School of Nursing

Target Group:  Basic BSN Students

Policy Type:  Revision

Objective:

To admit to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program individuals having qualifications faculty believe are consistent with academic and professional success.

Policy:

Preamble:

The faculty of Indiana University School of Nursing believe that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing requires a broad knowledge base and academic competencies. The competencies that have been identified by the faculty include critical thinking abilities, effective communication skills, cultural competence, social awareness, and a set of ethics consistent with professional and academic expectations. Students need to demonstrate academic potential for success prior to admission to the baccalaureate nursing major along with an aptitude to develop the above competencies. Additionally, the student body should reflect a diversity that broadly represents the community served.

Application Policy:

Students who meet the following criteria may apply for competitive review for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program:

1. Admitted to Indiana University Southeast as a degree seeking student prior to admission to the nursing major.
2. A student who is enrolled in nursing course work at another university, must apply as a transfer student.
3. Complete IU Southeast general education courses required for admission to the nursing program.
4. Applicants must meet all minimal criteria, as published in the campus Bulletin, to be considered for admission.
5. Complete all required course work by the established deadline date. This includes independent study/correspondence course work and courses for which students have received an incomplete (I). Applications received after the deadline will be considered at the discretion of the faculty.
6. The Admission, Progression, and Graduation Committee of the School of Nursing considers and acts upon applications for admission to the baccalaureate nursing major.
7. Knowledge and competencies developed in courses that fulfill the requirements for anatomy, physiology, microbiology, statistics and life span development are considered time-limited. If any of these courses were taken more than seven (7) years prior to admission to the nursing program, the course must be repeated or validated through testing.
8. Effective February 2010 application to the school of nursing will include:
   1. Completion of the on-line application
   2. The student must complete an admission test that measures reading, math, writing and science knowledge.
   3. Criminal background check and drug screen
   4. Submission of documents to verify immunizations, TB testing and CPR. The application is not complete until all have been received. 
9. Admission to the major is highly competitive and not all applicants meeting minimum criteria may be accepted.

Admission Grade Point Average (GPA)

1. Maintain a minimum Student Undergraduate Program Summary GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. This does not include transfer courses.
2. Demonstrate a pre-nursing admission GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale for all completed course work required for admission (Semester 1 and 2 courses).
   1. The nursing admission GPA is calculated on all completed courses required for the BSN degree. Grades earned in transfer courses accepted and applied to required general education credit hours will count in the calculation of the admission GPA.
   2. Extended X grades (See Grade Replacement policy in the IU Southeast Bulletin) may be counted in the GPA calculation if they exceed the limit of three grade substitutions.
3. Students must achieve a grade of C(2.0) or higher in all program requirements.

Repeat Courses

1. Courses designated for the nursing major may be repeated only one (1) time. Students must successfully complete all courses for the degree with a “C” or better by the second attempt. The repeated grade will be the grade used in the calculation of the admission grade point average.
2. Students may repeat no more than three (3) required/cluster courses. Of the three courses, only two (2) failures will be allowed in science courses. (One science course and corresponding lab are considered one course).
3. This criteria applies also to any student wishing to transfer required courses from a university other than Indiana University.

General Education Courses

1. General Education requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are aligned with the IU Southeast general education requirements.
2.  Students who entered IU Southeast Fall 2005 and thereafter are required to take S121 Public Speaking to satisfy the Communication cluster requirement.
3. Students who entered Indiana University Southeast prior to Fall 2005 may choose from courses on the June 2004 cluster list. Students who entered IU Southeast in 2005 and thereafter should choose from courses on the cluster list in effect the year the student declared the pre-nursing major and subsequent cluster lists.

Transfers

1. Students wishing to transfer required course work from a university other than Indiana University must be in good academic standing at that university and have achieved a grade of C (2.0) or higher in courses for which transfer is being requested.
2. Students with “undistributed” transfer hours or course equivalencies and/or substitutions must attach verification of approval from the APG (Admissions, Progression, Graduation) committee in order to include the course(s) in the application (see your academic advisor).
3. Transfers from other Indiana University campuses who have completed the pre-nursing course work on that campus will be considered for admission based on the transferring schools’ pre-nursing requirements. Students who are in the process of taking courses at another IU campus but have not completed the pre-nursing curriculum may be subject to admission based on the pre-nursing course requirements at IU Southeast.

Admission process

1. Offers of admission will be extended to applicants with the highest GPA rankings who have successfully completed the written admission assessment.
   1. Conditional admission is extended to applicants with the highest combined GPA and admission assessment rankings. Scores will be weighted with the nursing GPA accounting for 75% and the admission assessment 25% of the combined ranking.
   2. Full admission is extended to conditional admits who have submitted results of the criminal background check, drug screen, and immunization documents, TB (tuberculosis) screening and CPR by the due date.
2. Students are admitted to the School of Nursing in two cycles, spring and summer. Of the 56 students admitted each fall, 42 will be admitted in the spring and 14 will be admitted at the end of summer session I. Qualified students who are not selected in the spring cycle will be considered for summer admission.
3. Transfer students from IU campuses and non-IU campuses will be considered for admission after all IU Southeast students have admitted. Transfers will be notified of admission status within two weeks of the end of Summer I.
4. There is no waiting list. Students must apply to the School of Nursing each year to be considered for admission to the nursing program.
5. Students are permitted to make changes to the application prior to the application deadline. Information contained on the application after the deadline is final.
6. Admission to the major is highly competitive and not all applicants meeting minimum criteria may be accepted.

Priority for Admission*

1. Priority for admission will be given to all qualified applicants who have completed the majority (more than half) of their prerequisite course work at Indiana University Southeast.
2. If additional spaces are available, the next priority is given to students who completed the majority of the course work on another Indiana University campus. Students transferring the majority of prerequisite course work from a non-IU school are accorded lowest priority for admission.
3. Students will be admitted to the School of Nursing in two cycles, spring and summer. Of the 56 students admitted, 75% (42 students) will be admitted in the spring and 25% (14 students) will be admitted at the end of summer session I. Qualified students who are not selected in the spring cycle will be considered for summer admission.

Offer of Admission

1. Should the student receive an offer of admission to any campus of Indiana University, it will be the only offer of admission for the admission cycle. If admission is declined, further consideration will not be given for the semester of application.
2. Students who are not admitted due to lack of space may reapply to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program in the next cycle if eligibility is maintained.
3. Students who decline the offer of admission twice are ineligible to be considered for future admission.

*Admission is conditional pending outcome of background check, drug screen and meeting immunization and CPR requirements. Refer to policy on annual requirements and registering for class.

Effective Date:  Fall 2004

Approved by:  Admission, Progression, Graduation Committee: December 7, 2009
Approved by:  Council of Nursing Faculty: December 12, 2009
Approved by:  Revised October 2014