Online RN to BS in Nursing Admissions

Although a cumulative GPA of 3.0 is preferred, all transcripts will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Your application must be complete, fees must be paid and supporting documents must be received before the deadline in order to be considered for admission. View the Application Deadlines page for important dates regarding this program.

Applicants for Spring 2023 apply via NursingCAS. There is an application fee paid directly to NursingCAS; please have debit or credit card available for payment.

All applicants to the College of Nursing must meet the minimum requirements outlined in the Technical Standards.

All applicants must have an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from a regionally accredited program. Applicants who have graduated from a diploma program will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Applicants must supply a copy of their current, unencumbered RN license with their application.

Applicants without a bachelor's degree

Download the RN BS Prerequisite Self Evaluation form to view the courses that are required for the program.

Completion of Prerequisites: It is recommended that all sixty (60) prerequisite/elective credits be completed before the requested start date. However, students may apply prior to the completion of prerequisites.

• Anatomy (or A&P I)
• Physiology (or A&P II)
• Microbiology
• Statistics
• English Composition II
• Developmental Psychology
• 2^nd Developmental Psychology (if needed)
• General Psychology
• General Sociology
• Cultural Anthropology or Multicultural Studies
• 1^st Literature, Humanities or Social Science
• 2^nd Literature, Humanities or Social Science
• Additional Elective Credits Needed to Reach a Minimum of 60 Transferable Credits

Prerequisites often do not total 60 semester credit hours. The remainder of the required sixty (60) semester credit hours may be selected from many academic disciplines. Some exceptions are nursing courses, commercial or vocational courses, doctrinal courses in religion, performance classes and physical education activity courses.

Applicants with a bachelor's degree

Degrees have no expiration dates but need to be posted on your transcripts the term prior to enrollment. The only prerequisites required of you if you have a previous bachelor degree are as follows:

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

All applicants are required to upload a CV/Resume as part of the application process.

Fall 2022 Applicants

All applicants are required to request official transcripts from each former/current institution attended (regardless of the years attended or previous coursework completed). Please request that all official transcripts to be sent directly to admissions@ucdenver.edu or admissionstranscript@ucdenver.edu for processing.

International/Foreign Transcripts

International or foreign transcripts are required for the following reasons:

• Applicants who currently hold a degree from an international or foreign institution.
• Applicants who have participated in a study abroad program not coordinated by their home institution.

International or foreign transcripts need to be sent directly to the University of Colorado College of Nursing for review and processing to con.processing@ucdenver.edu.

Spring 2023 Applicants

All applicants are required to request official transcripts from each former/current institution attended (regardless of the years attended or previous coursework completed). Please request that all official transcripts to be sent directly to NursingCAS for processing and verification. For additional information regarding the submission of official transcripts, please visit the NursingCAS Applicant Help Center.

International/Foreign Transcripts

International or foreign transcripts are required for the following reasons:

• Applicants who currently hold a degree from an international or foreign institution.
• Applicants who have participated in a study abroad program not coordinated by their home institution.

International or foreign transcripts need to be sent directly to the University of Colorado College of Nursing for review and processing to con.processing@ucdenver.edu.

If an applicant applies more than 3 years after receiving their associate degree in nursing, a minimum of 1,000 hours of nursing work experience is required within the last three (3) years OR completion of a CCNE-approved RN refresher course.

All entering students are required to possess (lease or own) a personal computer that meets the minimum specifications for the duration of their degree program. Refer to the Student Handbook for the details of the specifications.

All of your prerequisite classes will be considered transfer credit. This college level credit may be accepted by the University of Colorado if:

Transfer Credit

All of your prerequisite classes will be considered transfer credit. This college level credit may be accepted by the University of Colorado if

• It has been earned at a regionally accredited college or university.
• A grade of C (not C-) or better has been attained.
• It is not vocational-technical course work.
• It is not remedial course work.

