- What is the difference between the Pre-Licensure BSN degree program and the RN to BSN degree program?
- What is the difference between pre-clinical and clinical?
- Do you require applicants to take a Dosage Calculation Test before being admitted?
- Do I have to take a general education/prerequisite coursework at UMSL?
- During what semesters do you admit students to each Pre-Licensure BSN option?
- How many clinical students do you admit each semester?
- What is the deadline to apply?
- Do I need to have all of my general education/prerequisite coursework completed before I can apply to the clinical portion of any of the Pre-Licensure BSN options?
- Do you have a wait list?
- What are my chances of earning a space in the Pre-Licensure BSN program?
- Can I apply to multiple Pre-Licensure BSN options?
- If I'm admitted to the clinical track of one Pre-Licensure BSN option, can I later switch to a different option?
- I'm interested in pursuing a BSN degree from UMSL, but I'm not sure if I qualify. Is there a way to find out if I qualify for any of your Pre-Licensure BSN options before I actually apply?
- What is the cost of your program?
- What kind of scholarships/financial aid are available?
- How do I apply?
- I am currently enrolled (or was previously enrolled) in an RN program at another school, but I do not plan to finish that school's program. I am interested in transferring to UMSL to complete my BSN. Do you accept transfer students from other nursing schools? Will my nursing coursework transfer?
- What if I don't want to submit some of my previous college transcripts because I didn't do very well in those courses?
- I have college coursework from a country outside of the United States. Do I have to submit these transcripts as well?
- Do I need to submit a resume or letters of recommendation/references? Will there be an admission interview?
- Do I need to provide my own transportation to my clinical experiences?
What is the difference between the Pre-Licensure BSN degree program and the RN to BSN degree program?
The Pre-Licensure BSN degree program is for students who do not already have an associate's degree (ADN) or a diploma in nursing and do not already have an RN license. The RN to BSN program is for students who do have an associate's degree (ADN) or a diploma in nursing, already have an RN license, and would like to complete their BSN degree.
What is the difference between pre-clinical and clinical?
Pre-clinical refers to the portion of the nursing major when students are taking their general education/prerequisite courses. Clinical refers to the portion of the nursing major when students are taking the actual nursing coursework.
Pre-clinical admission is not competitive. As long as students meet our minimum admission criteria, they can attend UMSL as a pre-clinical student. Clinical admission is competitive. This means we have a limited number of students we can admit, and meeting the minimum clinical admission criteria does not guarantee that a student will earn a space. Clinical applicants are holistically reviewed for the BSN option to which they are applying.
Pre-clinical admission is the first step in the admission process for all students - even those who are nearing the completion of their general education coursework at another institution and are applying to go straight into the clinical track. Admission as a pre-clinical student does not guarantee admission into clinicals unless a student is admitted to the Full-Time Traditional option as an incoming freshman under the guaranteed clinical admission criteria.
In addition to the length of time that each option takes, the admission criteria, the number of students we admit, and how often we admit students to each option also varies.
Do you require applicants to take a Dosage Calculation Test before being admitted?
No, we do not require applicants to take a Dosage Calculation Test before being admitted. Instead, students who earn a clinical space in any of our Pre-Licensure BSN options will learn dosage calculations as part of their clinical coursework.
Do I have to take a general education/prerequisite coursework at UMSL?
No, you do not have to take the general education/prerequisite coursework at UMSL. However, first-time freshmen who take their general education coursework at UMSL will not have to compete for a clinical space in the Full-Time Traditional option if they are admitted under the guaranteed clinical admission criteria. Students admitted under the guaranteed clinical admission criteria must maintain full-time status for fall/spring semesters (which will consist of completing the general education/prerequisite coursework).
Students who are competing for a clinical space may take their general education coursework either at UMSL or at another institution, if they so choose. It is highly recommended that students who choose to take their general education coursework elsewhere meet with an academic advisor at UMSL's Transfer Services to confirm that they are taking courses that will properly transfer to fulfill our requirements.
During what semesters do you admit students to each Pre-Licensure BSN option?
- Full-Time Traditional option: every spring (January) and fall (August)
- Accelerated option: every fall (August)
How many clinical students do you admit each semester?
