Principles of Statistics
Self-paced online Principles of Statistics course (Statistics 101). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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RN to BSN in Arkansas: the general education credits you can finish online
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
An Arkansas RN finishing a BSN usually needs general education as well as nursing courses. The university decides which outside credit it will consider, not the Board of Nursing. Statistics, composition, psychology and humanities are where ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit is most often considered, so ask the university in writing first.
Who decides what counts
The Arkansas State Board of Nursing approves curricula and programmes under A.C.A. 17-87-203. It does not decide which general education credit a university will count toward a BSN. That is the university's call, and it differs from one school to the next.
So the first step is the same everywhere: get your BSN plan from the university, see which general education blocks are still open, and ask in writing whether it would consider a named outside course for each one.
Where the gaps usually are
Many Arkansas RNs come through an associate degree at a community college. NWACC's associate route, for example, already includes College Algebra, Composition I and II, General Psychology and Human Growth and Development. A BSN usually asks for more general education on top.
If you finished your associate degree some years ago, or in another state, the open blocks are often statistics, a social science, a humanities course and upper-level electives.
- Statistics: often required before a nursing research course.
- Composition: a second writing course if only one is on your transcript.
- Social science: sociology or another psychology course.
- Humanities: philosophy, ethics, art history or literature.
UPI Study courses that line up with those blocks
These general education courses on UPI Study match common BSN blocks. Each needs a written yes from your university before you start.
- Principles of Statistics, for a statistics requirement.
- English Composition 1 and 2, for writing.
- Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Psychology, for social science.
- Principles of Philosophy, Art History 1 and American Literature, for humanities.
- Medical Terminology, sometimes useful as an elective.
How the credit reaches the university
A UPI Study certificate is not a college transcript. The credit travels via a college transcript: TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, and once a partner places the credit on its transcript, that transcript goes to your university.
Ask your university two things in the same email: whether it would consider the course, and whether it would take the credit from that partner college's transcript. Then you know the whole route before you pay.
What this article does not cover
Nursing courses and clinical work in a BSN come only from the BSN programme. UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited, and it has no Microbiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition, Human Growth and Development or Organic Chemistry. If your plan still needs one of those, take it at an Arkansas college; NWACC, for example, lists $110 per credit hour in-district plus general fees.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your Arkansas nursing programme in writing whether it would consider each course, including each online lab, before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Does the Arkansas Board of Nursing set RN to BSN general education?
No. The board approves curricula and programmes under A.C.A. 17-87-203. General education for a BSN is set by the university that grants the degree, and each university decides which outside credit it will consider. Ask the university's RN to BSN advisor in writing, with the course name and the college that would transcript it.
Which general education courses are most often considered?
Statistics, composition, introductory psychology and sociology, and humanities such as philosophy or literature are where ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit is most often considered. Your university may still say no, so ask before you enrol, and check whether it caps the credit you can bring from outside.
Can I fit these courses around shift work?
Yes, the courses are self-paced, so you can study around twelve-hour shifts. PRO is $99 a month for every course, so the cost depends on how many months you take. Plan the order with your advisor so the courses you finish are the ones the university already said it would consider.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
English Composition 2
Self-paced online English Composition 2 course (ENG 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Introduction to Sociology
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask your programme first; then study only the courses it said it would consider.
Sources
- A.C.A. 17-87-203 Powers and duties (Nurse Practice Act, current through the 2025 session), Arkansas Department of Health (official)17-87-203(8) and (11): the board prescribes minimum standards, approves curricula for programmes preparing RNs and LPNs, and approves programmes that meet the chapter. It does not rule on where a student took a prerequisite. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- NWACC: Nursing Program LPN/Paramedic to RN Bridge Application (official)Prerequisites MATH 1203, ENGL 1013, PSYC 2003, BIOL 2214, BIOL 2224, MBIO 2014, NURS 9313; C or better, first two attempts only; 2.75 GPA; NLN entrance exam on the Bentonville campus; MATH 1203 and A&P no older than five years; extra selection point for A&P and Microbiology taken at NWACC; outside transcripts on record by May 1. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- NWACC Treasurer's Office: fees and tuition (official)In-district tuition $110 per credit hour, out-of-district $172, plus general student fees per credit hour (learning support $15, technology $15, facility $2, library $3, health and wellness $4, public safety $4). The page gives no academic year. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.