Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The first step is to be accepted to Columbus State University and have official sealed copies of all previous transcripts sent to the Registrar’s Office. When you are accepted to CSU, you will need to schedule an advising appointment with CSU ADVISE.

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Yes, academic advisors have phone advising available. To schedule an appointment with your advisor, please use the link on the student tab in MyCSU. When you schedule your appointment, please indicate that you are scheduling for “phone” advising.

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Columbus State University Admissions

Yes, there is a separate application for the nursing program. The School of Nursing accepts a class of nursing students to its program to start the nursing program each fall term and each spring term. An application to the School of Nursing is required for the competitive selection process. Admittance to the nursing program (upper-level clinical course sequence) is conducted through a rolling admissions process. Please see the “Home” tab for the advertised deadlines for submitting an application.

Students interested in applying for the nursing program are evaluated through a rolling admission process. Evaluation for the Fall cohort begins in November of each year, and students are selected by April of each year. Evaluation for the Spring cohort begins in March of each year, and students are selected by August of each year. *Transfer students are included in the review process once they complete the required university admissions process.

Yes. You must furnish three professional and/or academic references for admission. We prefer recent academic and/or employment references. Recommendations submitted by “friends” or “family” will not be accepted.

We accept students twice a year. We offer a fall cohort and a spring cohort.

We currently accept 60-70 students each fall and spring semester.

• Been admitted to Columbus State University
• Met overall GPA requirements and program GPA requirement to request application
• Passed the RN Admission Assessment Exam (A2)
• Earned a grade of “C” or higher in all required science classes and labs
• Not failed more than one pre-requisite science course within 5 years of anticipated admission into upper-level nursing courses
• Completed all science classes within seven (7) years prior to anticipated date of admission to upper-level nursing courses
• Completed all courses required for progression into the junior level nursing courses – see an advisor for a complete list
• Submitted a timely application form, including all references

The US history and US Constitution legislative requirements will be satisfied; however, the Georgia history and Georgia Constitution legislative requirements will not be. These can be satisfied by exam with the CSU Testing Center after enrollment at CSU.

Criteria of Eligibility

Students are evaluated on the following criteria to determine eligibility and to be selected for the CSU nursing program.

Please meet with an advisor to review these criteria and formally request an application for each eligible year.

Criteria #1 – PROGRAM GPA

Require a 3.0 overall GPA and a 2.75 "program" GPA to request application (to be met by the end of the term before acceptance to program)

COMPETITIVE PROGRAM GPA: During the selection process, students are competitively ranked by their program GPA. This criterion is impacted by the competitiveness of the applicant pool, and meeting the recommended program GPA does not guarantee selection into the program.

• Undergraduate students: The program GPA is comprised of 63 hours of pre-requisite courses.
  *Please see the University Catalog for a list of these pre-requisite courses or refer to your individual GPA worksheet.

• Post-baccalaureate students: The program GPA is comprised of 26 hours of pre-requisite courses.

Criteria #2 – DEGREE PROGRESSION (to be completed by the summer term before acceptance to program)

• Undergraduate Students:

• • Have fewer than 9 remaining hours of prerequisites left to complete
  • Meet the terms of the School of Nursing Science Policy

• Post-baccalaureate students:
  • Meet the terms of the School of Nursing Science Policy

Criteria #3 – EVOLVE REACH A2 ASSESSMENT TEST

• 3 Required sections - Math, Reading, Grammar
• A minimum of 75% is required on each of the 3 sections. Scoring 75% or better does not guarantee admission into the nursing program. The scores are considered along with the program GPA. Note: In line with CSU School of Nursing policy, grades are not rounded.

Criteria #4 – NURSING DISPOSITION EVALUATION

Working with the Dean of Students, we will review any issues of academic misconduct or criminal history self-reported by students or reported to the university.

No. We will consider your application before you have completed all prerequisite courses if:

You will have completed all the “IMPACTS” science area as well as the “Field of Study” courses with a grade of “C” or better by the end of the semester before you wish to enter the program,

You have completed both English courses and the math requirement of the general core curriculum.

You have no more than approximately 9 hours of other course work to complete (which you may take the summer between your junior and senior year).

Only grades posted or submitted by official transcript at the time of the selection process are considered.

