Pre-Nursing Track: Accelerated BSN Admissions Process

The W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to preparing competent nurse clinicians who promote health and well-being across diverse populations and communities. The School of Nursing admits candidates three (3) times each year in January, May and September.

The application deadlines are as follows:

Winter cohort: September 1st
Spring cohort: January 1st
Fall cohort: May 1st*
*Students completing their degree and/or prerequisite coursework in May will still be considered for the September start date.

Accelerated BSN Program Admissions Requirements

Only completed applications will be reviewed. A complete admission packet includes:

Submission of all official transcripts. (Transcript reviews take 5-7 business days.)
An advising appointment with a W. Cary Edwards SONHP advisor to review prerequisite and general education course requirements (if any).
GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred.
Personal statement addressing the following:
- Education and employment background.
- Life experiences that influenced your interest in nursing.
- Experience working with a diverse population.
- Elements of the TESU Accelerated BSN Program that influenced you to apply.
- Anything else you believe the Admissions Committee should know such as life experiences, experience in another nursing program(s), challenges, successes, or obstacles you encountered that may strengthen your application or showcase your ability to be successful.
- Resume (optional)
Official ATI TEAS Exam Score Report with scores ≥70% in all subcategories (preferred). This requirement is waived for students with a previous bachelor’s degree. (Any applicant found to be in violation of ATI’s testing policies will have their test scores invalidated. Violations will result in ineligibility to apply.)

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Learn how the Accelerated BSN Program helped Jessica Poland, BSN ’21, land a job at a top-ranked hospital in this Invention magazine article.

Jessica Poland

BSN ’21

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Admissions
1. Submit Your Application
  The first step in the application process consists of submitting your online application and all official transcripts. Find out how to submit your transcripts. An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred.
2. Prerequisite Review and Advising Appointment
  Once you are an applicant to the Accelerated BSN Program, we will assess your status in relation to completion of the prerequisite courses and then encourage you to schedule an appointment with a W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions advisor to review your next steps. Schedule an advising appointment. You need to ensure that all official transcripts are sent to us so we can complete this review.
3. Prerequisite and General Education Course Requirements:
  You can take all of the prerequisite courses you still need at TESU, and we encourage you to do so. By taking the courses with TESU, you will be able to take advantage of all TESU student services, meet with your advisor from the W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions, monitor the evaluation of your transfer credits toward the Accelerated BSN Program prerequisites and monitor your progress in completing the Accelerated BSN Program application progress.
  
  Once the prerequisite courses are completed, you can finalize your application for the Accelerated BSN Program and all the prerequisite courses you have taken will transfer seamlessly.
  
  There is no time limit on fulfilling prerequisite course requirements; however, all requirements must be completed prior to acceptance into the Accelerated BSN Program. Your application remains active for one year.
  
  If you decide to not move forward to the Accelerated BSN Program or if your application is not accepted, all the prerequisite courses you have taken can be applied seamlessly toward another degree at TESU.
4. Complete Remaining Requirements
  Take the ATI TEAS Exam and submit your official ATI TEAS Exam Score Report (scores must be sent directly from ATI). Scores of 70% or better in each of the subcategories is preferred. This requirement is waived for applicants who have a previously completed bachelor’s degree.
  
  Submit the required personal statement (approximately 500-800 words) addressing the following:
  - Education and work background
  - Life experiences that influenced your interest in nursing
  - Experiences working with a diverse population of people.
  - Elements of the TESU Accelerated BSN Program that made you decide to apply.
  - Anything else you believe the admissions committee should know: life experiences; explanation of any previous experience in a nursing program; challenges, successes or obstacles you encountered that may strengthen your application; or showcase your ability to be successful in this accelerated program
    
    Submit optional resume.
5. Application Review
  When all admission requirements are complete, your file will be reviewed by the Accelerated BSN Program Admissions Committee using a holistic admissions process.
  
  Applications are reviewed all year. Acceptance into a program cohort is on a first come, first serviced basis. Applicants who are accepted into the program after the maximum number of cohort seats has been filled will be invited to join the next available program cohort.
Other Requirements
- Strong foundational and computer software skills. See Accelerated BSN Student Handbook for details.
- For students of foreign universities, all transcripts must be evaluated by an approved agency. An official course-by-course evaluation must be submitted with your application.
- If the applicant has taken English I and English II at a regionally accredited institution, it is at the discretion of the W. Cary School of Nursing and Health Professions to require the TOEFL Exam. The W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions has the discretion to require an applicant to take the TOEFL Exam regardless of the student’s native language if there is a concern about the student’s ability to communicate in English.
- Access to reliable transportation for clinical experiences; some clinical sites and experiences may not be accessible by, or cannot be completed with, public transportation.
Bachelor's Degree
The courses below must be completed to start nursing courses. Please meet with an advisor before taking any of these courses.

Prerequisite Courses

All courses require a grade of C (73) or better. None of these courses offer a test for credit.
- Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab (4 credits)
- Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab (4 credits)
- Microbiology with Lab (4 credits)
- Chemistry or Pathophysiology (3 credits)
- Nutrition (3 credits)
- Statistics (3 credits)
*Please check with your W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions advisor at nursing@tesu.edu for more information on test for credit and accepted exams.
No Bachelor's Degree
The list below details the required general education courses and nursing prerequisite courses; some nursing prerequisite courses also meet the general education requirements. These courses must be taken to start nursing courses. Please meet with a W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions advisor before taking any of these courses.

Prerequisite and General Education Courses

The following courses require a grade of C (73) or better:
- Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab (BIO-2110) (4 credits)
- Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab (BIO-2120) (4 credits)
- Microbiology with Lab (BIO-2510) (4 credits)
- Chemistry or Pathophysiology (CHE-1110 or CHE-1120 or HEA-3071) (3 credits)
- *Nutrition (BIO-2080) (3 credits)
- Statistics (HPS-2000) (3 credits)
The following courses require a grade of "Passing":
- *Ethics (See Ethical Leadership) (3 credits)
- *Diversity (SOC-1010) (3 credits)
- *Social Science (PSY-1010) (3 credits)
- Writing for Success (ENC-1010) (3 credits)
- English Comp II (ENC-1020) (3 credits)
- Public Speaking (See Oral Communications) (3 credits)
- Information Literacy (SOS-1100) (3 credits)
- Civic Engagement (See Civic Engagement and Awareness) (3 credits)
- History (See Knowledge of Human Cultures (HIS prefix)) (3 credits)
- Humanities (See Knowledge of Human Cultures) (3 credits)
- Social Science/History/Humanities (See Knowledge of Human Cultures) (6 credits)
- Elective (3 credits)
*Offers test for credit. Please check with your W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions advisor at nursing@tesu.edu for more information on test for credit and accepted exams.

Please note: TESU’s clinical practice partners, where students complete their clinical practicums, have the authority to implement and modify vaccine requirements at any time. Students must adhere to these requirements to continue in the program and many clinical partners do not honor vaccine exemptions for students. Additionally, findings from criminal background checks are shared with these practice partners, who have the final decision on whether a student can complete their clinical practicum. If a student is unable to complete a clinical practicum due to issues with the background check or failure to meet vaccine requirements, it will prevent them from advancing in the program, achieving program outcomes, and graduating. Consequently, a positive background check or non-adherence with vaccine requirements may result in the rescindment of the student's admission to the program. Neither the application fee nor the deposit will be reimbursed if an applicant is denied clinical placement at any of TESUs practice partners.

Accelerated BSN Program Admissions Process

Accelerated BSN Program Admissions Requirements