We admit up to 88 students in the fall and spring into the Full-Time Traditional option. We admit up to 48 students to the Accelerated option every fall.
What is the deadline to apply?
There is no application deadline for pre-clinical admission. Clinical application deadlines are as follows:
- Full Time Traditional option
- Spring enrollment: September 1st or until class is full (open application June 29th)
- Fall enrollment: February 15th (open application October 5th)
- Accelerated option
- Regular deadline: March 1st or until class is full (open application December 7th)
Do I need to have all of my general education/prerequisite coursework completed before I can apply to the clinical portion of any of the Pre-Licensure BSN options?
Your general education/prerequisite courses do not need to be finished before you can apply. However, they must be completed before you may enroll (if you are offered a clinical space). Most students apply to clinicals while they are in their final semester of pre-clinical coursework. In other words, general education courses may be in progress at the time of application. If we do offer you a clinical space, it is contingent upon you completing the rest of the general education courses (with a satisfactory grade) before you would start in the clinical portion of the program.
Please note that while it is acceptable for students to have general education courses in progress at the time of application, applicants must meet the minimum GPA requirements at the time of application in order to be considered for clinical admission.
We do not use a wait list the way that some other nursing schools do. Instead, we have competitive admission. This means that there are minimum criteria that students must meet simply to apply to clinicals. However, meeting these criteria does not necessarily guarantee that you will earn a space (unless you are admitted to the Full-Time Traditional option as an incoming freshman with a guaranteed clinical space). We offer spaces to the top applicants for each admit term according to our holistic admissions policy. However, there are no guarantees that a student will earn a space, even if he/she meets our minimum admission criteria, since it all depends upon how they compare to the rest of the applicant pool.
We do use a wait list for each admit term since we always have more applicants than we do spaces. If one of the top applicants declines his/her space, we offer it to the first person on the wait list. We continue to work our way down the list until all of the spaces have been accepted. Once that happens and the semester begins, the wait list goes away; we do not carry it over to the next semester. Therefore, it is possible for a student to meet our minimum qualifications for clinical admission but not be offered a space in our program. Students who are waitlisted but are not offered a space from the wait list must reapply for future semesters if they wish to be considered for admission again.
What are my chances of earning a space in the Pre-Licensure BSN program?
The only way for students to be guaranteed a space in our program is if they come to UMSL as an incoming freshman and meet the guaranteed clinical admission criteria. These students will earn a guaranteed clinical space in the Full-Time Traditional BSN option. All other applicants to the Traditional option and Accelerated option must compete for a space. We have no way of predicting how an applicant will compare to the rest of the applicant pool for the semester for which they are applying. However, we do know that clinical admission is very competitive, and we generally have between 3-5 qualified applicants per space each semester.
Can I apply to multiple Pre-Licensure BSN options?
Yes, applicants may apply to multiple Pre-Licensure BSN Options. Students who choose to apply to multiple options must be aware of the differences between each option with regards to admit terms, general education course requirements, admission requirements, GPA requirements, and application deadlines.
If an applicant chooses to apply to multiple Pre-Licensure BSN options, he/she must submit a separate clinical application for each option. Applicants do not necessarily need to apply to the university multiple times. An applicant's admission to the University of Missouri-St. Louis is good for three consecutive terms (fall, spring, and summer).
If the applicant is still pursuing coursework during the three consecutive terms at an institution other than the University of Missouri-St. Louis, he/she must continue to send official updated transcripts to UMSL's Office of Admissions, so that we have an updated, official account of their academic records.
If I'm admitted to the Clinical track of one Pre-Licensure BSN option, can I later switch to a different option?
No. Although a student may apply to multiple Pre-Licensure BSN options, once he/she starts taking clinical coursework in one option, he/she cannot switch to another option.
I'm interested in pursuing a BSN degree from UMSL, but I'm not sure if I qualify. Is there a way to find out if I qualify for any of your Pre-Licensure BSN options before I actually apply?
We encourage prospective students to meet with us prior to starting the application process. There are a variety of opportunities throughout the year for prospective students to learn more about our programs.