An email is provided to notify students of their acceptance through the “rolling admissions” process. Timeframes will vary depending on when applicants are evaluated for admission. Applicants for the fall cohort are notified by the first business week of June of each year. Applicants for the spring cohort are notified by the first business week of September of each year.

No. At this time we only have a full-time program for upper-level nursing courses.

We strongly advise students not to try and work full-time while in the program. You should consider your studies in the nursing program to be a full-time commitment. The program is very challenging and requires a significant amount of homework and study outside of class. Most students find it extremely difficult to work more than 12 hours per week without jeopardizing their grades.

Advisors provide applicants with information related to the competitive window recommended for the “program GPA” that is used in selecting the class. The GPA is subject to change on a yearly basis. Therefore, we recommend you work directly with an advisor when examining your program GPA.

We do not have a “usual” GPA. Each year the lowest GPA is driven by the applicant pool. We recommend you work directly with an advisor when examining your program GPA.

School of Nursing Science Policy

• The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree requires the following "Field of Study" courses:
• BIOL 2251K (Anatomy & Physiology I), BIOL 2252K (Anatomy & Physiology II), BIOL 2260K (Microbiology), PSYC 1101 (General Psychology), and STAT 1401 (Elementary Statistics).
• A grade of “C” or better is required in all “Field of Study” courses.
• BIOL 2251K (Human Anatomy & Physiology I), BIOL 2252K (Human Anatomy & Physiology II), BIOL 2260K (Microbiology), and PSYC 1101 (Introduction to Psychology) are required to be completed prior to beginning the nursing program.
• STAT 1401 (Elementary Statistics) must be completed before the senior year of the nursing program.
• Required “Field of Study” lab science courses must be completed no more than 7 years prior to starting the nursing program. If a “Field of Study” lab science course has expired, the course will need to be repeated, and only the most recent grade earned will be used for the program GPA.
• The School of Nursing science policy applies to the “Field of Study” lab sciences, whether taken at CSU or another institution.
• Core IMPACTS science recommendations:
• It is strongly recommended that students take an approved prerequisite for BIOL 2251K and BIOL 2260K in the IMPACTS “Science with Lab Course List” to avoid prerequisite issues when registering.
• It is recommended that nursing students take CHEM 1151/ CHEM 1151L and CHEM 1152/ CHEM 1152L as their two IMPACTS “Science with Lab” courses to support successful completion of upper-level Major courses.
• Post-bac students who plan to apply to the nursing program must meet the requirements for the "Field of Study" courses (see first item in Science Policy). They are also required to meet the IMPACTS science requirements. Any additional core curriculum will be waived prior to degree.
• All “Field of Study” courses and IMPACTS science courses are required to be completed prior to the first semester of the nursing program.

We generally have 200+ applicants each year.

Yes. We do generate a wait list of 5 – 10 students per application process.

Notification will be provided via email by the first business week of June for individuals who are placed on the “wait list” for the current application process.

Several factors impact the wait list, and there are no standard factors that impact the “chances” of getting into the program.

We do generate a wait list of 5 – 10 students per application process.

Once applicant status has been set, no additional factors will impact their ranking/place on the wait list.

Nursing students must have both classroom and clinical instruction. The number of students we can admit is limited by the number of full-time and part-time nursing faculty, campus classroom/lab space, and availability of clinical sites for clinical experience.

Each course must be evaluated by the advisor, and substitutions often must be reviewed by the specific department chair over that area. That department chair’s decision is final.

• Clinical nursing courses do not transfer from one institution to another because every nursing program has a different curriculum design and course sequence.
• Selected non-clinical nursing courses (e.g. Pathophysiology) may be approved for transfer but must be evaluated on an individual basis by the advisor and approved by the School of Nursing Director.

All “IMPACTS” science area courses as well as “Field of Study” science courses must be less than 7 years old at the time you begin nursing courses. For example, if a student plans to enter nursing fall 2024 and took BIOL 2221 in fall 2016, the biology course will have to be repeated because the period between fall 2016 and fall 2024 is greater than 7 years.

It is your responsibility to provide current contact information to the School of Nursing. Any changes to the contact information should be emailed to the Student Services Coordinator (BSN@ColumbusState.edu) as soon as possible.

We provide a packet of information to individuals applying to the AMEDD program. However, a letter of acceptance cannot be provided until the end of the application process. Please schedule an appointment with an advisor to discuss the content of the packet provided.