| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Online only; no campus. Course-based terms or Tempo Learning (competency-based, flat rate per 3 months) |
| Offices | Academic offices: 100 Washington Avenue South, Suite 1210, Minneapolis, MN. Administrative offices: 6100 Merriweather Drive, Columbia, MD. No classes at either |
| Owner | Covista Inc. (NYSE: CVSA), named Adtalem Global Education until February 2026; Adtalem bought Walden from Laureate Education in 2021 |
| Credentials | Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates; no trade certificates or diplomas |
| Students | 54,851 in the quarter ended 30 June 2026; more than 83% at master’s or doctoral level |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission (HLC); HLC added a “Governmental Investigation” designation on 27 November 2023; check HLC’s site for its current status |
| Federal aid | Yes (federal school code 025042) |
| Who can enroll | Students across the U.S. except Connecticut residents; some licensure programs exclude other states |
| Facts checked | 10 October 2026 |
An online university owned by Covista, mostly for graduate students
Walden University is a private, for-profit online university. It awards bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates rather than hands-on trade training, and more than 83% of its students study at master’s or doctoral level. Its owner, Covista Inc., reported 54,851 Walden students in the quarter ended 30 June 2026, up 14.0% from 48,116. Covista was called Adtalem Global Education until February 2026, and Adtalem bought Walden from Laureate Education in 2021. The programs closest to this site’s career focus are the RN-to-BSN and MSN for nurses who are already licensed, healthcare administration, public health, criminal justice, business administration and the licensure-track counseling master’s. Many business, accounting, finance, marketing and computing degrees no longer accept new students.
Nursing, health, business, criminal justice and counseling degrees
| Program | Credential | Length | Delivery | Prepares for | 2026 tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | BS | 181 quarter credits; Walden says as few as 48 months | Online, course-based or Tempo | — | $360 per quarter credit, or $2,900 per 3 months (Tempo) |
| Business Administration | MBA | — | Online | — | $630 per quarter credit |
| Criminal Justice | BS; MS | — | Online; BS also Tempo | — | BS $360, MS $570 per quarter credit |
| Healthcare Administration | BS; MHA (CAHME) | — | Online | — | BS $360, MHA $545 per quarter credit |
| Public Health | BS; MPH (CEPH) | — | Online; BS also Tempo | — | BS $360, MPH $545 per quarter credit |
| Nursing (RN-to-BSN) | BSN completion | 181 quarter credits (180 Tempo); as little as 9 months with maximum transfer | Online, course-based or Tempo | Licensed RNs only; no NCLEX | $365 per quarter credit, or $3,750 per 3 months (Tempo) |
| Nursing (MSN) | MSN | BSN entry 53–63, RN entry 79–89 quarter credits | Online; NP tracks course-based only | Nurse-practitioner certification exams (NP tracks) | $505–$785 per quarter credit |
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling; School Counseling | MS (CACREP) | — | Online | State counselor licensure; school counselor credential | $550 per quarter credit |
Tuition is from Walden’s student handbook, rates effective 23 February 2026 (Tempo rates from 2 March 2026); a dash means the sources we used give no figure. Walden also enrolls in social work (BSW, MSW and DSW, all CSWE-accredited), human services, psychology and education, which this page does not tag. Programs now listed in the catalog as not accepting new students include the BS in Accounting, BS in Healthcare Management, BS in Information Technology, BS in Computer Information Systems, MS in Accounting, MS in Finance, MS in Marketing and MS in Software Engineering.
What the main programs cover
BS in Business Administration
The catalog splits the 181 quarter credits into 46 general-education credits, 40 core credits, 90 elective credits and a 5-credit capstone. Up to 135 credits can transfer in (125 for Virginia residents), and Walden’s program page says students can finish in as few as 48 months. Students choose course-based quarter terms (next start 12 October 2026) or Tempo Learning (next start 2 November 2026). The concentration list differs between the catalog and the marketing page, so ask an enrollment adviser which concentrations are open before relying on one.
