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A nursing instructor demonstrates how to measure vaccines to Colby Sawyer nursing students.
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603.526.3700

Program Information

Joan G. Loftus
Director & Chair of Nursing,
Associate Professor
School of Nursing & Health Sciences
603.526.3795
jloftus@colby-sawyer.edu

 

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Colby-Sawyer College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a four-year, immersive program that prepares you for clinical work while fostering your interests in the traditional undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. As one of New Hampshire’s most distinctive, top-performing undergraduate nursing programs — with some of the highest first-time NCLEX pass rates — the Colby-Sawyer BSN program will give you world-class clinical experiences and hands-on training led by experts in nurse education. 

What Sets Our BSN Apart  

Colby-Sawyer is home to one of the state’s most distinctive, top-performing undergraduate nursing programs. If you care about the health and wellness of others, are passionate about math and science, enjoy working as part of a team, and are flexible and self-motivated, Colby-Sawyer’s immersive nursing program is the right place for you. 

Supportive Environment

At Colby-Sawyer, you'll develop close relationships with expert faculty in small classes. You'll be encouraged to be a leader in the classroom and across campus. Join that athletic team, club or organization and enjoy all the benefits of a vibrant, close-knit community.

World-Class Training

Hands-on training begins in Colby-Sawyer's nursing classrooms and laboratories where you will apply your knowledge in simulated, state-of-the art hospital and outpatient clinic rooms.

Comprehensive Preparation

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Colby-Sawyer combines clinical work at the world-class Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center with hands-on learning in campus classrooms and laboratories, and individual and group research. Our comprehensive program balances a top-notch nursing education with your other interests across the liberal arts and sciences.

The Janet Udall Schaefer ’52 Center for Health Sciences, located in the heart of the Colby-Sawyer campus, is a dynamic hub for academic and clinical training in nursing and health sciences. In this next-generation center — equipped with the latest hospital-grade instruments and devices — students perfect skills without compromising patient safety.  

When you study nursing at Colby-Sawyer, you gain the practical skills, knowledge and experience necessary to deliver the highest quality of care, and graduate with a well-rounded college experience that connects you on multiple levels with colleagues, patients and their families. 

NCLEX Success & Career Outcomes 

Colby-Sawyer nursing graduates consistently score above the state and national averages the first time they take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), a standardized exam designed to test the knowledge, skills and abilities of nursing graduates, required for licensure in all 50 states. That’s because Colby-Sawyer’s expert faculty begin preparing you for the NCLEX-RN during your first nursing course. 

Not only will you graduate well-prepared to begin your career — you’ll likely graduate with a job! The majority of Colby-Sawyer nursing graduates are offered positions prior to graduation at a variety of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, private practices and community-based healthcare organizations. 

97%

NCLEX
pass rate in 2025

No. 1

Best Undergraduate Teaching in 2024

U.S. News & World Report

$94k

Annual median
RN wage

100%

Graduates employed in their field within 6 months of graduation

BSN Admission Requirements

Application Deadlines

Minimum GPAs:

  • 2.7 overall  

  • 3.0 overall in math courses  

  • 3.0 overall in science courses

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the following classes prior to starting at Colby-Sawyer: 

  • First-year lab science 

  • Biology 

  • Chemistry 

  • Algebra 1 & 2 

  • Geometry 

Standardized tests are optional. Colby-Sawyer does not require the TEAS, HESI, SAT or ACT.  

Nursing students sit around a table discussing patient care in Colby-Sawyer’s Schaefer Center for Health Sciences.

Cost & Financial Aid  

Tuition and costs for undergraduates 

The college’s Financial Services Office provides a comprehensive overview of college costs for each program. The Financial Aid Office will work with you and your family to develop payment plans and discuss scholarships, grants, loans and work-study opportunities so that you can experience a Colby-Sawyer education. 

Available Scholarships   

The John and Heidi Grey Niblack ’68 Nursing Scholarship will provide four-year, full-ride scholarships to 16 talented first-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students — eight in fall 2026 and eight in fall 2027.  

The Live & Learn Local Scholarship is awarded to 15 students from local partner schools. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition for the students, provided they live on campus and participate in the Colby-Sawyer community. 

Additional scholarships and awards are available.  

BSN Curriculum  

Nursing Education That Builds on Foundations  

For more than 30 years, Colby-Sawyer’s nursing program has been recognized for its quality, integrity and high standards by state and national accreditation agencies. 

Our baccalaureate, master's and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education CCNE Board of Commissioners acted at its meeting Sept. 20-23, 2022, to grant accreditation to the baccalaureate and master's degree programs in nursing for 10 years, extending to Dec. 31, 2032. The DNP accreditation, which took effect in March 2025, extends to 2030. 

The baccalaureate nursing program is fully approved by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing. Pursuant to RSA 326-B:32 III(c), The NH Board of Nursing voted unanimously to fully extend Colby-Sawyer College’s Nursing Program approval from April 2022 to the next accreditation and BON visit in the spring of 2032.

Robust Experiences through Simulations and Clinicals  

At Colby-Sawyer, you’ll apply your classroom and laboratory learning to real-life medical scenarios in clinical settings. In the Gail Graham Lee ’62 Simulation Center at the Schaefer Center for Health Studies, you will practice care in medical-surgical, pediatric, intensive care, and labor and delivery environments. The 12 beds have patient-monitoring devices and manikins — which mimic human anatomy and physiology — that simulate various health conditions.  

Clinical rotations at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center will broaden your knowledge and skills, offer you a sense of the fulfillment that comes with providing exceptional healthcare, and give you an idea about the direction you’ll want to take in your nursing career. 

Nursing Specialities

When you’re a sophomore, expert faculty will assist you in the integration of nursing theory and practice in a clinical setting. As a junior and senior, two days each week, you’ll do clinical rotations that include pediatrics, obstetrics, medical/surgical and mental health. By the end of senior year, you will be fully engaged in a semester-long preceptorship, working one-on-one with a nurse-preceptor under the guidance of nursing faculty. Preceptorship settings have included hematology special care, post-anesthesia care, emergency department, cardiac intervention and pediatrics, among others. 

Colby-Sawyer’s active approach to nursing education helps you transition from the role of student nurse to professional nurse, building your confidence along with your skills. 

Frequently Asked Questions