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.

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.

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.

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@cuanschutz.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.