Prelicensure BSN Applicant Policy

Effective Date

These policies become effective immediately and shall remain in effect until revoked.

Purpose

Applicant policies are provided to inform prospective applicants regarding admission requirements and processes. The most current policies are posted in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program section of the Metropolitan State University website and are subject to change.

Responsibility

Each applicant is responsible for knowing and adhering to the current applicant policies for the Prelicensure BSN Program. The responsibility for the implementation of these policies is assigned to the Dean and faculty of the Department of Nursing.

1. Application Requirements

The following are requirements for full admission to the Prelicensure BSN program at Metropolitan State University. All application items must be received by the published application deadline.

• 1.1 Admission to the university as a degree-seeking student by the published Prelicensure BSN program application deadline. Current registration at the time of application is not required.
• 1.2 Completed application for the Prelicensure BSN program received by the published application deadline.
• 1.3 Complete the most current Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) standardized Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) before the published application deadline. Students who take the TEAS at an institution outside of Metropolitan State University must request an official ATI transcript be sent to the Department of Nursing at Metropolitan State University and the ATI transcript must be received by the published application deadline. A minimum TEAS score of 58.7% is required for eligibility to apply but does not guarantee admission.
• 1.4 Complete all pre-application courses. See Section 2 for details about pre-requisite requirements.
• 1.5 Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA, calculated from all post-secondary transcripts, of 2.75 or higher to apply.
• 1.6 Applicants may petition to have any transcript(s) older than seven years from the date of program application omitted from the cumulative GPA calculation. Courses from an omitted transcript may not be used to satisfy program admission requirements.
• 1.7 Complete courses listed in semester 3 of the course sequence by program start (see section 2).
• 1.8 Acceptance of transfer credit is managed consistent with the Transfer Policy and Procedure (Policy 2120) at Metropolitan State University. Transcripts from diploma nursing programs are evaluated on an individual basis.

2. Prerequisites

There are nine application prerequisite courses for the Prelicensure BSN Program. The following nine prerequisite courses, listed as Semester 1 and Semester 2 courses of the course sequence plan, must be completed before the published application deadline. Similar or equivalent courses will be considered and must be completed at an accredited university or college;

• WRIT 131 Writing I (Introductory writing course)
• PSYC 100 General Psychology
• METR 101 Your Academic Journey OR MnTC Course Elective (Goal Area 6 recommended)
• CHEM 105 Survey of General, Organic, and Biochemistry (or an alternative Goal Area 3 chemistry course with lab)
• BIOL 221 Human Anatomy & Physiology I (with lab)
• BIOL 225 Basic Microbiology (with lab)
• PSYC 311 Life Span Developmental Psychology
• WRIT 231 Writing II (Intermediate writing course)
• WRIT 330 APA Documentation Basics

• 2.1 All prerequisites must be consistent with the minimum credit requirements stated. Credits stated are in semester credits unless otherwise specified.
• 2.2 Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 in these nine courses based solely on the first and second semesters of the Prelicensure BSN course sequence plan.
• 2.3 Each pre-requisite course must be completed with a letter grade of C or higher. A grade of C- or lower will not be considered eligible for a Prelicensure BSN application.
• 2.4 The following five Semester 3 prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited university or college prior to the program start.
• BIOL 222 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (with lab)
• NURS 220 Introduction to the Profession of Nursing
• HSCI 201 Nutrition for Health Professionals
• COMM 372 Health Communication OR COMM 231 Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
• PHIL 321 Medical Ethics OR PHIL 301 Ethical Inquiry
• 2.5 Full acceptance is dependent on the successful completion of these Semester courses, with a minimum overall GPA (in semester 1 through semester 3 prerequisites) of 2.75.
• 2.6 Each course must be completed with a grade of C or higher. A grade of C- or lower will not be considered eligible for a Prelicensure BSN application.

3. Experiences and Attributes (candidate characteristics)

Applicant review will include an assessment of applicant experiences and attributes, which will be submitted as a part of the program application.

Petition for Exceptions to Policies

A student seeking an exception from a policy or requirement may do so through the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Petition process. Exception requests are considered on an individual basis considering the strength of the submitted evidence or rationale. Students should contact a program advisor in CNHS for information on the petition process.

Review of Application Materials

All submitted materials are reviewed and evaluated by the Department of Nursing faculty. Final admission offers are made by the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The admission process is competitive.

4. Admission Offers

Successful applicants will receive a letter offering admission. An applicant who wishes to enroll in the Prelicensure BSN program must respond affirmatively by the date indicated in the letter. Failure to respond to the offer of admission by the date indicated in the letter is considered a decline.

There are two types of admission offers.

• Full Admission
• 4.1 Applicants selected for admission who meet all of the admission criteria and have completed all fourteen prerequisite courses at the time of application will receive an offer of full admission to the BSN program.
• Conditional Admission
• 4.2 Applicants selected for admission who have one or more prerequisite courses pending at the time of application will receive an offer of conditional admission to the Prelicensure BSN Program. The conditions outlined in the admission offer must be met before the program start (the beginning of Semester 4 in the curriculum Plan). Full acceptance is dependent on the successful completion of these Semester 3 courses, with a minimum overall GPA (in the fourteen prerequisites) of 2.75.

5. Pre-practicum Requirements

Admitted students must meet all pre-practicum requirements by the established deadline and maintain such requirements throughout the program. Failure to meet the requirements prior to the deadlines may result in students’ inability to enroll in or attend courses. All requirements must remain valid for the duration of the program and all clinical and practicum experiences. It is the students’ responsibility to maintain the required records. The requirements are determined by contracts and clinical agencies; generally, there are no exceptions.

Information on clinical requirements can be obtained at: https://www.metrostate.edu/academics/nursing-and-health-sciences/practicum/requirements 

6. Deferral

An applicant who accepts a position within a Prelicensure BSN cohort and then does not enroll in the courses forfeits a position in that cohort. Such applicants may submit an application in a subsequent application cycle.