Incoming first-year students are admitted to the pre-nursing major (via the UA Undergraduate Admissions Application) based on certain criteria. Due to COVID-19 related closures, the College of Nursing will suspend the use of test scores (ACT/SAT) for admissions considerations.  

For the entering class of Fall 2024, the sole admissions criteria will be a 3.5 unweighted high school cumulative GPA.

Transfer students are admitted to the major if they have an earned a 3.4 cumulative GPA on all transfer coursework. This would primarily benefit students who still have general education and prerequisite coursework to complete at the UA. It is not necessary to declare the pre-nursing major if a student is ready to apply for admission to the BSN program.

All students interested in the pre-nursing major must select a second choice major upon application to the UA. Incoming first-year students and transfer students who do not meet the eligibility requirements are placed into their second choice major. Eligibility is determined based on the Undergraduate Admissions Application and the criteria stated above. Students may still work towards admission to the BSN program while in another major at the UA.

Current UA students with a minimum 3.4 GPA based on 12 or more units taken at the UA.

Current UA students interested in declaring the pre-nursing major must attend an information session, after which, they will be reviewed for eligibility for the major by an advisor. The schedule for information sessions is available here.

• First Year Composition Sequence
• One year General Chemistry (2 lectures and 1 lab) OR one semester Allied Health Chemistry (1 lecture and 1 lab; please contact an advisor regarding this option)
• One year Human Anatomy & Physiology (2 semesters including lectures and laboratories)
• One semester Introductory Biology (lecture only)
• One semester Microbiology (lecture only)
• One semester Statistics
• One semester Lifespan Development
• One semester Nutrition

All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of C or better. The minimum prerequisite GPA (calculated based on this list) for admission consideration is a 3.0. Descriptions of these courses can be found in the UA Academic Catalog.

In-State Coursework from Public Institutions
For courses taken at a public institution in Arizona (state university or community college), students may download the Arizona Course Equivalency Chart, which includes the exact courses that are acceptable for prerequisite transferability.

Out-of-State Coursework and In-State Private Institutions
Pre-established equivalencies can be searched and viewed on the University of Arizona's Transfer Credit Guide.  If a course does not appear in this guide students will need to submit a course equivalency request to the Office of Transfer Credit & Articulation. 

• Building Connections (3 courses at 3 credits each)
• Exploring Perspectives Artist (1 course at 3 credits each)
• Exploring Perspectives Humanist (1 course at 3 credits)

The University of Arizona has additional degree requirements for General Education for Bachelor of Science candidates. Please refer to the UA Academic Catalog for specific details.

• English Composition (1-2 semesters, depending on placement)
• Math – College Algebra or higher math course
• Second Language – student must demonstrate second semester proficiency by either:
  • The completion of two semesters of the same second language OR
  • A proctored proficiency exam, testing at second-semester level   

Student Responsibility
The College of Nursing expects all students to act responsibly in their academic performance. As a competitive program, the college holds its students to the highest academic standards. Students are responsible for the academic information that is shared with them during Orientation, that is sent out via email, that is listed on this website, and that is shared with them through other outlets. Students are also expected to act with academic integrity in the classroom and beyond.

Registration Dates and Deadlines
The College of Nursing adheres to the registration dates and deadlines as determined by the Registrar's Office each semester. Students are expected to be aware of their class schedules and the posted dates and deadlines. Effective Fall 2014, students are able to withdraw from courses through the tenth week of the semester. Beyond this posted deadline, the College of Nursing does not support late registration requests, except in the most extreme situations. Please contact your Academic Advisor for more information.

Late Withdrawal Requests
There is no formal petition process for late change or late withdrawal requests. If you feel that you have extenuating circumstances, please speak with your Academic Advisor. Academic advising services are offered in College of Nursing room 112.

Academic Probation and Disqualification
Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 to be in Academic Good Standing at the University. Students who fall below 2.0 will be on Academic Probation, and must raise their cumulative GPA to at least 2.0 by the end of the very next semester in order to continue as a student in the College of Nursing. Students who do not achieve a 2.0 Cumulative GPA by the end of the very next semester will be removed from the College of Nursing and may also face University Academic Disqualification.

Students on Academic Probation are expected to participate in the UA Wildcat Track program. Students who do not participate in the Wildcat Track program as part of their academic probation may not be eligible to continue in the pre-nursing major.

Petitions
The College of Nursing supports and adheres to the University policies as set forth in the Academic Catalog. If a student believes that they deserve redress or exception to a university policy, they can explore a University General Petition. To discuss the General Petition requirements and initiate the process, students should contact their College of Nursing academic advisors.

Prerequisite Grade Point Average (GPA) for Nursing

• A combined minimum GPA of 3.0 is required
• A grade of ‘C’ or better is required in all prerequisites
• Two courses may be in-progress at the time of application

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)

• A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for all graded postsecondary coursework

Entrance Exam

Completion of EITHER of the following entrance exams:

• Minimum 75% cumulative score for the HESI A2 Exam: Biology, Math, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension OR
• Minimum 75% cumulative score for the ATI TEAS Exam: Science, Math, Reading, English, and Language Use

Admission to the University of Arizona – Undergraduate Admissions

• As an applicant, you do not need to be admitted to the university as an undergraduate degree-seeking student prior to applying to the BSN program.  However, applicants selected for admission (if not currently a university student) will need to complete the Undergraduate Admission application prior to enrolling in the Nursing program.
• Students are recommended to apply as a Pre-Professional Nursing student.

