Several accredited universities and online learning platforms offer pathophysiology as a fully online course, most of them self-paced. The most popular options among pre-nursing and pre-health students include Portage Learning, the University of New England (UNE), Doane University, and StraighterLine. Which one is right for you depends on your budget, how quickly you need to finish, and whether your program will accept the credits.
Top Online Pathophysiology Providers
Portage Learning is one of the most flexible options. Their pathophysiology course (BIOD 331) is worth 3 credits, entirely self-directed, and available to start any day of the year. There are no fixed semester dates or cohort start times. You register and begin immediately, working through the material on your own schedule.
University of New England (UNE Online) offers a 100% online, self-paced pathophysiology course with a 16-week completion window. New sections open on the first and third Wednesday of each month, and you can register through their self-service portal at any time up until noon on the Monday before your chosen start date. Because the course is self-paced, many students finish well before the 16-week deadline. UNE is a regionally accredited university, which makes its credits widely accepted by nursing and health science programs.
Doane University runs self-paced 16-week pathophysiology courses through its Open Learning Academy. Tuition is $1,407 for the course, and new terms begin roughly every month. Upcoming start dates include March, May, June, and July of 2026, giving you frequent on-ramps throughout the year.
StraighterLine takes a different approach. It’s not a university but an online learning platform whose courses carry credit recommendations from the American Council on Education (ACE). StraighterLine courses are fully asynchronous and tend to cost less than university-based options. The trade-off is that credit transfer is limited to StraighterLine’s network of partner institutions, so you’ll need to verify acceptance with your specific program before enrolling.
What the Course Covers
Pathophysiology is a lecture-based course. Unlike anatomy and physiology, it does not typically include a lab component, which is one reason it translates so well to online formats. The coursework focuses on how diseases disrupt normal body function: how cells respond to injury, how the immune system misfires in autoimmune conditions, how cardiovascular disease develops at the tissue level, and similar topics across every major organ system. Expect module-based readings, quizzes, and proctored exams rather than hands-on lab work.
Prerequisites You’ll Need
Pathophysiology is an upper-level science course, and virtually every provider expects you to have completed anatomy and physiology (A&P I and II) before enrolling. Some programs also recommend or require a general biology course. If you haven’t finished A&P yet, most of these same platforms offer it online, so you can complete the entire prerequisite sequence through one provider if that simplifies your transcript.
How Much It Costs
Pricing varies significantly. Doane University charges $1,407 for its pathophysiology course. UNE and Portage Learning fall in a similar range for individual prerequisite courses, typically between $900 and $1,500 depending on the credit load and any additional fees. StraighterLine operates on a subscription model that tends to come in lower per course, especially if you move through the material quickly. Keep in mind that some programs charge additional proctoring fees for exams, which can add $30 to $100 to your total.
Will Your Program Accept the Credits?
This is the most important question to answer before you pay tuition. Credit transfer depends almost entirely on the school you’re transferring into, not the school you took the course from. Two things matter most: regional accreditation and your receiving program’s specific policies.
Regionally accredited universities like UNE and Doane generally have the smoothest transfer path. Most BSN, MSN, and PA programs accept coursework from other regionally accredited institutions, though some have additional requirements around course age (many won’t accept science courses older than five to seven years) or minimum grades (typically a B or C).
For platform-based providers like StraighterLine, transfer works differently. Their credits are ACE-recommended rather than granted by a regionally accredited university, so acceptance is limited to their partner school network. If your target nursing program isn’t a partner, the credits may not transfer.
A practical tool worth knowing about: Transferology.com. Schools like the University of Illinois Chicago direct prospective students to this site to check whether specific courses from specific institutions will transfer. The tool categorizes courses as matches, maybes, or misses. If your target program uses Transferology, you can verify your course will count before you spend a dollar. If the tool isn’t available, contact the admissions office of your receiving program directly and ask them to confirm in writing that the course will satisfy their pathophysiology requirement.
Choosing the Right Option
If you need maximum scheduling flexibility and want to start immediately, Portage Learning’s open enrollment model is hard to beat. If you prefer the weight of a well-known university name on your transcript, UNE is the most established option in the online prerequisite space and is widely recognized by health science programs. Doane offers a middle ground with frequent start dates and transparent pricing. StraighterLine works best if your target program is already in their partner network and you want to keep costs low.
Whichever route you choose, confirm credit acceptance with your receiving program first. A quick email to admissions can save you months of frustration and hundreds of dollars.