN Admissions and your counselor.
| Requirement | Credits | Lab? | Online lab OK? | Common gap-fill notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microbiology + Lab | 4 | Yes | No | In-person wet lab only |
| Human A&P I + Lab | 4 | Yes | No | In-person wet lab only |
| Human A&P II + Lab | 4 | Yes | No | In-person wet lab only |
| Introduction to Chemistry + Lab | 4 | Yes | No | In-person wet lab only |
| Statistics (inferential / hypothesis testing) | 3 | No | N/A (no lab) | Online candidate after counselor OK |
| Social / Behavioral Sciences (100+) | 3 | No | N/A | Online candidate; title VERIFY |
| Developmental Psychology (lifespan) | 3 | No | N/A | Must cover full lifespan |
| Nutrition | 3 | No | N/A | Online candidate after counselor OK |
Program snapshot: Northeastern’s Accelerated BSN runs as few as about 16 months, full-time, with January, May, and September starts. Northeastern ABSN GPA requirements include a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Every prerequisite needs C or better (no pass/fail). Applications run through NursingCAS. Transfer applicants (62+ credits) follow a longer list with a 5- vs 10-year recency split (table later). Official tables: ABSN prerequisites.
Northeastern accelerated BSN prerequisites serve two entry paths: (a) second-degree students with a non-nursing bachelor’s, and (b) transfer students with at least 62 college credits. Completing prerequisites elsewhere does not shrink the nursing credit load (bachelor’s path: at least 67 nursing hours at Northeastern; transfer: 71). Prerequisites do not count toward those nursing credits.
Sites: Boston area (Burlington, MA), Providence area (Fall River, MA), and Charlotte, NC. Official language frames the ABSN as hybrid coursework plus clinicals/labs inside the program, and treats it like a full-time job.
Related: guide to Massachusetts nursing prerequisites and accelerated nursing programs.
Maps to Northeastern’s bachelor’s-path list and, where eligible, to self-paced UIU options via PrereqCourses (~$675 for typical 3-credit / ~$695 for typical 4-credit lab; materials separate; courses begin on the 1st of each month). UIU courses with online labs do not satisfy Northeastern’s lab-bearing science rules.
Four credits with lab. Not online. Use an in-person wet lab at a counselor-approved campus. BIO 210 Microbiology with Lab is a UIU option for other programs that accept online micro labs. BIO 210 does not satisfy Northeastern’s microbiology lab rule.
Four credits each, both with labs. Not online. Sequence A&P I then II with in-person labs locally. BIO 270 and BIO 275 include online labs that do not satisfy Northeastern A&P. Mention them only for multi-school lists where another program accepts online A&P labs (see NYU Meyers tip below).
Four credits with lab. Not online. Register for Intro Chemistry or counselor-approved Gen Chem I with an in-person wet lab. CHEM 151 General Chemistry I is for programs that accept online chem labs. CHEM 151 does not satisfy Northeastern Introduction to Chemistry with lab.
Three credits; no lab. Northeastern specifies inferential stats and hypothesis testing. After counselor review: MATH 220 Elementary Statistics. VERIFY with your counselor that the syllabus covers inferential stats and hypothesis testing before you enroll.
Three credits at 100+; no lab. Online candidate after counselor review. Possible UIU fits: SOC 110 or PSY 190. VERIFY with your counselor which title and description satisfy the bachelor’s-path Social/Behavioral row before you register.
Three credits; must be lifespan (a dated Northeastern blog notes non-lifespan developmental psych would not count). UIU candidate: EDU 142 Human Growth, Development and Guidance. VERIFY lifespan coverage with your counselor and syllabus before enrolling.
Three credits; no lab. Online candidate after counselor OK: BIO 165.
No bachelor’s yet, but 62+ credits? Use the transfer table. Sciences still need in-person labs for Micro, A&P I/II, and Intro Chemistry.
| Requirement | Credits | Recency | Lab? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microbiology + Lab | 4 | 5 years | Yes (in person) | Online labs not accepted |
| Human A&P I + Lab | 4 | 5 years | Yes (in person) | Same |
| Human A&P II + Lab | 4 | 5 years | Yes (in person) | Same |
| Introduction to Chemistry + Lab | 4 | 5 years | Yes (in person) | Same |
| Statistics (inferential / hypothesis testing) | 3 | 5 years | No | MATH 220 candidate |
| Mathematical Thinking or Calculus | 3 | 5 years | No | MATH 120 Calculus I candidate; VERIFY title fit |
| Introduction to Psychology (100+) | 3 | 10 years | No | PSY 190 candidate |
| Developmental Psychology (lifespan) | 3 | 10 years | No | EDU 142; VERIFY lifespan |
| Nutrition | 3 | 10 years | No | BIO 165 candidate |
| Introduction to Sociology | 3 | 10 years | No | SOC 110 candidate |
| College Composition | 3 | 10 years | No | ENG 101 English Composition I candidate |
| Additional Elective | 3 | Science/math: 5 years; other: 10 years | Depends | Counselor picks titles |
VERIFY with your counselor whether MATH 120 satisfies Mathematical Thinking or Calculus for your transfer plan, and confirm each non-lab title before you enroll.
