BS in Nursing

The High School Admission Pathway is available to students applying as first-time college students in their senior year of high school. Applicants should apply to the university through the Common App and indicate nursing as their major of first choice. High School Admission to the Nursing Program is competitive and only the most qualified applicants will be offered admission.

The Direct Admissions process for Nursing at Southern Connecticut State University is inclusive. Our belief in the importance of a thorough and careful review of all aspects of your application reflects our mission as an intentionally diverse and comprehensive university, committed to access, social justice, and service for the public good. We seek to empower every undergraduate student with the knowledge, skills and perspectives essential for active participation and impassioned, ethical leadership, and our admission practices reflect that goal.

In review of applicants for Direct Admissions, we seek to learn about you through: the subject-specific courses you’ve completed; the level and rigor of those courses (including AP level courses and college-credit courses); your overall cumulative GPA (minimum 3.4); your academic profile (minimum course requirements indicated below), including extracurricular activities and leadership roles; and your personal statement.

The submission of SAT/ACT test results is optional at Southern. The Department of Nursing encourages applicants to submit their ACT/SAT scores if they wish to do so. Test score submission is not a requirement for Direct Admissions consideration, nor is there a penalty for not submitting test scores. In deciding whether or not to submit your standardized test scores, consider your overall academic record. Your decision should be based on whether you believe your scores are an accurate representation of your academic abilities.

Southern recognizes the Common Application (https://apply.commonapp.org/login?ma=632) as its own application form. When applying for Direct Admissions, please be advised that your submitted complete application, and the following supporting credentials, must be submitted by the application deadline, December 1^st, 2022:

• Completed Common Application (please list awards, jobs, sports, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, unique factors to you, etc.)
• Official secondary school transcript, and minimum 3.4 cumulative GPA
• Recommendation letter from a teacher, counselor, or mentor who can reflect on your commitment and dedication to your education, work ethic, and aspirations/goals
• Personal statement (Common Application Essay) reflective of particular meaning or interest to you which emphasizes who you are, your values, goals, and future aspirations
• University application fee or official fee waiver
• SAT or ACT results (Optional)
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is highly recommended if you have resided in the U.S. for fewer than three years and English is not your native language.

We regard your academic record from high school as the most important part of your application for admission. Although we certainly consider your final grade point average and overall record over four years, we do look deeper, considering your performance during each year in high school, including academic rigor. We look for students who have challenged themselves personally and academically. Not only are your final grades considered, we look very carefully at the quality of the academic program you have pursued. Below are the minimum high school academic requirements required for Direct Admissions consideration.

• 4 years of English
• 3 years of Mathematics
• 2 or more years of Science with labs
• 3 years in Social Sciences

While your academic record is clearly a critical element of the entire admission application, we are also interested in the personal qualities, talents and interests that you will bring to our campus community and the field of nursing. We want to know about your extracurricular involvement, the quality of your writing as reflected in the personal statement, and the reflections of teachers, counselors, and others who submit recommendations on your behalf.

Because our applicant pool increases each year, the admissions process remains very competitive and selective. All those who apply and meet minimum requirements are not guaranteed admission to the program.

Please read the BSN Pathways to Acceptance for more information.

Students admitted to the university will begin with a declared major in STEM Foundations for Nursing within the Healthcare Studies major. This program includes the necessary prerequisite coursework for the Nursing Program and optimal advisement towards the nursing program requirements. Upon successful completion of the program requirements below, students will be able to progress directly into the Nursing program to complete the remaining two years. 

Program Requirements

• 7 of the 11 nursing prerequisite courses must be complete with a C+ or higher in each
• 3.0 minimum CUM GPA (includes all college work, including courses taken in high school and at other colleges/universities)
• No more than 2 earned grades lower than a C+ for any of the required nursing prerequisite courses (see prerequisite course section of this page) even if repeated for higher grades.

