It is full-time program with a highly demanding schedule. It is strongly recommended that you avoid working while in the program as the full-time, master's level coursework and clinical rotations often require more than 40 hours a week to complete. Both a pre-licensure and master's generalist program, graduates earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree and are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam.
- Prerequisite Grade Point Average (GPA) for Nursing
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required
- Two prerequisite courses are allowed to be in-progress at the time of the application deadline. The two prerequisite 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 prerequisite GPA.
- Last 60 Grade Point Average (GPA)
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required – for all graded postsecondary coursework
- 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 last 60 units GPA.
- A Non-Nursing Bachelor-Level (or Higher) Degree
- Students may complete both the College of Nursing & GradApp Applications while the degree is in progress
Applicants may have their degree in progress at the time of at time of application, however must provide proof of graduation by start date of MS-MEPN Program itself. View specific timelines below.
Fall start application (August start) must provide proof of August graduation prior to program start.
Spring Application (January start) must provide proof of December graduation prior to program start.
Summer Application (May start) must provide proof of May graduation program start.
Applicants who end up not graduating, or graduating after MS-MEPN has started, will have admissions rescinded.
- 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 75.3% cumulative score for the ATI TEAS Exam: Science, Math, Reading, English and Language Usage
Students applying for professional admission to the Master of Science for Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MS-MEPN) program must first have taken a number of Prerequisite Courses.
- 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)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology – lectures (2 semesters) and labs (2 semesters)
- Microbiology – lecture (1 semester)
- Statistics (1 semester)
- Lifespan Development (1 semester)
- Nutrition (1 semester)
For more detail on what courses the College of Nursing expects and accepts for these prerequisites, please visit our Nursing Prerequisite Coursework page. Descriptions of these courses can also 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.
A Direct Admission option is available for students who meet the following requirements:
• Completion of any Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Arizona (must be completed within the last 10 years)
• Cumulative (Overall) U of A undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
• Prerequisite GPA of at least 3.5 (must have at least 5 out of 7 prerequisites completed)
Students who meet the criteria will not be required to take the HESI exam or submit a NursingCAS application.
To apply for Direct Admissions please complete this form. Forms will be reviewed, and if eligible, students will receive additional steps to complete, including completing the University of Arizona GradApp application.
Be advised of Direct Admission application deadlines for each semester.
Prior Nursing Program Disclosure
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
Admissions
It is your responsibility to verify that all required documentation is received by the appropriate deadlines. Please contact the NursingCAS directly to update any changes in your information. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Nursing Competitive Admission Process
The College of Nursing recommends candidates for admission to MS-MEPN by competitive ranking based on the combined scores of the Nursing Admission Criteria. As an applicant, you will be scored on the elements for admission and ranked among all other applicants. We will recommend the top candidates to the Graduate College for admission to MS-MEPN based on program capacity and offer a few students alternate positions. Alternates are not guaranteed a spot, however they are eligible to be admitted if a space should become available.
MEPN Cohort Sizes
The MEPN program admits the following number of students each admissions cycle
48 - Tucson Main Campus
Admitted MEPN Student Data (last 3 years)
Last 60 GPA:
Average: 3.66, Lowest: 3.067
Prerequisite GPA:
Average: 3.71, Lowest: 3.12
Overall HESI:
Average: 91%
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 'Eligibility Criteria'
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.
Last 60 GPA Calculations
The last 60 units taken is based on the grades earned in your most recent 60 semester-equivalent units of college or graduate level coursework taken at regionally accredited institutions. To calculate this, start with your most recent coursework and count backwards to the equivalent of 60 semester units of graded coursework (A, B, C, D, E, or F); if 60 units are in the middle of a term, include the entire term in which you reached 60 units. Withdrawal, pass/fail, and other non-graded coursework does not count in the GPA calculation.
Coursework
Two prerequisite courses are allowed to be in-progress at the time of the application deadline. All required prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or better. Students also must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in both the last 60 and prerequisite areas by the time of application cycle and the end of the application cycle. The two prerequisite courses must be completed, 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 a course is being repeated at the time of application, it cannot be reported as in-progress; the previously earned grade must be used until a new grade is earned.
Degree
A bachelor level degree or higher must be completed by the start date of MS-MEPN. Applicants may have their degree in progress at the time of Fall start application but must provide proof of August graduation prior to the start date of MS-MEPN itself. Applicants may have their degree in progress at the time of Spring start application but must provide proof of December graduation prior to the start date of MS-MEPN itself. Applicants may have their degree in progress at the time of Summer start application but must provide proof of May graduation prior to the start date of MS-MEPN itself. Applicants who end up not graduating, or graduating after MS-MEPN has started, will have admissions rescinded.
Official Transcripts
- All applicants are required to request official transcripts from each former/current institution attended. All official transcripts must be sent directly to NursingCAS for verification (regardless of the year(s) attended or previous coursework completed). For information about submitting official transcripts, click here.
- Transcripts for institutions outside the United States must be reviewed by a foreign credentials evaluation agency. An official detailed course-by-course credential evaluation, in English, is required to be completed by a foreign credentials evaluation agency of all university transcripts. Further instructions can be found here. The College of Nursing & NursingCAS strongly recommend using World Education Services (WES)for the evaluation of coursework taken outside of the U.S.
International Transcripts: Official transcripts from any international institution attended must be available for the Graduate College to view. An unofficial copy will be uploaded to your Graduate College application but you must also be able to show the physical official transcript if requested. It will be returned to you once their review is complete, more information can be found on their Transcripts and Degree page.
Holistic Experiences
- 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 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.
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
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 MEPN 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 the Graduate College.
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. International coursework can also be searched and viewed on the University of Arizona's Transfer Credit Guide. If coursework does not appear in the guide, it can be submitted for review to the Office of Transfer Credit & Articulation.
Clinical Compliance
Students admitted to the College of Nursing MS-MEPN program will be required to complete and maintain Clinical Compliance requirements throughout the program.