Who do I contact with questions?
First, we recommend you go to the RN-BSN website at www.nursing.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/rn-bsn [1]. This will answer many of your questions and give you needed information about transcript evaluations, prerequisites, application and admission requirements, and the nursing major courses.

Once you have looked at our website, the RN-BSN Program Office is a great resource to answer any questions you may have or for information about program requirements. Advising sessions are provided by email, phone, or face to face if needed. We recommend that you have a transcript evaluation completed prior to most advising sessions, as this will assure accurate answers to your questions. You may contact the RN-BSN Program Office
(nursing-rn-bsn@uiowa.edu [2]) at any time with questions or concerns.

How do I find out what courses I need for my BSN?
We recommend you begin by getting a transcript evaluation.

To do this, go to www.nursing.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/rn-bsn [1] and follow the two simple steps to get your transcripts evaluated. When your transcript evaluation is completed, it will be sent to you electronically. The evaluation will show what courses you need to complete (prerequisites, general education requirements, and electives) prior to filing at application for the RN-BSN program. You may complete all of your prerequisites, general education requirements, and electives at your local community college.

How do I find the general education requirement (GER) courses marked “X” on my transcript evaluation?
Go to the course equivalency database http://isis5.uiowa.edu/isis/courses/transfer/sisearch.page [3].

Find the institution you are searching in the 1st drop-down box. In the UI College drop-down box put College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. In the Summer 2011 or later drop-down box put in the GER you are searching for (Literary, Visual & Performing Arts, International & Global Issues, Values, Society & Diversity, etc.). Hit Search. A list of courses that transfer to Iowa for this particular requirement will come up. You can take any of these courses to fulfill this particular GER.

How do I find the general education elective (GE) courses marked “X” on my transcript evaluation?
Go to the course equivalency database http://isis5.uiowa.edu/isis/courses/transfer/sisearch.page [3].

Find the institution you are searching in the 1st drop-down box. In the UI College drop-down box put College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. In the Summer 2011 or later drop-down box select “all evaluated courses”. Hit Search. These are all courses that transfer to Iowa as general electives with the exception of the courses that say “Career & Technical” or “Career Development”. Do not take any Career & Technical or Career Development courses, as they are Vo-Tech courses and do not transfer to Iowa for the BSN degree requirements.

How do I find a course to fulfill the statistics requirement?
Go to the course equivalency database (http://isis5.uiowa.edu/isis/courses/transfer/sisearch.page [3]) Search Quantitative/Formal Reasoning GER. The lower level statistic courses MAT156 or MAT157 will fulfill the BSN requirement.

Lower level statistic UI Courses:

22S:025(STAT:1020) Elementary Statistics & Inference
7P:025 (PSQF:1020) Elementary Statistics & Inference

If you are planning to further your nursing education to the graduate level at the College of Nursing, you will need an upper level stats course within 5 years of beginning your graduate program. The upper level stats course would fulfill the BSN and Graduate stats requirement.

Upper level statistic UI Courses (on line):

22S:102 (STAT:5543) Introduction to Statistical Methods
7P:143 (PSQF:5143) Introduction to Statistical Methods
171:161 (BIOS:5110) Introduction to Biostatistics

How do I find Iowa nursing elective courses?
Go to ISIS at http://isis5.uiowa.edu/isis/courses/search.page [4]. In the Course Subject box put 96. To the right, click the box Continuing Education Courses and Workshops. On the left at the bottom click on Search. Any course that meets all of the following criteria is a nursing elective:

• Course # in the range of 096:000 to 096:199
• Course extension letters EX (i.e. 96:000:EXZ or 96:000:EXW)
• No “restrictions” in red under the Notes section

Nursing students must complete the nursing elective courses in one semester (same semester you register) regardless if these are Guided Independent Study (GIS) courses. To register for Iowa nursing elective courses do the following:

Admitted students: Register on ISIS https://login.uiowa.edu/uip/login.page?service=https://isis6.uiowa.edu/isis/ [5]. If prompted by ISIS, contact the RN-BSN Program office for assistance with authorization to register.

Prospective students (not admitted): Complete the online Registration Pre-Authorization form at http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/ccp/NewStuNon.htm [6] or contact the Center for Credit Programs Office at 1-800-272-6430 or go to their website at http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/ccp/ [7].

