Admission Requirements
Admission to this academic program is limited and based on space availability, and competitiveness of the applicant pool. The School of Nursing reserves the right to limit the size of its entering class, therefore merely applying to the program and meeting or exceeding the stated minimum GPAs does not guarantee admission into the nursing program. Conditional acceptance will be issued by mid-April for fall and by mid-July for spring admission. Final acceptance will be issued once the final grades of C or better are received for all of the required prerequisite courses and the minimum prerequisite and cumulative GPA requirements are still upheld. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their materials are received in the School of Nursing. Applications received after the deadline will be viewed on a space-available basis. Applications are available on the School of Nursing website.
Direct Entry Admission
Direct Entry into the Bachelor of Science in nursing program is awarded to highly qualified incoming freshmen. Please refer to the SIUE Direct Entry website for enrollment criteria. To be considered for direct entry, prospective freshmen must submit a completed university undergraduate admission application by December 1. Candidates should list nursing or “still deciding in nursing” as their intended major on their university application. Students do not need to submit a school of nursing application.
Selection to the nursing program is guaranteed, provided the student satisfies prerequisite course work in the first year at SIUE and maintains the following criteria:
- A grade of C or higher in all prerequisite courses
- A minimum 3.0 prerequisite GPA (including prerequisite courses taken at SIUE or transfer) calculated at the end of the fall semester (freshman year) and again at the end of the spring semester (freshman year)
- For honors students, the prerequisite GPA will include HONS 120 and 121 in lieu of ENG 101, ENG 102 and ACS 101 or ACS 103. HONS 100 (spring semester) will not be included in the prerequisite GPA, but will be included in the cumulative GPA.
- A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA (credit earned at SIUE) is required for admission.
Pre-nursing course advisement will be conducted by School of Nursing advisors.
Traditional Admission (high school or transfer students)
Nursing applications are accepted beginning mid - September for fall and early February for spring admissions. The deadline date for application is February 1 for fall admission and June 1 for spring admission.
An application to the School of Nursing will be considered complete and ready to be reviewed for admission when all of the following criteria are met:
- Admission to the University by the established deadline dates above (requires submission of a University application and $40 university application fee).
- Completed nursing application on file in the School of Nursing by the application deadline dates for fall and spring admissions.
- Successful completion of the six admission prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better. These six prerequisites must be completed by the end of the fall semester in order to be considered for a fall admission, and by the end of the spring semester to be considered for a spring admission. The required prerequisites for admission are ENG 101, ACS 101 or ACS 103, CHEM 120A/124A, PSYC 111, and BIOL 140 (or a higher biology prerequisite, BIOL 150 or BIOL 240A or equivalent).
- Students must have a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (including transfer credit as well as credit earned at SIUE) and a 2.0 cumulative GPA (credit earned at SIUE) OR admitted to the university in good standing.
- Review of the Performance Standards for the School of Nursing
- Review of the Professional Licensure Requirements for your intended state of licensure as an RN
Additional Prerequisite Requirements (traditional and direct entry students)
- Students must complete an additional five required prerequisite courses with a C or better by the end of the spring semester in order to be considered for a fall admission, and by the end of the summer semester to be considered for a spring admission. The remaining prerequisite courses are: ENG 102, CHEM 120B/124B, BIOL 250, and BIOL 240A.
- Prerequisite courses cannot be taken in the semester prior to the nursing admission term (fall or spring).
- All science courses must be completed within seven years of admission to the program.
- Any repeated course is subject to the SIUE Course Repeat Policy, 1J2.
- CLEP exams for prerequisite requirements are only accepted if the University accepts the individual exam.
Prior to beginning nursing coursework students must meet health and safety compliance requirements, to include drug testing, a criminal background check, a physical examination, and several immunizations. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in dismissal from the major.
Transfer
Transfer students follow the same criteria and procedures for admission as SIUE students. Please see the admission information listed above.
Students seeking admission whose prerequisite courses were taken at other colleges or universities must submit official transcripts to the Office of Admissions, SIUE, Box 1047 or submit electronically to etranscripts@siue.edu as part of the admission process. In addition, course descriptions obtained from official sources or course syllabi may be requested. The prerequisite grade point averages will be calculated in the School of Nursing. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their record is current and complete.
Selected nursing courses will transfer only from baccalaureate programs accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Course syllabi from the school of transfer will be reviewed for approval of credit and placement in the program by the assistant dean for undergraduate programs in consultation with the nursing course leader as appropriate. Typically, nursing courses do not transfer from school to school. Up to 25% or 17 semester hours of the nursing curriculum may be accepted as transfer credit for the traditional option.