STANDARD ADMISSION FOR THE PRE-LICENSURE BSN

The College of Nursing recognizes that not all students have completed the requirements for direct admission out of high school and that there are many students who change their majors or pursue a second degree in nursing. The college is committed to offering an equal number of seats to students who follow this pathway. This program is competitive. Students must meet the minimum criteria noted below to be considered for admission to the pre-licensure undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Please note that meeting the requirements does not guarantee admission. Each application is holistically reviewed by faculty. 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 Standard 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 80 students who begin the nursing major 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.

Eligibility Application Process Application Deadlines Admission TOEFL Requirements Transfer Students

ELIGIBILITY FOR STANDARD ADMISSION TO THE COLLEGE OF NURSING

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL STANDARD ADMISSION APPLICANTS STARTING STUDY IN SPRING 2026 (apply in spring 2025) AND LATER:

1. Student must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA;

2. Student must be on track to complete a minimum of 48 s.h. at the end of application semester;

3. Student must have completed the following natural science* prerequisites (or comparable courses) with a grade of “C” (2.0) or higher: 

   • CHEM:1070 Gen Chem I 
   • CHEM:1080 Gen Chem II 
   • BIOL:1141 Human Bio: Health Professions 
   • And, at least one of the following: 
     • ACB:3110 Principles of Human Anatomy 
     • HHP:1300 Fundamentals of Physiology 
     • MICR:3164 Microbiology for Health Professions 
     • HHP:2310 Nutrition & Health 

*All natural sciences must have been completed within 10 years of matriculation (enrollment) in the nursing major. 

4. Completion of at least one of the following social science prerequisites (or comparable courses) with a grade of “C” (2.0) or higher: 

   • PSY:1001 Elementary Psychology 
   • NURS:1030 Human Development & Behavior 
   • SOC:1010 Intro to Sociology OR SOC:1030 Contemporary Social Problems 

Students must complete ALL prerequisites and degree requirements except nursing courses prior to enrollment/matriculation in the nursing major. A comprehensive list of prerequisites can be found here. These include:

1. General education courses (1 of each) in:

   • Literary, Visual and Performing Arts (LVPA)
   • International and Global Issues (IGI)
   • Values & Culture (VC) or Diversity & Inclusion (DI) – Note - Diversity & Inclusion courses are only available at the University of Iowa

2. Other courses:

   • STAT:1020 Elementary Statistics and Inference
   • RHET:1030 Rhetoric
   • NURS:3111 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Health Professions

3. All high school requirements must be completed; deficiencies in high school can be satisfied with collegiate course work.

4. World Language requirement must be completed. Applicants for whom English is not the first language please see TOEFL information below.  

Current University of Iowa students should verify all requirements are met by reviewing their Degree Audit.

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APPLICATION PROCESS

Current University of Iowa students should fill out the Change of College application located in MyUI. These students should work closely with their academic advisor to ensure they are on target for meeting all of the eligibility and admission requirements.

New transfer students should fill out the transfer application to the University of Iowa and select the College of Nursing. Click on the Transfer Admission Application to begin. Note that we only accept Standard Admission applications for the spring semester.

The Change of College and New Transfer application will open each cycle on December 1.

All complete Standard Admission applications will be reviewed by the faculty admission committee. Admission is competitive, thus, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

APPLICATION COMPONENTS FOR STANDARD ADMISSION

The Nursing application includes several essay questions and an opportunity to share about your activities, and work and/or volunteer experiences.

The essay questions are a very important part of your application. We recommend you prepare responses in a separate document (using Microsoft Word or a similar program) and paste them into the supplemental application. Preparing your response in a separate document will allow you to check your spelling and save your responses should you want to refer to them at a later date. Each essay question has a 1,500-character limit. A space is considered a character.

The Nursing application includes an opportunity to share about your activities and work and/or volunteer experiences. Applicants are encouraged to share several activities they have been involved in within the past five years with the faculty review committee as this information is an equally important part of the faculty review process.