Northeastern’s prerequisites FAQ says counselors identify transferable credits, then: prerequisite courses with a lab requirement cannot be fulfilled through online courses.
Four lab courses (in-person only): Microbiology + lab; A&P I + lab; A&P II + lab; Introduction to Chemistry + lab.
What may still be online (accredited + counselor-approved; never a guarantee): Statistics; Social/Behavioral; Developmental Psychology (lifespan); Nutrition; and transfer extras without labs (math, intro psych, sociology, composition, many electives).
For Northeastern ABSN online labs, the answer is clear: do not use UIU online labs for Micro, A&P I/II, or Intro Chem. Use local in-person wet labs for those four. Use self-paced UIU non-lab courses only where modality rules allow and your counselor confirms the syllabus.
Background: do nursing programs accept online labs, ABSN prerequisites online, and online nursing prerequisites.
Tip: Lab rules differ by school. NYU Meyers requires an in-person chemistry lab but treats A&P and microbiology differently than Northeastern. If applying to both, read NYU Meyers ABSN prerequisites separately and map each school’s rules before you enroll.
Confirm tuition and fees only on Northeastern’s live admissions pages; do not rely on third-party quotes.
Northeastern ABSN admissions requirements (official pages):
Stick to materials listed on official admissions pages (goal statement, resume, two LORs). Ignore third-party claims of video essays or three letters unless your counselor confirms them.
Rolling admissions; decisions often within a few weeks of a complete file. Starts: January, May, September. Apps are usually due about two months before the first class day; VERIFY exact cohort deadlines with your counselor.
Apply with prereqs in progress (prefer official prerequisites page): Complete at least five requirements and be registered for the final three before applying. A dated blog also mentions final two in progress if finished two weeks before start. Prefer the 5 done + registered for last 3 rule; VERIFY the conflict with your counselor before you submit.
International: follow lawful permanent residence language, WES course-by-course evaluation, and TOEFL 100 when applicable (college code #3629).
Work backward from your start. Lock four in-person science labs first; stack self-paced non-lab UIU courses only where online lecture is allowed.
Scenario A: Bachelor’s holder missing all sciences. Schedule in-person A&P I/II, Microbiology, and Intro Chemistry with labs locally. After counselor OK, use UIU for Stats (MATH 220), Nutrition (BIO 165), Social/Behavioral (SOC 110 or PSY 190), and lifespan Developmental Psych (EDU 142; syllabus VERIFY).
Scenario B: Sciences older than the recency window. Retake with in-person labs (10-year bachelor’s; 5-year transfer for lab sciences). Do not reuse old online labs.
Scenario C: Already took online A&P, micro, or chem labs. Expect Northeastern will not count them. Plan in-person retakes for the four sciences; finish eligible non-lab gaps online.
Scenario D: Transfer path missing composition, sociology, intro psych, or math. Map ENG 101, SOC 110, PSY 190, and MATH 120 (VERIFY Mathematical Thinking vs Calculus) after counselor review, plus in-person labs for the four sciences.
Working adults: lock lab seats early, then stack UIU non-lab courses that begin on the 1st of each month (~$675 / ~$695; materials separate). Multi-school applicants: advisory service and exclusive self-paced courses for non-lab gaps only.
Yes. Official prerequisites page: complete at least five requirements and be registered for the final three before applying. Confirm timing with your counselor.
No. Prerequisite courses with a lab requirement cannot be fulfilled through online courses. Micro, A&P I, A&P II, and Intro Chemistry need in-person labs.
Often yes if accredited and counselor-approved. Not a guarantee of transfer or admission. Verify before you enroll.
Yes. The published minimum cumulative GPA is 3.0. Prerequisites still need C or better (no pass/fail).
Bachelor’s eight-course list if you hold a non-nursing bachelor’s. Longer transfer list (math, intro psych, sociology, composition, elective) if you have 62+ credits and no bachelor’s yet.
No. PrereqCourses does not guarantee acceptance, transfer, or admission. Courses are delivered by Upper Iowa University (HLC-accredited) on a UIU transcript. Northeastern ABSN Admissions decides. Never enroll in UIU online lab sciences expecting them to meet Northeastern’s in-person lab rule.
Map bachelor’s vs transfer, lock in-person labs for the four sciences, finish counselor-approved non-lab courses online where allowed, then submit NursingCAS. That is the practical path through Northeastern ABSN prerequisites and Northeastern nursing prerequisite courses.
Last verified: Wed Sep 23, 2026 (America/New_York / ET) against absn.northeastern.edu pages above. Policies can change; confirm with Northeastern before you enroll or apply. Contact on site footers: 866-892-3819.
