Program eligibility requirements
Applicants must meet the requirements listed for admission to the ELMSN program at Metro State University.
- Applicants must have completed a non-nursing baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants whose degrees are from a non-US college or university shall have their degrees evaluated by a credentials evaluation service to determine equivalency to a US baccalaureate degree.
- Applicants must have a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA for all previous post-secondary study and degrees, including any courses completed that did not lead directly to a completed degree.
- Applicants must complete the four science prerequisites of chemistry, human anatomy, human physiology and microbiology with their lab components with a grade of C or better and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher across these four requirements.
- If an admission offer is made, the remaining prerequisites of nutrition, lifespan psychology, medical ethics, and college-level statistics, must be completed with a grade of C of better, as indicated by an official transcript submitted to the Department of Nursing, prior to the start of the program.
- All courses must be at least three (3) semester credits, with the exception of Nutrition which must be at least two (2) semester credits.
- Courses taken under the quarter system must be at least four (4) quarter credits for the 3 semester credit prerequisites and three (3) quarter credits for the 2 semester credit Nutrition course.
- The statistics course must be completed no more than 4 years prior to the date of program application.
Students should carefully review the applicant policies for more specific information on transcript requirements, including criteria for transcript exclusion.
Please contact CNHS Advising (cnhs.advising@metrostate.edu) for information on filing a petition to request to exclude a transcript that meets the requirements listed in the applicant policy.
Application Process and Deadlines
Timeline and Deadlines: We are accepting applications for Fall 2026 enrollment.
- Round 1 Priority Admission: January 15, 2026 (10:59 p.m. Central Standard Time) deadline.
- This is for applicants who have completed ALL of the following by the Round 1 January 15, 2026 deadline:
- Completed a bachelor’s degree and the 4 science-lab prerequisite courses AND
- Submitted all required application materials
- These applicants will receive priority consideration for admission to the program.
- Decisions for this round of admission will be communicated by early April 2026.
- This is for applicants who have completed ALL of the following by the Round 1 January 15, 2026 deadline:
- Round 2 Admission (based on availability): May 15, 2026 (10:59 p.m. Central Standard Time) deadline.
- This is for applicants who do not quality for round 1 priority admission for one or more of the following reasons:
- Do not meet the requirements for completed bachelor’s degree and/or the 4 science-lab courses by the Round 1 Priority admission deadline but will have these requirements completed by the Round 2 deadline
- Not able to submit all application materials by the Round Priority admission deadline, but able to submit by the Round 2 deadline.
- Round 2 admission is based on space availability, with decisions communicated by the end of June 2026.
- This is for applicants who do not quality for round 1 priority admission for one or more of the following reasons:
- Rolling Admission (based on availability):
- If a full cohort of students is not established after Round 2 Admission, applicants will be considered for admission on a rolling basis, based on the date all application materials are received, until the cohort is full.
- Admission decisions will be communicated immediately after the applications are reviewed.
Application requirements:
- Submit transcripts from all previously attended institutions, including those that did not directly lead to a degree.
- If you attended an institution within the Minnesota State College and University system, you may upload the unofficial transcript within the Documents section of the NursingCAS application. Metro State will retrieve the official transcript for you upon an admissions decision.
- Transcripts from an institution outside of the Minnesota State system must be official.
- Please note: if you are applying to other Nursing programs in NursingCAS, they may require you to order an official transcript. It is important to check with your individual program(s) to see what they require.
- Admissions essay
An admissions essay is required as part of the application process. Specific questions to be addressed are located in the Program Materials section of the NursingCAS application (under the “Documents” tab).
Letters of recommendation and standardized tests such as GRE and TEAS test are not required.
International Applicants:
International applicants are welcome to apply. International applicants have other deadlines to ensure all immigration requirements can be met in time for you to enroll in the desired term. For information on international applicant requirements, see the international student page.
Application instructions
Metro State University is participating in the common application for graduate programs (NursingCAS). Applications are only accepted via the CAS website.
Application Deadlines
Fall application deadline: January 15
Applications received after January 15th are reviewed on a rolling basis until April 15 or the cohort is full, whichever comes first.
CAS steps
- Select the term for which you are seeking admission (below), and navigate to the CAS website. Open applications include:
- Create or log in to your account and select the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program.
- Carefully review all instructions and complete all four sections of the application.
Specific application requirements for individual programs can be found on each program page in CAS. Carefully read the instructions that appear throughout the application pages. You can only submit your application once. If you need to update information you have submitted, please notify graduate.studies@metrostate.edu
Application fee
A nonrefundable $80 fee is required for each application. Applications will not be processed until this fee is received.
Active-duty military, veterans, and Metro State alumni are eligible for an application fee waiver. Once your application is complete and ready for submission, please contact graduate.studies@metrostate.edu.
Please note: only one application fee waiver code is provided per applicant.