BSN completion for registered nurses
This is a degree-completion program, not a route to an RN license: students need an associate degree or diploma in nursing, and block transfer requires an active, unencumbered RN license. It runs as 181 quarter credits course-based or 180 through Tempo, with Walden quoting as little as 9 or 10 months respectively for students who bring maximum transfer credit. Course-based classes start every six weeks. The RN-BSN-AIM track adds three MSN courses.
MSN and nurse-practitioner tracks
The MSN takes 53 to 63 quarter credits for BSN holders, or 79 to 89 for nurses entering with an associate degree or diploma (a conferred nursing degree is required). The nurse-practitioner specializations are adult-gerontology acute care, adult-gerontology primary care, family, pediatric primary care and psychiatric mental health, offered course-based only and presuming an active RN license. Non-NP tracks cover nursing education, nurse executive, informatics and public health nursing. Field-experience rules vary by state, and Alabama has its own APRN requirements.
Counseling master’s degrees
Both counseling degrees are graduate programs for people who already hold a bachelor’s, and both are CACREP-accredited; a combined clinical mental health and school counseling dual degree is also offered. Walden’s counseling data for fall 2024 to summer 2025 count 974 clinical mental health graduates and 209 school counseling graduates. Because licensure is set by each state, Walden publishes a state-by-state chart, and it warns that students who move to another state may be unable to obtain licensure there.
2026 tuition per credit and how students pay
| Program (course-based) | Per quarter credit, from 23 Feb 2026 | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Most bachelor’s programs (business administration, criminal justice, public health, healthcare administration) | $360 | $350 |
| BSN completion (RN-to-BSN) | $365 | $355 |
| MSN, education, executive, informatics and public health nursing tracks | $505 | $500 |
| MSN, nurse-practitioner specializations | $785, plus $80 per credit clinical fee on NP practicum courses | $775 |
| MBA | $630 | $620 |
| MS in Criminal Justice | $570 | $560 |
| MHA and MPH | $545 | $535 |
| MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and MS in School Counseling | $550 | $535 |
| Program fee | $185 per quarter | — |
Figures are from Walden’s undergraduate and master’s tuition pages in its student handbook. Walden charges the same rates in every state; there is no in-state or out-of-state difference. Tempo Learning instead charges a flat rate for each three-month subscription from 2 March 2026: $2,900 for the business administration, criminal justice and public health bachelor’s degrees, $3,750 for the BSN, $3,100 for the MBA and $4,000 for new MSN, MHA and MS in Criminal Justice students, plus the $185 program fee each period.
Walden takes part in the federal student aid programs (school code 025042), including Pell Grants, Direct Loans and Grad PLUS loans. New students in many programs receive the Believe & Achieve Scholarship. Service members, veterans, VA employees and their spouses get that scholarship plus an extra 10%, or a 10% tuition discount for the whole program where the scholarship does not apply. Walden says it is a full participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program and accepts Tuition Assistance.
Admissions, start dates and state limits
Course-based programs run in quarter terms (a few in semesters), and BSN classes start every six weeks; Tempo Learning starts about once a month. Bachelor’s students can transfer in up to 75% of their credits (135 quarter credits, or 125 for Virginia residents). Walden says it is unable to accept applications from Connecticut residents, and programs that lead to a license (nurse practitioner, counseling, social work, teaching) depend on the student’s state, so check the program’s state chart before applying.