This program is designed for high school students to pursue the nursing prerequisites and other university education requirements during their high school years through SCSU’s Early College Program, and complete their nursing curriculum in three (3) years at Southern CT State University. Students are eligible to apply for the Yale New Haven Health System Scholars funding, which may cover up to full-time tuition and fees for up to three years.

SCSU’s Early College Program enables eligible high school students the opportunity to enroll in and earn credit in college courses. Students can earn up to 30 college credits towards a degree from SCSU prior to full matriculation. If your school or district is a partner of the university’s Early College program, tuition and general fees are waived for Early College courses. Students are also allowed to take courses at any of the CT-Community Colleges for any nursing prerequisites, or university requirements, while also participating in SCSU’s Early College Program. Students may apply SCSU credits, and credits earned from other colleges/universities, towards their degree at SCSU. Please review the plan of study.

Students participating in SCSU’s Early College Program with an interest in pursuing nursing are identified upon entry and meet with our YNHH Scholarship Coordinator each semester to ensure proper course completion, receive guided mentoring, and participate in workshops geared towards academic success.

Due to the overwhelming response to the Accelerated HS Nursing program, all students who participate in SCSU’s Early College Program with an interest in nursing may not be selected as Accelerated High School Nursing program students upon full matriculation. In order to be considered for acceptance into the Nursing Program through this accelerated pathway, students participating in SCSU’s Early College Program must complete all their nursing prerequisites with a B- or greater prior to full matriculation at SCSU, and maintain a college and high school GPA of at least a 3.0.

To review important deadline dates for application, please click here.

The Department of Nursing annually admits approximately half of the upper-division (300/400 level courses) nursing cohort through the College Admission Pathway. Those wishing to pursue Nursing at Southern Connecticut State University, should select BS Nursing as their program of interest on their application.  Students admitted to the university will begin with a declared major in Healthcare Studies. This program includes the necessary prerequisite coursework for the Nursing Program and optimal advisement towards the nursing application requirements (see Nursing Application Requirements section). Once admitted to the Nursing Program, students begin their final two years enrolled in the upper-division nursing coursework with a declared major in Nursing, along with those admitted through the high school admission pathway.

Application

Applications for the College Admissions pathway for the Fall 2023 will open on November 1, 2022 and close on February 1, 2023. Hit Apply button below. Make sure to select Nursing, BS Traditional Admissions Application. Please read the outlined eligibility requirements below.

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Minimum Application Eligibility Requirements

(February 1st Application Deadline)

• 7 of the 11 nursing prerequisite courses must be complete with a C+ or higher in each
• 3.0 minimum CUM GPA (includes all college work, including courses taken in high school and at other colleges/universities)
• No more than 2 earned grades lower than a C+ for any of the required nursing prerequisite courses (see prerequisite course section of this page) even if repeated for higher grades
• Must not have been dismissed from a nursing program
• TEAS exam and score submission

Please note that as part of the nursing application, students will be required to submit a TEAS exam score through ATI Testing.

The selection process is highly competitive and determined through a ranking calculation consisting of CUM GPA, GPA of prerequisite coursework, and TEAS exam score.

See the application support page for more information.

This program is designed as a year-round, evening and weekend program for working professionals. Applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, completed the 11 nursing prerequisite courses, and have either part-time or full time employment. Applicants with a previous BA/BS degree only need to complete the nursing curriculum outside of the nursing prerequisite courses. Applicants without a previous degree may need to fulfill additional university education requirements aside from the nursing prerequisites and curriculum. 

This 53-credit curriculum spans over 3 fall semesters, 3 spring semesters, and 2 summer semesters. Applicants must apply to the university through UG Admissions and select nursing as their intended major.

Application

Applications for the the 3 Year Part Time Program for the Fall 2023 will open on January 1, 2023 and close on May 1, 2023. Please read the outlined eligibility requirements below. Hit Apply button below. Make sure to select Nursing, 3 Year Part-Time BSN Program. Please read the outlined eligibility requirements below.