As you respond to the essays and share activities, work, or volunteering experiences, be sure to articulate how these opportunities have developed you as a person and how this contributes to your ability to be a nurse in the future.

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APPLICATION DEADLINES

The application deadline is March 1 (typically during a student’s second year).

In order for an application to be reviewed, students must meet all of the eligibility criteria and submit official transcripts. Transcripts must be received at the University of Iowa Office of Admissions by March 1.

Please have official transcripts mailed to:

    Enrollment Management
    2900 University Capitol Centre
    201 S. Clinton St.
    Iowa City, IA 52242

Electronic transcripts can be sent to admissions@uiowa.edu; however, for transcripts to be considered official, they must be sent directly from the student’s school.

Students are typically notified of admission decisions in early summer.

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ADMISSION

FACTORS CONSIDERED FOR ADMISSION

The following factors are considered by the admissions committee while reviewing applications. This list is not all inclusive. It is in alphabetical order and does not designate order of importance:

• Academic Preparation, including GPA
• Advanced Placement/Honors/Dual Enrollment Credit
• Demonstrated commitment of service to others
• Contribution to the College of Nursing commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Essay responses
• Experience that develops qualities that contribute to becoming a nurse
• Experience in caregiving
• Military service
• Understanding of Professional Nursing Practice

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POSSIBLE FALL START
In the rare event that seats become available in a fall-start cohort, the College of Nursing will consider offering a fall start to students who have applied and been selected for admission for Standard Admissions for the spring session and who meet the following criteria:

1. Meet all published admissions standards, including a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
2. Have a minimum of 90 s.h. earned toward a degree, or have already earned a non-nursing undergraduate bachelor’s degree
3. Have completed all prerequisites, including DEI for Health Professions, general education coursework, world language, and the physics requirement by June 1 of the application period

If you meet these criteria, please contact your academic advisor for guidance in developing an appropriate plan of study.

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TOEFL REQUIREMENT FOR ADMISSION TO THE COLLEGE OF NURSING

International students seeking admission into the College of Nursing for either Direct Admission or Standard Admission must meet the requirements listed for that pathway. International students who are citizens of a country in which English is not the official language also are required to complete the following:

• For students (early admission or transfer) who are new to the University of Iowa and admitted directly to the College of Nursing as a pre-licensure BSN student, a score of 100 on the iBT TOEFL is required.
• University of Iowa students who are interested in studying nursing at Iowa, but have not yet earned admission to the College of Nursing must present a minimum iBT of 80 with no subscore lower than 17, and complete the English Proficiency Evaluation (unless they have a TOEFL score of 100 or higher on the iBT). Students may be required to complete English as a Second Language course work if specified as a result of the English Proficiency Evaluation. If such course work is required, it must be completed prior to the start of the nursing major.
• Exemptions may be granted for persons who have completed a bachelor’s degree (or higher) at an accredited university in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada (excluding French Quebec), Africa (English speaking), Australia, or New Zealand.

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TRANSFER STUDENTS

PLANNING 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 coursework. Scan the documents so that they can be attached to an email (pdf preferred). 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 email to nursing-programs@uiowa.edu and attach all transcripts. Please write "Transcript Evaluation Request" and your name in the subject line.
3. In the text of the email, please note whether you completed one year of physics in high school, the number of years of which world (foreign) language that you completed in high school, and the list names of all institutions where you have completed collegiate coursework.
4. An evaluation will be completed and returned to you electronically. 

Finding Comparable Courses: To search and identify comparable courses at another institution, please utilize our transfer equivalency database, which is available at myui.uiowa.edu/my-ui/courses/transfer Or see our College of Nursing Transfer Guides for course equivalencies at select Iowa and Illinois community colleges.

Questions?
Please contact the college's advising staff in the Felton Student Success Center in the College of Nursing at 319-335-8216 or nursing-programs@uiowa.edu

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