
Denver College of Nursing is a specialized nursing college in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 2004 as the Denver School of Nursing, it later adopted its current name. Its development has centered on nursing education rather than expansion into a broad range of academic fields.
That history matters to applicants: the college's academic pathways, facilities and student services are organized around preparing students for nursing practice or further nursing study. Applicants comparing it with a comprehensive university should evaluate the nursing program they intend to enter, not assume the two institutions offer the same range of courses or campus activities.
Denver College of Nursing organizes its academics around nursing rather than multiple colleges or faculties. Its offerings include prelicensure nursing pathways and options for registered nurses pursuing further education, including bachelor's- and master's-level study.
These pathways serve different applicants. A prelicensure student needs a program designed to meet the educational requirements for initial registered-nurse licensure; an already licensed RN considering a degree-completion or graduate program should compare its curriculum, clinical expectations and delivery format separately. Nursing coursework also depends on supervised clinical learning, so applicants should examine the current catalog for prerequisite courses, clinical placement rules and progression standards.
The college reports 20 full-time and 127 part-time faculty members. Those counts describe employment status, not the number of instructors assigned to any particular course or clinical group.
Denver College of Nursing is located in Denver, Colorado, in an urban setting. Its downtown location can be useful for students who commute, but nursing students should plan around both trips to class and travel to assigned clinical sites.
Clinical schedules may begin earlier or end later than ordinary classroom hours, and a placement may not be near campus. Applicants should ask how clinical sites are assigned and consider transportation, parking and travel time before committing to a schedule.
Denver College of Nursing's stated educational purpose focuses on preparing nurses through classroom instruction and clinical education. That nursing-specific mission is more useful to applicants than a general promise of career success: it points to the need to assess how a particular program develops clinical judgment, professional practice and readiness for its next credential.
The college's stated aims should not be read as proof of an individual outcome. Prospective students can test how those aims are put into practice by reviewing the current curriculum, clinical requirements, student support policies and program-level outcomes.
Name of the institution
Denver College of NursingLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
City: LargeInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
Under 1,000School type
Comprehensive higher education institutionMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
OtherFoundation year
2003Denver College of Nursing is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Master's degreeData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.