University of Montevallo Nursing Program Receives CCNE Accreditation

November 3, 2026

The University of Montevallo Nursing Program received accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in recognition of the quality and integrity of the program at a recent CCNE Board of Commissioners meeting.

The CCNE is recognized as a national accreditation agency for nursing programs by the U.S. Department of Education.

Nursing faculty spent 18 months on curriculum development, program evaluation and implementation of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education to prepare for their initial accreditation evaluation that took place in March 2026.

“This achievement validates the quality and academic excellence of our nursing program and provides us with national recognition,” said Dr. Crystal Bennett, dean of the UM College of Health Professions. “I am so proud of our nursing faculty who worked together with me to ensure we were prepared and ultimately successful with our accreditation self-study process.”

At the CCNE Board of Commissioners meeting, the board determined that the program substantially complied with all four accreditation standards. The board additionally determined that there are no compliance concerns with respect to the key elements.

The UM Nursing program received a $1 million federal appropriation last spring to fund state-of-the-art lab and simulation equipment, and also saw its first ever degree candidate graduate in May 2026 and accept a position as a labor and delivery nurse at Grandview Medical Center. The program currently has 28 students enrolled in nursing coursework and 67 pre-nursing students who have declared nursing as a major.

The UM Nursing program received full approval by the Alabama Board of Nursing in the spring of 2024 and offers both Pre-licensure BSN and RN to BSN degree tracks.

Applications for enrollment for fall 2027, including Early Acceptance applications for high-performing high school seniors, are now open. Start the application process here.