BSN - Competitive Admission

COMPETITIVE ADMISSION FOR THE PRE-LICENSURE BSN

Admission to the undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is competitive. Students must meet the following criteria noted below to be considered for admission to the undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. Please note that meeting the requirements does not guarantee admission. From the applicants who meet minimum requirements, those who appear to be best qualified will be admitted. Admission will be offered conditionally pending completion of all requirements.

Students who enroll at the University of Iowa as Nursing Interest students, or transfer students earn admission to the College of Nursing via the competitive admission process. These students must complete designated prerequisites and apply for admission to the college after or while completing the final prerequisites for the nursing major. 

The College of Nursing will admit a cohort of up to 64 students who begin study in nursing each spring semester. Students who choose the University of Iowa directly out of high school will have five semesters to complete prerequisite courses. These students should anticipate a minimum 4.5 year plan of study.

Application Deadline for Competitive Admission Cohorts: September 1

For study beginning in the spring semester, all transcripts must be received at the University of Iowa by September 1.
 

Requiried at time of application:

1. Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA;
2. No lower than a “C” (2.0) in prerequisites and General Education requirements;
3. A minimum of 48 s.h. of completed collegiate course work;
4. Only one natural science prerequisite can be incomplete at the time of application. (All other natural sciences prerequisites must be successfully completed.) All natural science prerequisites must be completed within 10 years of matriculation (enrollment) in nursing major course work;
5. Two of the three social science prerequisites must be completed at time of application;
6. Applicants for whom English is not the first language also are required to present a TOEFL score of 550 or higher on the paper-based test or 81 or higher on the Internet-based test.

Required at time of matriculation/enrollment in the nursing major:

1. A minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA
2. A minimum of 64 s.h. of completed course work
3. All natural science prerequisites must be completed within the past 10 years
4. All social science prerequisites must be completed
5. All General Eduation Requirements must be completed:
        3 s.h. Literary, Visual and Performing Arts
        3 s.h. International and Global Issues
        3 s.h. Values Society and Diversity
6. All high school requirements must be completed; deficiencies in high school can be satisfied with collegiate course work

College of Nursing Policy on Recommendations:
Although not required, the College of Nursing will accept letters of recommendation for applicants to the BSN program. Letters of recommendation will be included with the applicant file. Since letters are not required in the application process, there is not a guarantee that the letters will be read by all faculty involved in the review of candidates. Students who wish to have letters of recommendation included with their application should choose professional references who can speak candidly regarding the students ability/future potential as a nurse.

Specifically for Transfer Students

Students who are completing pre-requisites for the pre-licensure BSN program at a different college/university should begin with a transcript evaluation.  This information from this free service will be invaluable to you as you prepare to meet the requirements for time of application and time of matriculation (enrollment) in our program should you be selected for admission. 

Transcript Evaluation:

1.  Collect transcripts from all institutions where you have completed collegiate course work.  Scan the documents so that they can be attached to an e-mail (pdf or word document please).  For a transcript evaluation, we do not need to see official transcripts .  When you apply for admission official transcripts will be required.
2. Send an e-mail to linda-myers@uiowa.edu  and attach all transcripts. Please write Transcript Evaluation Request and your name in the subject line.   In the text of the e-mail please note whether you completed one year of physics in high school and number of years of which world (foreign) language that you completed in high school.
3. An evaluation will be completed of your record and will be returned to you electronically.

To search and identify comparable courses at another institution, please utilize our transfer equivalency database available at:  https://isis1.uiowa.edu/isis/courses/transfer.page