BSN Info Sessions
The College of Nursing offers group information sessions both in person and virtually throughout the semester for prospective students to learn more about our programs and admission criteria. Each session will begin with an overview of our three Pre-Licensure BSN options (Traditional and Accelerated).
Students from Out-Of-Town
If you do not live in the St. Louis area or cannot attend one of the above in-person options, you may join a virtual information session.
What is the cost of your program?
The cost of each BSN Options varies. You may find estimated costs for each option at the following portions of our website:
Please note that the estimated costs found on our website are based on current tuition and fees which are subject to change each academic year.
What kind of scholarships/financial aid are available?
Scholarships that are offered through UMSL's College of Nursing are restricted to undergraduate students who have already been admitted to the clinical portion of one of our BSN options or graduate students. Information can be found on the Scholarships section of our website.
Additional scholarship and financial aid information can be found on the website for UMSL's Office of Financial Aid.
All students must be admitted to the University of Missouri-St. Louis before they can be considered for admission into the College of Nursing.
Incoming freshmen and pre-clinical transfer students need only to apply to the university. You may apply to the university online through the Office of Admissions. Once you are admitted to the university and begin taking pre-clinical coursework, your academic advisor will make sure you are aware of how to apply to clinicals when the time comes.
Transfer students who have already completed all of their general education coursework (or are currently in their final semester of general education coursework) and would like to apply directly to clinicals must apply to the university as well as the College of Nursing. Follow the same steps listed above and then submit a clinical application to the College of Nursing. Learn more about applying to the Traditional BSN program or the Accelerated BSN program.
I am currently enrolled (or was previously enrolled) in an RN program at another school, but I do not plan to finish that school's program. I am interested in transferring to UMSL to complete my BSN. Do you accept transfer students from other nursing schools? Will my nursing coursework transfer?
Students who have previously been enrolled in the clinical track of another nursing school's RN program must be able to provide a letter of good standing from their previous nursing school. Students who have been dismissed from another nursing school's RN program, or did not leave in good standing, are ineligible for admission to the clinical track of UMSL's Pre-Licensure BSN options.
Effective Fall 2015, we do not accept transfer nursing courses from other institutions. Students who have previously been enrolled in the clinical track of another nursing school must apply competitively to start from the beginning of UMSL's program.
If you were enrolled as a pre-clinical student at another institution, you do not need to provide a letter of good standing.
What if I don't want to submit some of my previous college transcripts because I didn't do very well in those courses?
For our admissions purposes, we calculate applicants' GPAs based on all attempts of all transferable undergraduate courses. Applicants do not have the option to pick and choose which transcripts they would like to submit; they must submit transcripts from all previously attended institutions, both domestic and international. It is the policy of both the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the College of Nursing to wait until all transcripts have been received until an admission decision can be made. Students who do not list a complete academic history on their university application and do not have official transcripts from all previously attended institutions sent to UMSL's Office of Admissions risk having their admission to both the University and the College of Nursing revoked.
I have college coursework from a country outside of the United States. Do I have to submit these transcripts as well?
Yes. All undergraduate coursework, including foreign coursework, will be taken into consideration for admission purposes. We understand that it can be difficult to obtain international transcripts, course descriptions, etc. However, we are mandated by the Missouri State Board of Nursing to treat all of our applicants the same with regards to our admission process. Therefore, foreign coursework must also be taken into consideration. Please note that the international admission process can be quite time-consuming. It is recommended that applicants with international coursework start the process at least one semester before their planned enrollment term. Follow the instructions for submitting the required documents. If you have any questions about this process, please contact UMSL's Office of International Student and Scholars Services.
Do I need to submit a resume or letters of recommendation/references? Will there be an admission interview?
Yes. As part of the holistic admissions process, you will need to submit a resume outlining previous education, work/volunteer experience, extra-curricular activities, leadership roles, honors and awards, and a letter of reference. There will not be an interview.
Do I need to provide my own transportation to my clinical experiences?
All undergraduate nursing students must have access to transportation to their clinical practice experiences. Students must provide their own transportation to and from clinical agencies, which may be scheduled throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including Jefferson County and Illinois. Students are reminded that if they transport other classmates, they are assuming personal liability in the event of an accident. Students who must use public transportation must inform the Program Director.