The College of Nursing is revising its curriculum and admission policies—moves that will increase the number of students admitted into its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.
Currently, the program admits 90 students per year. Under the new policy, the program will begin admitting 64 students each fall and spring semester for a total of 128 new students per year.
Simultaneously, the college is implementing a new curriculum in which first-year students who qualify for early admission to the program will be able to complete the program in four years—two years of prerequisite course work followed by two years of nursing course work. Students admitted to nursing through its regular (or competitive) admission policy should anticipate a plan of study that takes 4.5 years to complete.
The College of Nursing now also requires one year of high school physics and four years of a world language or two years of two different languages—in addition to its other minimum high school course requirements.
One of the most significant changes for counselors and first-year applicants will be the program’s transition from being an Early Admission Program (for fall 2011) to an Early Decision Program (for fall 2012). This will substantially impact the application deadline for first-year students. The deadline to apply for Early Decision for Fall 2012 will be Jan. 1, 2012. Applicants will receive their admission decision by Feb. 1, then have two weeks to accept their offer and pay the University’s $250 acceptance fee. Like students in the Early Admission Program, the Early Decision students will be admitted directly into the College of Nursing and can expect a four-year plan of study.
There will be no nursing admission offered for spring semester 2012. The deadline to apply for regular admission to nursing (also known as competitive admission) for fall 2012 will be April 1, 2012. The deadline for spring 2013 admission will be Sept. 1, 2012, and applicants will learn by early October.
Students interested in the BSN program are advised to continue working closely with Iowa admission representatives to keep abreast of the new application deadlines, procedures, and admission standards as the college moves through these transitions. You may also refer to the College of Nursing’s web site at www.nursing.uiowa.edu for the latest information about how the changes will impact your students.