Pass/Fail Credit

Standard requirements and COVID-19 modifications for Spring 2020

• Standard Policy for Prerequisite Requirements - For the College of Nursing, courses taken on a Pass/Fail (P/F) or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) basis may not be used to fulfill prerequisite requirements.
  • COVID-19 Exception for Prerequisite Requirements - The CU College of Nursing's strong recommendation is that students choose to have standard grades listed on their transcript and not the Pass/Fail grade option. However, for courses completed in Spring 2020 only, Passing (P) or Satisfactory (S) grades may be accepted to fulfill prerequisite courses, provided the P or S indicates that the student has earned a C grade or higher. For GPA calculation purposes, an approved P or S course grade will be converted to the lowest score associated with the P or S by the sending institution (e.g. a C grade will be calculated as a 2.0). For spring 2020 grades only, the student, via the sending institution, will have the option of submitting the underlying/actual grade earned, e.g. A, B, etc., which will be used in the GPA calculation for review purposes. There will not be a cap to the total number of prerequisite credits that may be taken on a P/F or S/U basis for spring 2020 coursework, provided that the aforementioned criteria are satisfied.
• Standard Policy for Academic Electives - The College of Nursing will accept up to 6 credits of P/F or S/U courses in transfer to fulfill Academic Electives, provided the P or S indicates that the student has earned a C grade or higher. Academic Elective credits are needed for applicants to reach the minimum 60 semester credits required to transfer into the RN-BS and Dual Enrollment ADN programs.
  • COVID-19 Exception for Academic Electives - The CU College of Nursing's strong recommendation is that students choose to have standard grades listed on their transcript and not the Pass/Fail grade option. However, for courses completed in Spring 2020 only, Passing (P) or Satisfactory (S) grades may be accepted to fulfill up to 12 Academic Elective credits, provided the P or S indicates that the student has earned a C grade or higher.

Correspondence and Extension

A maximum of 30 semester hours of correspondence and extension credit may count toward the degree. Correspondence and extension credit must meet the guidelines for transfer of college level credit and are subject to review. Please call 303-724-1812 to speak with an admission specialist for more details.

Foreign Transcripts and Study Abroad Credits

Transcripts for all foreign (non-study abroad) coursework must be submitted directly to the University of Colorado College of Nursing for evaluation through the Office of International Affairs.

Transcripts for study abroad coursework from a non-U.S. institution may be required depending on how foreign coursework is posted on the domestic (receiving institution) transcript. If all course information (course title, credits hours and grades) is posted to the domestic transcript, applicants do not need to submit a separate transcript from the study abroad institution. If any course information is incomplete, or the grades are posed as Pass/Fail, a transcript for the study abroad coursework will need to be submitted directly to the University of Colorado College of Nursing Office of Admissions & Student Affairs.

Additional Types of Credit

Some courses are accepted from advanced placement, CLEP and international baccalaureate programs. Email your admissions specialist with specific questions regarding these types of credits.

Additional documentation is required for international students. Please visit the office of international affairs site for more information.

Applicants who were previously enrolled in another nursing program (prerequisite courses excluded) are required to submit a letter of good standing from the previous school indicating that the student left in good academic standing. Documentation can be sent to nursing.admissions@ucdenver.edu and will also need to be included in the NursingCAS application profile.

Due to the clinical nature of the nursing profession, all students must meet the following communication standards, as outlined in the Technical Standards of our Student Handbook:

1. A student must be able to communicate clearly and effectively in English with clients, teachers and all members of the health care team. Written and oral communication must use standard, professional medical terminology.
2. He/she must communicate with clients clearly and effectively in English to elicit information regarding history, emotional status and activity, and to perceive nonverbal communications.
3. Communication includes speech, hearing, reading, writing and computer literacy.
4. A student must be able to clearly and effectively report in English to members of the health care team. Additionally, students must be able to relay appropriate information to clients, as well as teach, explain, direct and counsel a wide variety of individuals.
5. In some instances the student will be required to provide clear, direct communication in English during highly stressful, crisis situations. These skills necessitate a strong command of the English language and prompt, timely interpretation of pertinent patient data.
6. Students must be able to communicate online in a timely, professional manner, e.g., enter an electronic medical record immediately after the patient visit.

If your primary language is not English, or if you are an International Student, you will need to demonstrate required English language proficiency by meeting one of the following criteria:

1. You are a citizen of a country whose official language is English including Australia, Belize, Botswana, Canada (except Quebec), Commonwealth Caribbean, Ghana, United Kingdom, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
2. You have obtained a total score of at least 560 on the paper-based TOEFL and 50 or above on the Test of Spoken English (TSE); a score of 83 on the Internet-based TOEFL with 26 or above on the spoken English section. For other minimum subscores see internationaladmissions.ucdenver.edu. The College of Nursing TOEFL Exam Code is 3377. Be sure to use this code when registering for the exam to ensure that we will receive the results.
3. You have obtained a total score of 6.5 on IELTS with a minimum speaking subscore of 8. Official IELTS scores must be sent directly to the College of Nursing.
4. You have graduated from the University of Colorado Denver’s ESL Academy.
5. You have graduated from a US/UK accredited school abroad with English as the medium of instruction.
6. You have earned a Bachelor’s degree in the U.S. or you have successfully completed a minimum of 2 semesters of full-time study in a master’s program at an accredited institution in the U.S.

*For non-international applicants whose primary language is not English (i.e. permanent residents), there may also be an opportunity to complete an English language evaluation to demonstrate language proficiency. Candidates may be identified and contacted during the application cycle if proof of English language proficiency is required.