CU Nursing/Fort Lewis Collage Collaborative Admissions Requirements

Current and previous Fort Lewis College students who meet the minimum grade and course requirements are welcome to apply for the Fort Lewis College & CU Nursing Collaborative Program. Admissions requirements include a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the required prerequisites; all courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Students interested in this program are encouraged to seek out pre-nursing advising to further understand their path and application timeline.

Applicants without an earned bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College

• 60 credits of required prerequisites, which can be taken while participating in the Pre-Nursing portion of the program while receiving guided advising and learning experiences.
• The 3.0 prerequisite GPA includes the highest grade attempts for courses included on transcripts at the time of application. At the application deadline, the transcripts must show the successful completion of the following courses:
  • BIO 140
  • MAT 113(or 112 with SAI)
  • COMP 150
  • PSYC 157
  • CHEM 150
  • SOC 100
  • CREATIVE ARTS (See list of acceptable courses)
  • HS 200
  • FY Launch
• 54 of the required 60 prerequisite credits must be earned in residence at FLC within four years from the start of the CU program.

Applicants with an earned bachelor of science from Fort Lewis College

Completion of the following prerequisites in addition to the 3.0 minimum GPA:

• Anatomy (or Anatomy & Physiology I)
• Physiology (or Anatomy & Physiology II)
• Microbiology
• General Chemistry
• Statistics 

Six credits earned from regionally accredited institutions outside of FLC may satisfy the prerequisite requirement for the program if the courses were earned within ten years of the application deadline. 

• 54 of the required 60 prerequisite credits must be earned in-residence at FLC within four years from the start of the CU program.
• International credential evaluation for degrees/courses earned outside of the United States. To request an evaluation of a foreign degree, a prospective student should submit copies of their diploma and transcripts to nursing.admissions@cuanschutz.edu.
• TOEFL test scores (required only for applicants needing an F-1 visa)
• Letter of good standing if you have previously attended or are transferring from another nursing program.
• Meet the minimum requirements outlined in the Technical Standards for admission, progression, and graduation.
• Students selected for admission will be required to show the ability to complete the full prerequisite list prior to the start of the program. Completing prerequisites while enrolled at CU Nursing is strictly prohibited.
• A maximum of 16 semester credits (11 quarter credits) can be taken, the semester before you start the program. Of these 16 semester credits (11 quarter credits), only one (1) course can be from Anatomy, Chemistry, Physiology, or Microbiology.

How to Apply

Application to CU Nursing can be made through NursingCAS where all documents and materials should be sent.

To apply, please take the following steps:

• Complete the application and pay the required application fee through NursingCAS. Note that there are two fees associated with the application: NursingCAS ($60) and CU Nursing ($50). Both fees must be paid for an application to be considered complete. Income and service-based fees waivers are available through NursingCAS; CU Nursing will waive any application fees for students approved through this process.
• Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended. All courses taken must be entered individually into the NursingCAS with official transcripts sent to initiate the NursingCAS verification process. Failing to accurately report or submit transcripts from all institutions can result in an application being denied or withdrawn from admissions consideration.
• Three professional or academic references are required (at least one academic reference is recommended). The NursingCAS application will ask for the contact information of three references. References will be contacted to complete an online Likert-scale reference form. Letters of reference are not accepted.
• Personal statement – Prepare a personal statement responding to the following: “Given your personal background, describe your interest in nursing and what makes you special or unique”. Statements must be one page in length (12pt, New Times Roman font, double-spaced with one-inch margins).
• Resume. Learn more about services at FLC for writing a resume.

The FLC/CU Nursing application will open on February 1. For an application to be reviewed it must be in ‘verified’ status by the application deadline. Verified status means that the application and the supporting documents have been received and processed by NursingCAS. Note that it can take NursingCAS 1-2 weeks to verify the accuracy of the information received. A small grace period of 10 days is provided to allow time for NursingCAS to review documents, however, applicants are encouraged to apply at least two weeks prior to ensure that the application will be reviewed.

More information about NursingCAS application status and the verification process is available online.

After you have submitted your application, please take the following steps to ensure that your application is considered for interview:

• Send official transcripts to NursingCAS to initiate the verification process. Official transcripts from all institutions must be sent regardless of the number of credits enrolled, or grades earned. 
• Make sure your application is listed in ‘verified’ Status. Verified status means the application has been received and transcripts have been delivered and determined to be accurate and complete. Information regarding the NursingCAS application statuses is available online.
• Make sure that you are available for the interview and orientation dates listed in the NursingCAS application. The interview dates are not negotiable.
• Check your application regularly to ensure that your recommenders have submitted the recommendation form which is delivered directly to the recommender by NursingCAS.
• Be sure to report any grades/credits earned after the application is submitted through the NursingCAS Academic Update process.

A select number of students will be invited to participate in CU Nursing’s Interview Day. The interview day consists of two components: the group interview and the spontaneous writing sample. The interview activities may be performed virtually or on campus.

Admission notifications are expected to be delivered in mid-December by email. Students accepted are required to confirm their intention to enroll within two weeks of the admission offer. Admission decisions can include admit, waitlist, and deny. CU Nursing does not require a deposit to accept a position in the cohort.

All students at CU Nursing are admitted conditionally pending successful completion/passing of the pre-enrollment requirements including, but not limited to outstanding prerequisites, background checks, drug screens (including marijuana), immunizations, etc. Information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine requirement is available online.

Prospective students who have criminal convictions (or pending criminal activity) are encouraged to contact an admissions representative prior to applying. If a criminal history or a pending criminal charge prohibits the possibility of clinical placements or future licensure, admission will be rescinded/denied.

Admitted students should not start any of the pre-enrollment requirements until properly informed and instructed to do so. Many of the pre-enrollment requirements are timed and starting items prematurely can result in a financial loss to the student.

Admitted students are considered CU Nursing students and are held to all policy and procedures that govern the university and college.