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Direct Admission Requirements

Direct admission applies only to students who are first-time degree seeking students and who are applying within the first calendar year of high school graduation.

How do I qualify?

To qualify for direct admission, students must have both:

  1. A high school junior or senior year minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.4 or above on a 4.0 scale
  2. One standardized exam score that meets the following requirements:
    • Combined SAT minimum score of 1210 (a minimum score of 560 in both reading and math)
    • ACT minimum composite score of 25

To maintain direct admission status, students must:

  1. Earn a college GPA of 3.0+ on a 4.0 scale.
  2. Achieve a grade of "C" or better in the Required Admission Prerequisite Courses (below).

Students will work closely with an advisor to determine an individual schedule.

Required Admission Prerequisite Courses

To be eligible for admission to the Nursing program, all students must have a 2.8 cumulative GPA of required admission prerequisite courses. Students must receive a grade of "C" or better in these courses:

  • BIOL 121: Human Anatomy and Physiology I
  • BIOL 122: Human Anatomy and Physiology II
  • CHEM 141: Principles of Chemistry
  • ENG 101: Rhetoric and Composition I
  • ENG 201: Rhetoric and Composition II
  • MATH 114: Quantitative Reasoning
  • PSY 201: Introduction to Psychology
  • CMST 101 or CMS 107: Intro to Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communications

Additional Prerequisite Courses:

  • HP 115: Medical Terminology
  • USI 101: Soar to Success
  • KIN 192: Concepts in Health & Wellness

Science Eligibility Rule
Students with three or more failures (a "D" or "F") in any of the required science courses are ineligible for the Nursing program at USI. Anatomy & Physiology and Chemistry course credit must be earned or equivalent competence demonstrated, within five (5) years of enrollment in clinical nursing courses.

Required Progression Courses (Before First Semester of Nursing, with grade of "C" or better):

  • BIOL 272: Medical Microbiology
  • NUTR 376: Principles of Nutrition (effective Fall 2026, will be required before first semester of nursing with grade of "C" or better)

Required Second Semester Nursing Progression Courses:

  • IPH 356: Ethics and Healthcare in a Pluralistic Society
  • HP 302: Biostatistics (grade of "C" or better)

Standard Admission Requirements

Standard Admission to the undergraduate nursing program may occur after completion of 31 hours of required university courses. Students accepted through the standard admission process must maintain eligibility.

Admission to the program is based upon the following:

  1. Calculated GPA score using the applicant's first-year courses (70%)
  2. Participation in a personal interview (30%), when necessary
  3. Effective Fall 2026, to be eligible for admission to the Nursing program, all students must have a 2.8 cumulative GPA of required admission prerequisite courses.

Standard Admission Prerequisite Exception Policy Guidelines:

  1. Students who meet all direct and standard admission criteria are given priority for available seats in the nursing program.
  2. Exceptions will only be considered if there are remaining seats available in the cohort after all eligible direct and standard admission applicants have been placed.
  3. If a student requires a 5 year Science Requirement exemption it should be completed at the time of initial advising for their Plan of Study but must be completed 7 days prior to the application deadline.
  4. Cohort capacity is defined as the total number of seats available in each admission cycle, based on clinical placement availability, faculty resources and program accreditation limits.
  5. Timing and Submission of Prerequisite Exception Request Form
    • The Prerequisite Exception Request Form must be submitted with the online application by the deadline.
    • Prerequisite Exception Request Forms submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Prerequisite Exception Request Form

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