Nursing Competitive Admission Process

• Applications for each cycle open approximately two months before the deadline.  Students must apply through NursingCAS. 

Entrance Exam

Your highest score earned for the combined four sections taken in a single attempt will be utilized. The test must be taken by the date of application and any scores are valid for one year. For more information, see the hyperlinks above under "Evaluation of Application"

GPA Calculations

All attempts at courses you take are calculated into cumulative GPA calculations unless they are removed through an official grade replacement process. For Prerequisite GPA calculation, we utilize the highest grade earned. All courses must be from regionally accredited institutions of higher education.

In-Progress Coursework

You are allowed two prerequisite courses to be in-progress at the time of the application deadline. All courses in-progress at the time of application must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or better and students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in both cumulative and prerequisite areas. Courses must be complete and official transcripts must be available showing course completion by June 1 (for fall start), January 1 (for spring start), April 15 (for summer start) if offered admission. If you are repeating a course at the time of application, you cannot report it as in-progress; you must use the previously earned grade until a new grade is earned.

Holistic Experiences (optional)

• Healthcare Experience
  • Licensed healthcare experience (CNA, EMT, etc.)
  • Family caregiver
  • Direct patient care
• Service
  • Military
  • Peace Corps
• Scholarship
  • Graduate with honors (Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, etc.)
  • Honors College student
  • Health related project or internship
• Volunteer
  • Community
  • Education
  • Hospital/Clinic Volunteer
• Leadership
  • Sports
  • Clubs
  • Residence Life
  • Student Government
  • Greek Organizations
  • SI Leader
  • Preceptor
  • Employment

Letters of recommendation or personal statements are not necessary for holistic admission but random audits will be performed on the experiences reported. The College of Nursing will collect the information from transcripts, employers, and short statements included in the application.

For more information on experiences, and guide on required information please download the Healthcare/Volunteer Experience Tracking Form

Transfer Courses and Evaluations
When transferring from another institution, you must have semester equivalent coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.  In addition, there are a few parameters to consider regarding transfer credit evaluations:

• To view applicable transfer courses, please visit the University of Arizona's Transfer Credit Guide.  If a course does not appear in this guide, students will need to submit a course equivalency request to the Office of Transfer Credit & Articulation.

In addition, there are a few parameters to consider regarding transfer credit evaluations:

• Courses more than 10 years old are difficult to evaluate – please reach out to a nursing advisor about the course(s) specifically to examine eligibility for application use.
• A full syllabus, dated within 2-3 years of when you took the course, is necessary for evaluation. International syllabi must also be translated.
• Both the College of Nursing and the larger UA Articulation office cannot waive or override the need for a course equivalency evaluation.
• Please review the nursing prerequisite page for your program to review additional requirements for prerequisite coursework.

Quarter System Courses
If you attended an institution on the quarter system, you will need to multiply the quarter hours by .667 to convert to semester hours.

• 5 Quarter Hours = 3.33 Semester Hours – acceptable for any 4 Semester Hour course
• 4 Quarter Hours = 2.66 Semester Hours – acceptable for any 3 Semester Hour course

If you have attend, but not graduated, from another nursing professional program a letter from the Nursing program administration AND a personal statement must be included in the application via NursingCAS. This includes attendance at any associates, nursing assistant, licensed profession nursing, bachelor’s or master’s pre-licensure programs.

Prior Nursing Program letter must include all the following information: institution, program name/type, dates of attendance, reason for non-completion and a statement indicating if there were any behavioral or clinical safe practice concerns.

Personal statement must include: applicant name, email address, phone number, description of the reason(s) the applicant was unable to complete the prior nursing program (If the reason involves the student's mental and/or physical illness, injury, or disability, provide a statement without describing the condition itself), a description of the steps the applicant has taken to ensure they better prepared now to enter a nursing program

• International Admission
• The University of Arizona Gilbert campus currently does not accept I-20 Visas. As a result, we are unable to admit international students to the BSN-IH Gilbert program. Please visit the International Admissions office for more information or clarification on acceptable visas. 
• When applying to the university as an international student, you will need to review the admission requirements and obtain admission through International Admissions.   
• International Coursework Evaluation
  Coursework taken outside the United States must be evaluated and translated by a NACES member. Please see the International Admissions page for additional details. As the course evaluation process can take additional time, we recommend you begin the evaluation process and secure international transcripts as early as possible.

• Degree Requirements
  You are strongly recommended to have all University Foundation and General Education requirements completed before starting the professional program to ensure timely completion of the program.
• Clinical Compliance
  Students admitted to the College of Nursing BSN pathways (Conventional or Integrative Health) will be required to complete and maintain Clinical Compliance requirements throughout the program.