Research College of Nursing

What Research College of Nursing does

Research College of Nursing (RCoN) is a private, single-purpose nursing education institution founded in 1905 in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by HCA Healthcare since April 2003. It operates a portfolio of BSN-focused academic programs centered on the Traditional BSN (TBSN, 18-24 months), Accelerated BSN (ABSN, 12 months), and Fast Track BSN (12 months), supported by an online Pre-Nursing prerequisite track and an Explore RCoN summer enrichment program for high school students. The college enrolled students in a new $36.5 million, 78,000-square-foot facility on the Research Medical Center campus that opened April 2026 and features six hospital-grade simulation suites, MetaQuest 2 VR headsets running UbiSim software, Elevate Juno clinical skills simulators, and the co-located HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement.

The core business model is tuition-driven, charging $675 per credit hour for BSN programs with total program costs of approximately $49,670-$50,630 before financial aid. RCoN's primary commercial differentiator is its exclusive clinical training and employment pipeline partnership with HCA Midwest Health across seven hospitals, which provides Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) rotations, a Work Loan Forgiveness program covering up to 75% of tuition for students committing to two years of post-graduation HCA employment, and direct hiring access. Pricing for general education prerequisites is $400 per credit hour, with ancillary fees including ATI exam fees, clinical exchange fees, graduation/pinning fees, and various administrative charges. Reported outcomes include a 94% NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate (Class of 2024), 100% employment within six months of graduation, and 96% ABSN completion within one year.

The college holds accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the Missouri State Board of Nursing. It is led by President Amy Townsend (appointed August 2025), with a faculty team delivering instruction at a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. RCoN also receives HCA Healthcare capital support and a $117,428 grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development (April 2023), while having concluded a partnership with Rockhurst University in May 2022 and closed its MSN program in December 2024.

Name

Research College of Nursing

Legal name

Research College of Nursing

Website

https://researchcollege.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Research College of Nursing is a private Kansas City nursing school founded in 1905 and owned by HCA Healthcare, offering Traditional, Accelerated, and Fast Track BSN programs with exclusive clinical training through HCA Midwest Health's seven-hospital network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nursing Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Schools of Nursing (EDAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Nursing education
• BSN degree programs
• Clinical simulation training
• Accelerated nursing pathways
• Healthcare workforce preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: RCoN generates revenue primarily through tuition charges per credit hour for BSN programs. TBSN and ABSN programs charge $675 per credit hour plus technology fees. General education prerequisite courses are priced at $400 per credit hour. Additional fees include ATI exam fees ($960 per semester/term), clinical exchange fees, and graduation/pinning fees.
2. HCA Midwest Health Work Loan Forgiveness: The college partners with HCA Midwest Health to offer tuition assistance programs. Students can receive up to 75% tuition coverage in exchange for a two-year work commitment as an RN at an HCA facility after graduation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Research College of Nursing is a private nursing school in Kansas City, Missouri, that awards Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees through three primary pathways: Traditional BSN (18–24 months), Accelerated BSN (12 months for those with a prior non-nursing bachelor's degree), and Fast Track BSN (12 months for high-achieving students with 3.25+ GPA). The college also delivers a Pre-Nursing prerequisite track and an Explore RCoN summer enrichment program for high school students. Tuition is set at $675 per credit hour for BSN programs and $400 per credit hour for prerequisites, and up to 75% of tuition can be covered through the HCA Midwest Health Work Loan Forgiveness Program.

Product overview

Research College of Nursing offers a portfolio of nursing education programs centered around two primary BSN degree pathways: the Traditional BSN (18-24 months) and Accelerated BSN (12 months), plus a Fast Track option for high-achieving students without prior degrees. These programs are complemented by a Pre-Nursing track for prerequisite completion and an Explore RCoN program for high school students. All programs leverage the institution's state-of-the-art simulation facilities with VR training technology and are supported by clinical partnerships with HCA Midwest Health's network of hospitals through Dedicated Education Units. Student support services including academic advising, tutoring, the Student Success Center, Goods Bank, and counseling services (via WellConnect) support student completion. The institution graduated its first class in 1906 and has educated over 6,500 nurses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (TBSN)

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate (Class of 2024)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HCA Midwest HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2023HCA Midwest Health is RCoN's primary clinical education and workforce development partner. The partnership includes a $36.5 million investment in the new academic facility and co-location of the HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement on RCoN's campus. Students receive clinical training through the region's largest Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) network across seven HCA hospitals. The HCA Midwest Health Work Loan Forgiveness Program provides up to 75% tuition coverage for students who commit to two years of employment as RNs at HCA facilities after graduation. This partnership represents the college's primary pathway to student employment outcomes.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Simmons University: Boston-based university with a well-known direct-entry MSN for career-changers and traditional BSN; comparable accelerated nursing model targeting second-degree students.
• Frontier Nursing University: Specialty health professions university focused on nursing and midwifery with distance-based BSN and MSN pathways; comparable single-purpose nursing school with strong clinical placement network.
• Samuel Merritt University: Health-sciences university in Oakland, CA offering accelerated BSN and other nursing pathways; comparable single-purpose nursing/health institution with hospital-based clinical model.
• Galen College of Nursing: Nursing-focused college (now part of HCA Healthcare) offering accelerated and traditional BSN programs across multiple states; same parent (HCA) and competing in many of the same local markets.
• MGH Institute of Health Professions: Health-focused graduate institution with a direct-entry MSN program for career-changers; comparable single-purpose nursing/health model with hospital-system affiliation (Mass General Brigham).
• Chamberlain University: Large national nursing school offering accelerated BSN and online pathways, often cited as the most direct price-competitive alternative to RCoN for career-changers and second-degree students.
• University of Kansas School of Nursing: Major regional BSN/MSN/PhD nursing school in the Kansas City area; competes for the same BSN applicant pool and has a broader program portfolio that RCoN's trimmed-down offering must differentiate against.

Regional players

• Research College of Nursing peers — Saint Luke's College of Nursing: Kansas City–based nursing college (now part of Saint Luke's Health System) offering BSN programs; competes directly with RCoN for the same regional applicant pool and HCA/non-HCA clinical placements.
• Rockhurst University: Jesuit university in Kansas City with BSN program; previously partnered with RCoN (partnership ended in 2022) and continues to compete for BSN applicants in the same metro.

Broad incumbents

• Western Governors University (WGU) — Leavitt School of Health: Large online nonprofit university offering an RN-to-BSN and prelicensure pathway at significantly lower price points; primary disruptor to traditional private nursing programs on affordability.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6olh5Uwe3XZ-i6EAMczPbA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ResearchCollegeofNursing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/research-college-of-nursing
• Instagraminstagram.com/rconursing

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Research College of Nursing