UCAN Admissions Requirements and Application Process

• Earned grades in the prerequisite courses by the application deadline. These courses must be earned from a regionally accredited institution with a grade of C or higher. A minimum 3.0 prerequisite GPA is required. This prerequisite GPA only includes the highest grade attempts for courses listed on transcripts at the time of application. Prerequisite courses must be completed within 10 years of the application deadline.
  
  The required courses include: (view BS prerequisite descriptions and track your prerequisite progress)

Watch our video guide on prerequisite information.

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

In addition, we strongly suggest a minimum overall GPA of 3.0. Note that the overall GPA calculation includes all previous course attempts from regionally accredited institutions, regardless of the year courses were completed. Grade forgiveness and repeat/delete policies are not honored for the overall cumulative GPA.

• Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution earned prior to the start of the UCAN. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is recommended, but not required.
• Healthcare experience. Healthcare experience is critical to students’ success due to the pace and rigor of the UCAN program. It is preferred that applicants have direct patient care experience and be exposed to the nursing profession in some way, through paid or volunteer work in a professional setting. This can also include experience as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Medical Assistant (MA), phlebotomist, etc. There is no minimum number of hours required; however, applicants are encouraged to have at least 500 hours of experience.
• International credential evaluation for degrees 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.
• English language proficiency (see Additional Requirements below)
• Letter of good academic 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.

How to Apply

• Complete the application and pay the required application fee. Note that two fees are associated with the application (NursingCAS and CU Nursing). Both must be paid for an application to be considered complete.
• Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended directly to NursingCAS. Official transcripts from all institutions must be sent regardless of years attended, the number of credits enrolled, or grades earned. This includes any concurrent/dual enrollment courses you took in high school; you must submit official transcripts for any post-secondary school(s) from which you earned college credit while in high school. Submitting transcripts is a two-step process:
  • Order your official transcripts in NursingCAS and submit directly to NursingCAS.
  • Enter all courses from each transcript into NursingCAS; this includes the school name, course name, course code, grade, credit number, and term completed. Applicants have the option to pay for this service offered by NursingCAS, and is available on the transcript entry page in the application. Failing to accurately report can result in an application being withdrawn from admissions consideration.
• Three professional or academic references (at least one academic reference is recommended). The NursingCAS application will ask for the contact information for your three references. References will be contacted by NursingCAS to complete an online Likert-scale reference form, which is then submitted directly back to NursingCAS. Letters of reference are not accepted.
• Personal statement – respond to the following: “Given your personal background, describe your interest in nursing and what makes you special or unique”. Statements must be no more than 500 words, 12 point size, Times New Roman font, double spaced with one-inch margins).
• Official TOEFL scores reports (international applicants only - see Additional Requirements below).

• The application process often takes several weeks (including entering courses into NursingCAS, receiving recommenders' ratings, and ordering all official transcripts [domestic and foreign]), therefore applicants should allow themselves ample time to complete each section. We recommend applicants submit their applications 4 to 6 weeks prior to the application deadline. For details on deadlines, refer to undergraduate application deadlines.
• Applications must be submitted (i.e., in a Received status) by the application deadline. After the application deadline, there is a consecutive 10-day grace period which allows for: all references to reach a Completed status, all official transcripts to be received by NursingCAS, and the application to reach Verified status. Applications submitted after the deadline may be considered based on space availability. All required documents must be received for an application to be considered. Learn more about your application status.
• All five prerequisites must be completed (including final grades on transcripts) by the application deadline.

• Make sure all references and final official transcripts have been received in NursingCAS, and enter any new courses and final grades within the consecutive 10-day grace period.
• 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. Learn more about your application status.
• You must be available for the interview and orientation dates listed in the NursingCAS application. Please note the interview dates are not negotiable.
• If any academic history (grades, courses, student standing, etc) has changed after your application has reached Verified status, you may do an Academic Update in NursingCAS. S, contact the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs to discuss if your application needs to be amended. Information of additional hours, and certifications earned after the deadline cannot be submitted as an update after the deadline has passed.

A select number of students will be invited to interview for a position in the UCAN cohort. The admission interview consists of program presentations, individual and group interview activities.

All admission notifications are delivered by email to the address listed in NursingCAS. Admission decisions are generally admitted, waitlist, or deny. All admits are given 10 consecutive days to respond to the offer of admission. Failure to respond to the offer will result in administrative withdrawal. An enrollment deposit is not required.

Students placed on the waitlist are notified by phone if space becomes available. The waitlist ranks are not provided.

All students at CU Nursing are admitted conditionally pending successful completion/passing of the pre-enrollment requirements including, but not limited to background checks, drug screens (including marijuana), immunizations, etc. Prospective students who have criminal convictions (or pending criminal activity) are encouraged to contact an admissions representative prior to applying. If criminal history or a pending criminal charge prohibits the possibility of clinical placements, 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.