When should I apply to the University of Iowa?
Once you have competed all prerequisites and general education requirements at your local community college, you are ready to apply (deadline is April 30th). You can apply with courses in progress in the spring semester; however, you must submit an official transcript to Admissions showing all coursework completed with grades by May 30th. If the transcript is not at Admissions by May 30th, your admission file will be incomplete and will not move forward to the admission committee. Our program begins in the Fall.

To find our online application and more detailed information, go to www.nursing.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/rn-bsn/admissions [8].

What are the application and admission requirements?
Prior to application, you must have 9 semester hours (s/h) of prerequisites and 12 s/h of general education requirements (GERs) completed.

Prior to matriculation (beginning the nursing major), you must have 5 s/h of general education electives (GEs) completed. The remaining 6 s/h of GEs must be completed before you register for the community/public health practicum.

The minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) admission requirement is 3.0. Because the University of Iowa uses a cumulative GPA for admission purposes, you need to be aware that the cumulative GPA is made up of all college-level work. Therefore, any vocational-technical courses (nursing courses) you completed at a technical or community college do not directly transfer and are not figured into the cumulative GPA.

For more detailed information about our prerequisites, GER and GE requirements see our website at www.nursing.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/rn-bsn/prerequisites [9].

What are the foreign language requirements?
The foreign language requirement must be fulfilled prior to beginning the community/public health practicum and is determined by the year you graduated from high school. For more detailed information about your foreign language requirement see our website at www.nursing.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/rn-bsn/prerequisites [9].

How long is the RN-BSN program?
The nursing major is 32 s/h and is essentially online and begins in the fall. We offer two plans of study; a full-time plan (3 semesters) and a part-time plan (5 semesters). For more detailed information and to look at our sample plans of study go to www.nursing.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/rn-bsn/plans [10].

How do I find out about program revisions or course updates?
Because we are an online program, our most current and up-to-date information will be on our website at www.nursing.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/rn-bsn [11]. It is recommended you check the site at least every semester for any important updates.

Am I eligible for scholarships and awards?
Once admitted, students can be considered for scholarships and awards administered by the College of Nursing . Also, there may be clubs and professional organizations in your community that provide scholarships directly to individuals. Such scholarships may be applied to University of Iowa tuition.

The University of Iowa 's Center for Credit Programs Office also offers scholarships to non-admitted students taking online or Guided Independent Study (GIS) courses. Check their website for information about these scholarships: www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/ccp/stuserv/ss_scholarships.htm [12]

Tuition reimbursement for RN-BSN students is sometimes available from your employer. If this is a benefit you are eligible for, please note that we are happy to assist you in providing verification of registration to your employer. If official verification is required, we can direct you to the Office of the Registrar for official university verification.

Would it be a good idea to visit the campus in Iowa City?
As a prospective student, you may or may not be familiar with the UI campus. We enjoy welcoming students to the Iowa City campus and especially hope you will visit the College of Nursing building. Although many of our students do not live and work in the Iowa City area, if you find that you will be in Iowa City for personal or professional reasons and will have time to stop by the Nursing Building, we hope you'll do so. You are always welcome.

There are a number of occasions when you are especially invited to visit the Iowa City campus. Each spring semester, members of the student nursing organization, along with the honorary nursing society Sigma Theta Tau, plan and present a special event called Progressive Nursing Day. A nationally recognized nursing leader is always invited as a keynote speaker and there are panels and discussion opportunities to complement the speaker's theme. There is also a recruiting and academic fair as part of the day. This is a great time to meet nursing students and faculty and to participate in a nursing continuing education event all at the same time.

Many RN-BSN students are recognized for academic achievement while they are in the College of Nursing. The College of Nursing is pleased to sponsor one of the oldest chapters of Sigma Theta Tau in the country and each year invites highly qualified students to join this prestigious honor society. The induction ceremony for Sigma Theta Tau is a very special day for honored students and their families.

Commencement is another special day that we would not want you to miss. This very special event is on campus each May for nursing graduates. Students who complete requirements in December have the opportunity to participate in a combined Liberal Arts/Nursing commencement held on campus. The University of Iowa also confers degrees during the summer session.

We hope to welcome you soon to the College of Nursing. We are here to assist you in meeting the challenges that await you as you begin your journey in completing your BSN, and hope you’re your journey will lead you on to one of our highly ranked graduate nursing programs.