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Eligibility Requirements

(May 1st Application Deadline)

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Completed all 11 prerequisites with a C+ or greater
• Complete UG Transfer application
• Submit transcripts, resume and two (2) professional letters of recommendation
• Provide a personal statement of 150 words or less describing your interests and motivations in pursuing a nursing career.

Applications for Fall 2023 will open up on January 2, 2023. Please review the plan of study. 

There are 11 prerequisite courses for the nursing program. A minimum of 7 must be completed with a grade of a C+ or higher by the February 1st application deadline. ALL 11 must be completed with a C+ or higher by the start of the program. The program begins the fall semester of each academic year, which allows students to complete any remaining pre-reqs during the spring and summer semesters.

* Although application to the nursing program requires successful completion (C+ or higher) of only 7 pre-reqs from the list above, it is recommended that those admitted to the program have the majority the university’s requirements complete. No more than 2 earned grades lower than a C+ for any of the required nursing prerequisite courses are allowed for eligibility to apply to our program.

All junior-level courses (300-level) must be completed before senior-level courses (400-level) can be taken.

* Nursing Elective Courses would include 2 of the following courses: Each of the below is 1 credit.

Applications

Transfer students that wish to apply to the Traditional BS Nursing program through the College Admission Pathway must first place their Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Application and have an "admitted" to Southern decision for the term the student plans to attend.  This university acceptance must be received by the time of the Nursing program application deadline of February 1st.  Gaining acceptance to the university does not guarantee acceptance to the Nursing program.

Students must also submit a separate Nursing program application between November 1st and February 1st, which will be located on the BSN Application Support webpage and the BS Nursing webpage.  Please be sure to review the College Admission Pathway minimum application criteria on the BS Nursing webpage and pay special attention to deadlines to ensure a proper review of your university records and transcripts.  Meeting minimum Nursing application requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the Nursing program.  

Transfer Records

All post-secondary transcripts from regionally accredited colleges and universities are considered in the Nursing program application process.  While all official transcripts should be submitted to the Undergraduate Admissions Office as part of the university application review process, electronic copies of unofficial transcripts should be saved by students to upload into the Nursing program application. 

As part of the Nursing admission process, all GPAs and all previous nursing prerequisite coursework will be reviewed.  Applicants must meet the minimum eligibility requirements to be considered for the Traditional BS Nursing program.  Meeting minimum eligibiity requirements does not guarantee admission into the Nursing program.

Students previously enrolled in a nursing program outside of SCSU must complete the Nursing Disclosure Form (NDF) as part of their application. Students who have been previously dismissed from a nursing program are ineligible to apply to the Traditional BSN program. 

Major Prior to Nursing

Students who are admitted to the university will have a declared major of Healthcare Studies while working towards meeting Nursing application eligibility requirements or are in the process of waiting for a Nursing application admission decision.  The first two years of the Healthcare Studies curriculum mirrors the first two years of the Nursing program curriculum.  However, it is recommended that students who transfer with most university Liberal Education Requirements (LEP) met, thoughtfully select a major from which to complete remaining program prerequisite courses and apply to the Nursing program if full-time study is desired.  The university's academic advising team will engage in these conversations at the time of the student's onboarding transfer advising appointment prior to registering for courses.

Advisement

While the Undergraduate Academic Advisement centers will be advising new transfer students prior to the start of the semester, students will then be assigned to major advisors once the semester begins.  Students declared with a major in Healthcare Studies who applied to the university with an interest in Nursing will automatically be advised by the Center for Pre-Professional Programs.  Students who mistakenly applied ot the university with an interest in Healthcare Studies instead of Nursing should contact Angela Ruggiero at ruggieroa1@southernct.edu.  For all of those who are declared as any other major will be assigned an advisor in that major, but if interested in speaking with one of the Nursing application expert advisors, they may contact the Center for Pre-Professional Programs at cppp@southernct.edu.

Prospective transfer students who have not yet applied to Southern or are in the process of doing so may contact transferservices@southernct.edu for a review of their previous coursework or if their questions are not found at https://www.southernct.edu/admissions/transfer.