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Undergraduate Admission Requirements

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School of Nursing Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the requirements for undergraduate university admission, applicants must meet the requirements for admission into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, as listed below.

  1. Submit a university application to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Indicate on the application that the student wishes to be a nursing major. Include in the application the following additional documents:
    • Copies of all high school and college transcripts
    • Letters of recommendation as required by the university and the School of Nursing
  2. Prior to beginning the first clinical course in nursing, students must submit a report of a physical examination including two-step TB test, Hepatitis B immunizations, MMR titer, Varicella titer, and tDAP booster.
  3. Complete all applicable prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better including the following:
    • One year of high school chemistry (or CHEM 101 Introduction to Chemistry)
    • One year of high school biology (or BIOL 101 Fundamentals of Biology)
    • Two years of high school math (algebra or geometry). A math place ment test is required un less it is waived by an SAT 1 math score of 540+ or ACT math score of 23+. The College Algebra course requirement is waived by a SAT 1 math score of 600+ or an ACT math score of 26+, but does not grant credit for the course.
    • Students with a verbal SAT 1 score below 580 must take a writing placement test in English during registration. SAT 1 verbal score does not waive the Freshman Writing Seminar requirement. An AP English score of 3 or better waives the Freshman Writing Seminar course.
  4. Achieve a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.0.
  5. Students are not eligible for admission to the School of Nursing until they have successfully completed anatomy with lab (four units) and organic chemistry with lab (three units). Upon current APU enrollment and completion of the above prerequisite courses, students must apply to the School of Nursing by submitting a School of Nursing Intent to Apply form available in the School of Nursing office. Deadlines to apply are September 30 for spring admission and January 31 for fall admission.
  6. Students will not be accepted into the School of Nursing if they have lower than a C- grade in anatomy or organic chemistry. In these situations, the student is allowed only one opportunity to repeat the class to try to raise his/her grade.
  7. Students must submit proof of current CPR with AED certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS for Health Care Providers) for adults and children from the American Heart Association.
  8. Prior to beginning the program, if a student is admitted by APU and meets prerequisites for admission to the School of Nursing, but is not accepted into the nursing program, he/she must reapply to the School of Nursing by submitting a School of Nursing Intent to Reapply form. Deadlines to re-apply are September 30 for possible spring admission and January 31 for possible fall admission.

Current APU Students

Current APU students may apply to the undergraduate program, and must meet the admission requirements. Due to limited space availability, meeting admission criteria does not guarantee admission to the program.

Transfer Students

In addition to meeting the requirements for undergraduate university admission, the transfer applicant must meet the requirements for admission into the nursing program, as listed below.

  1. Submit an application to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions with copies of all college transcripts.
  2. Submit letters of recommendation as required by the university and School of Nursing.
  3. Submit to the School of Nursing a one-page statement of professional goals in nursing and a list of work and volunteer experience within the past two years in a résumé format.
  4. Prior to beginning the first clinical course in nursing, students must submit a report of a physical examination including two-step TB test, Hepatitis B immunizations, MMR titer, Varicella titer, and tDAP booster.
  5. Meet all applicable prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better including the following:
    • One year of high school chemistry (or CHEM 101 Introduction to Chemistry) and college organic chemistry with lab
    • One year of high school biology (or BIOL 101 Fundamentals of Biology) and college anatomy with lab
    • Two years of high school math (algebra or geometry). A math placement test is required unless it is waived by an SAT 1 math score of 540+ or ACT math score of 23+. The College Algebra course requirement is waived by a SAT 1 math score of 600+ or an ACT math score of 26+, but does not grant credit for the course.
    • Students with a verbal SAT 1 score be low 580 must take a writing placement test in English during registration. SAT 1 verbal score does not waive Freshman Writing Seminar requirement. An AP English score of 3 or better waives the Freshman Writing Seminar course.
  6. Achieve a minimum cumulative college or university grade-point average of 3.0.
  7. Submit proof of current CPR with AED certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS for Health Care Providers) for adults and children obtained through the American Heart Association.
  8. If a student is admitted to APU but not accepted into a nursing program/course, including UNRS 105 or UNRS 270, he/she must reapply to the School of Nursing by submitting a School of Nursing Intent to Reapply form. Deadlines to re-apply are September 30 for possible spring admission and January 31 for possible fall admission.
  9. Transfer students with nursing credit must meet the requirements for applicants above, plus:
    • Submit a letter of recommendation/academic standing from the dean/director of the previous school of nursing.
    • Submit course syllabi and catalog descriptions for all courses for which nursing transfer credit is requested.
  10. Transfer applicants who have completed college nursing courses in nationally accredited nursing or other health care programs are evaluated individually and given credit for courses that meet the requirements. Up to 70 units of community college credit, and additional units from a university (per registrar’s approval) may be transferred. When sufficient documentation is not available, some nursing courses may be challenged by the applicant. Students with transferable nursing courses must take UNRS 270 Theories and Concepts in Professional Nursing prior to any other nursing course at APU except UNRS 220 Health Assessment, which may be taken concurrently.

International Students

In addition to the requirements for undergraduate university admission, international students are required to meet the same academic and admission requirements as other students.

  1. International students must complete Freshman Writing Seminar, one of the four required sciences taken at an accredited U.S. university with a minimum grade of C, and achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 in all college courses completed at Azusa Pacific University after two semesters of full-time enrollment.
  2. The admission requirement for international students with English as a second language (ESL) is a minimum TOEFL score of 550. The School of Nursing specifies that the TOEFL Test of Written English (TWE) and TOEFL Test of Spoken English (TSE) be included in the TOEFL assessment score since these are critical to success in nursing.

    Note: If the student has taken the iBT (Internet-based TOEFL) the required score is under discussion. Please check with the School of Nursing for the admitting score.

If there are no TOEFL scores of written and spoken English, the student will be referred to Azusa Pacific University’s American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI) for successful completion of evaluation and required testing. If deemed necessary, additional ESL courses may be required. (Information about taking the TOEFL examination can be obtained by contacting the International Center.)

Accelerated RN to BSN Students

For Accelerated RN to BSN admissions requirements, visit www.apu.edu/caps/rnbsn/admission/requirements/ .

Note: This information is current for the 2008-09 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. To view 2009-10 program information, please refer to the Academic Catalogs page. For additional information, please contact the appropriate office.