Doctor of Nursing Practice Admission Requirements

Within your NursingCAS application, you will be asked to upload an essay which responds to the following prompts. Your completed essay can be uploaded into the “Documents” section of your NursingCAS application.

• Please describe your professional and educational goals and how participation in the DNP program will enhance these goals. Discuss professional issues in your area of interest. Describe a clinical problem you have solved for a particular population or a clinical innovation your developed to improve health outcomes of a particular population.

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP-APN). Applicants with an MS in nursing and a specialty certification, and graduate course work at the post-MS level, will complete the DNP program. This path prepares students for leadership roles in the clinical setting.
• Doctor of Nursing Practice/Master of Public Health (DNP/MPH). The DNP/MPH option leads to both a DNP and a Master of Public Health (dual degree) for those wishing to have a nursing leadership role in public health.
• Doctor of Nursing Practice – Public Health Nursing (DNP-PHN). The DNP-PHN program leads to a Doctor of Nursing Practice with a public health focus for those already in public health.
• The Post-Graduate DNP Health Systems Leadership Program prepares nurse leaders across the continuum of care (i.e. primary care, acute care, long-term care, school nursing, home care, etc.).
• The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Veteran and Military Health Care Leadership prepares nurse leaders who innovate and advocate for better veteran and military healthcare.

A minimum nursing degree GPA of 3.0 is required for all applicants.

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.

The primary application fee is charged by and paid to NursingCAS; have a credit card for payment. A $80.00 Supplemental Application fee paid to the University of Colorado College of Nursing is also required; instructions for payment are included in the NursingCAS application.

All applicants are required to possess a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a regionally accredited institution and with CCNE or ACEN (formally NLNAC) program accreditation.

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

Applicants who wish to pursue the post-master's Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree must possess a master’s degree in the following areas based on the track chosen:

• APRN Track – Master of Science in Nursing with an advanced practice specialty.
• DNP-PHN Track – Master of Public Health or Community Health in Nursing degree.
• Health Systems Leadership Track – Master of Science in Nursing (clinical or non-clinical), MPH, or MBA. Other degrees can be considered with review/approval from the appropriate Assistant Dean.
• Veteran and Military Health Care Track – Master of Science in Nursing (clinical or non-clinical), MPH, or MBA. Other degrees can be considered with review/approval from the appropriate Assistant Dean.

Prospective students with other degrees earned outside of those listed above are encouraged to speak with an enrollment advisor to discuss other admission options.

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

Please upload a copy of your current, unencumbered RN license with your application.

All applicants must submit three letters of reference. We recommend that at least one reference be from an academic source. References are submitted as part of the NursingCAS application process.

Official Transcripts (Domestic)

All applicants must request official transcripts from each former/current institution attended. You will need to order all official transcripts to be sent directly to NursingCAS for verification (regardless of the years attended or previous coursework completed). 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. For additional information regarding submitting official transcripts, please visit the NursingCAS transcripts help section.

International/Foreign Transcripts

Applicants holding a degree from an international or foreign institution require a course-by-course transcript evaluation. For additional information regarding submitting international transcripts and course-by-course evaluations, please visit the NursingCAS transcripts help section.

Applicants seeking a DNP in Advanced Practice must submit a copy of their current advanced practice specialty certification.

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.