Chamberlain University Brings a Flexible Path to Nursing in Nashville
If you're a CNA, medical assistant, patient care tech, or anyone else ready to move into nursing but need a more flexible and accessible pathway to do it, Chamberlain University's new Nashville campus is built for you. It's Chamberlain's first Tennessee location and 27th nationwide, offering day, evening, and weekend classes so you can earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) on a schedule that fits your life. Applications open September 9, 2026, with pre-licensure classes beginning January 4, 2027.
The program is designed for CNAs, medical assistants, patient care techs, and anyone else looking to move into a nursing career on a schedule that actually fits their life.
A State Short on Nurses
Tennessee is facing a widening healthcare workforce gap, according to the Covista Care Capacity Monitor 2026, fielded by Gallup:
- Statewide: more than 187,000 healthcare vacancies last year — up nearly 34% year-over-year — against just 4,502 job seekers, or 3.5 vacancies for every job seeker.
- In Nashville: 16.3 open healthcare positions for every healthcare graduate.
- Labor market overall: 25.7 healthcare vacancies for every job seeker each month — more than 11 times the national rate — with unemployment at just 0.8%.
- Trend: vacancies growing nearly 19% year-over-year, with no signs of slowing.
Built to Expand Access
Chamberlain's answer to that gap starts with who can get in the door. The Nashville campus offers day, evening and weekend classes, plus rolling admission up to six times a year—removing the scheduling barriers that keep working adults and career-changers from starting a nursing degree in the first place.
Amelia Manning, President of Chamberlain University, sees a clear pathway. "Chamberlain exists to build an accessible pathway to nursing and graduate extraordinary healthcare professionals who positively impact the wellbeing of the communities they serve," says Manning. "Every community has people who want to become a nurse, and a healthcare system that needs more of them, including in Nashville. We're proud to add capacity to the region so more people in the Nashville area can become the nurses their neighbors are counting on."
How the Program Works
Chamberlain's BSN program is tailored for students who have a life outside of school, with a structure grounded in three essentials:
- A clear three-year path: From day one, the program is mapped out step by step toward graduation and licensure.
- Hands-on simulation training: Students build clinical skills in a high-tech SIMCARE CENTER™, a realistic, supported environment designed to build confidence before working with actual patients.
- Real clinical experience: Direct patient care clinicals with local health system partners round out the training, so graduates step into the Tennessee workforce already practice-ready.
Dr. Virginia Ruth Corey, DNP, Dean of Academic Affairs for Chamberlain University Nashville, has seen the need firsthand. "I've spent time on both sides of this: in patient care and in the classroom. I know what it takes to prepare a student for the bedside from day one," says Dr. Corey. "Nashville is one of the fastest-growing cities and healthcare markets in the country, but growth requires talent that is ready to contribute immediately — and right now, this region, like much of the country, is facing a real shortage. Chamberlain gets those qualified and passionate people into healthcare education through flexible start dates and class times, along with hands-on clinical experience from the very beginning — so they graduate ready to care for patients on day one, right when this region needs them most."
AI Skills, Built Into the Curriculum
Chamberlain is preparing students not just for nursing as it exists today, but for where healthcare is going — and right now, that conversation is increasingly about artificial intelligence.
In partnership with Google Cloud, students can earn AI certificates built specifically for nursing. The goal isn't to make nurses into technologists. It's to make sure that when a graduate walks into a clinical environment that's using AI-assisted tools, they understand what they're looking at, how to use it, and how to think critically about what it tells them. That matters: 76% of healthcare executives say AI has a positive impact on care quality, and 73% say AI proficiency is a skill they actively look for when hiring clinicians.
Chamberlain brings the experience of serving approximately 40,000 students across a nationwide network and a community of more than 155,000 alumni, including 741 alumni already living and working in the Nashville area. Chamberlain isn't arriving as a competitor to the institutions already training nurses in Middle Tennessee—it's here to add capacity to a pipeline that isn't keeping pace with demand, educating nurses from within the communities they'll go on to serve. Chamberlain University was also recognized as a Carnegie Foundation "Opportunity College and University" in 2025, a designation for institutions that expand access to education and deliver strong economic outcomes for graduates.1 This recognition reflects Chamberlain Care®, a philosophy grounded in a simple belief: that the right support, at the right time, changes trajectories.
Accreditation and Recognition
Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org) — the kind of detail worth confirming before you commit years to a degree.
Full accreditation details are available at chamberlain.edu, so you can go into your decision with a clear picture of what you're signing up for.
How to Apply
Applications open September 9, 2026, for classes starting January 4, 2027. If you're ready to move on this, visit https://www.chamberlain.edu/nursing-school/tennessee/nashville get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Nashville campus open, and where is it located?
Chamberlain University is opening its first Tennessee location in Nashville and is currently accepting applications beginning September 9, 2026, for the January 2027 cohort, with pre-licensure BSN classes starting January 4, 2027.
What kind of scheduling flexibility does the program offer?
Chamberlain's Nashville campus offers day, evening and weekend class options, along with rolling admission up to six times a year—giving students more flexible ways to pursue a nursing degree around the life they already have.
Is the pre-licensure BSN program at the Nashville location accredited?
Yes. Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation.
1Applies to undergraduate students. Chamberlain's designation applies to campuses in AZ, FL, GA, IL, MO, OH, TX, VA, and IN.