HLC accreditation and published results
Walden is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). On 27 November 2023 HLC added a “Governmental Investigation” designation for Walden, because the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into its doctoral programs; HLC’s notice says the university remains accredited and that the designation implies no conclusion. We found no published outcome of that investigation and could not confirm whether the designation is still listed, so check HLC’s site for its current status. Programmatic accreditors include CCNE (BSN, MSN, DNP), CACREP (the counseling master’s), CSWE (social work), CEPH (MPH, through 1 July 2032), CAHME (MHA, initial accreditation) and ACBSP (business). ABET’s computing accreditation covers only the BS in Information Technology, which no longer accepts new students.
| Measure | Result | Group and source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation within 150% of normal time, graduate | 35% (7,769 of 22,388) | Master’s starters 2019-20, EdS 2017-18, doctoral 2016-17; Walden consumer information |
| Retention to the second term | Undergraduate 74%; graduate 80% | 2022-23; same source |
| Nurse-practitioner certification pass rates (MSN) | 81% to 88% by specialty (family NP 85%) | Three-year average 2022 to 2024, all test-takers; same source |
| NCE pass rate, MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 63% | Fall 2024 to summer 2025; Walden School of Counseling data |
| Employed or in a doctoral program, clinical counseling graduates seeking work | 57% | Same period and source |
| Praxis pass rate, MS in School Counseling | 91% | Same period and source |
Walden publishes no school-wide job placement rate. In surveys, 86% of responding students said they were satisfied (2023) and 82% of responding alumni said the degree enhanced their professional competence (2024); these count only people who answered. The BSN completion program does not lead to the NCLEX, so no NCLEX pass rate applies.
DBA settlement and borrower-defense claims
A class action filed in federal court in Maryland in January 2022 over Walden’s Doctor of Business Administration program alleged that Walden misrepresented the program’s capstone credits and costs. The parties agreed a $28.5 million settlement in September 2023; it received final approval after a fairness hearing on 17 October 2024 and was paid on 27 November 2024, according to the owner’s annual reports (Adtalem for 2025, Covista for 2026).
Covista’s 2026 report also counts 9,031 borrower-defense applications concerning Walden, filed between 23 June and 15 November 2022, that the Department of Education had notified it of as of 30 June 2026. So far the Department has approved none of them and has not sought repayment from Walden, and Walden says none states a valid claim.
Before you enroll
- This is a university, not a trade school. Walden awards degrees and certificates online, and most of its students are in master’s or doctoral programs. It offers no hands-on trade certificates or diplomas.
- Walden cannot make you a registered nurse. Its nursing programs are for nurses who already hold a nursing degree or diploma and an RN license; there is no pre-licensure program.
- Licensure depends on where you live. The clinical counseling master’s does not meet North Dakota’s requirements and is not offered in New York, Puerto Rico or Rhode Island, and Walden warns that students who move may be unable to obtain licensure in their new state.
- About a third of graduate students finish within 150% of normal time. Walden reports a 35% rate (7,769 of 22,388) for its graduate cohorts; we do not give an undergraduate figure because the published counts do not match the published rate.
- Many programs have closed to new students. The accounting, finance, marketing and software engineering degrees and the undergraduate computing degrees no longer enroll new students, so check a program’s status in the catalog before you apply.
What students say on Niche
On Niche, Walden has 4.1 out of 5 from 3,406 reviews (checked 10 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise a flexible format that fits around work and family, responsive faculty and advisers, and coursework they can apply in their jobs. The common complaints are cost, billing holds and payment problems, uneven instructor responsiveness, and administrative and scheduling irritations, such as commencement only twice a year and deadlines set on Central Time.
Sources
Checked 10 October 2026: Walden catalog · Undergraduate tuition · Master’s tuition · Tempo Learning tuition · Accreditation and state authorization · HLC public disclosure notice (Nov 2023) · Consumer information · School of Counseling data
Programs & Courses
Business
- BS in Business Administration (course-based or Tempo)
- MBA
Criminal Justice and Law
- BS in Criminal Justice (course-based or Tempo)
- MS in Criminal Justice; MS in Criminal Justice Leadership and Executive Management
- Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice
Healthcare Administration
- BS in Healthcare Administration
- Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA)
- BS in Public Health (course-based or Tempo)
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
Healthcare and Nursing
- BSN completion for licensed RNs (RN-BSN and RN-BSN-AIM tracks)
- MSN, including nurse-practitioner specializations (licensed RNs)
Social Services
- MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- MS in School Counseling
Campus Locations
100% Online