Admission Requirements into the Department of Nursing

Level of Academic Achievement Required for Admission into the Nursing Program

Admission into the nursing program has two phases; phase one is the admission into the pre-professional program and phase two is the admission into the professional program.
Admission to Chicago State University as a nursing major does not guarantee admission into the professional phase of the nursing program. Admission into the professional program is competitive and is based on the academic performance in the freshmen and sophomore years. Only the top forty students are admitted into the professional program.

Requirements and Academic Criteria for Admission into the Pre-professional Program
High school students or students who have taken courses in other institutions are admitted to Chicago State University as a nursing major. The level of academic achievement required to be admitted to the University are the following:

• Students must obtain a minimum ACT composite score of 18 and a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (C+ average).
• High school courses taken must include a minimum of:
  1. Four English units emphasizing written and oral communications and literature.
  2. Three Mathematics units including introduction through advanced algebra, geometry, trigonometry or fundamentals of computer programming.
  3. Three social science units including a diversity component
  4. Three science units that includes laboratory sciences.
  5. Two elective units of foreign language, music, vocational educational or art.

Requirements and Academic Criteria for Admission into the Professional Program

To be admitted into the professional program, both freshmen and transfer students, after completing all the pre-requisite courses, are screened by the Admission, Progression, Retention and Graduation (APRG) Committee using established criteria before they are admitted into the professional program. Students are admitted into the Basic and LPN-BSN tracks during the spring semester and summer semester, respectively.

To be admitted into the professional phase of the nursing program, the students must:

• Meet the general admission requirements of the University and be enrolled as a nursing major.
• Successfully complete the required University placement examinations or developmental courses in English, mathematics and reading. University placement examinations are waived for second baccalaureate degree students.
• Attain a cumulative and science grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• Complete the following pre-requisite courses with a grade of C or better:
  1. ENG 1270 and 1280 (Composition)
  2. PSYC 141 and  217 (Introduction and Life Span Developmental Psychology)
  3. BIOL 1080, 2020, 2021 and 2059 (Cell Biology, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology)
  4. CHEM 1050 (General and Organic Chemistry)
  5. Any College level Mathematics course
  6. SOC 101 (Sociology)--SOC 125 is required effective from Fall 2007 and thereafter)
  7. HSC  2190 (Introduction to Nutrition)
  8. HSC 2150 (Introduction to Health Professions)
  9. PHIL 204 or 221 (Mathematics/Critical Thinking)
  10. Nine credits of Humanities; six credits must be in a single foreign language.
• Successfully complete the Nelson Denny Reading Test with a minimum score of 13.
• Successfully complete NURS 091(Bridge I).

In addition to the academic requirements, applicants must take note of the following policies:

• Pre-requisite courses required for admission may be repeated only once when a grade of D or F has been achieved.
• Natural science courses (BIO 1080, 2020, 2021, 2059 and CHEM 1050) will only be accepted if taken within the past five years.
• Nursing courses completed in other schools of nursing are not automatically transferable to the nursing curriculum. The APRG Committee will determine course equivalency.
• In conformity with the Illinois Articulation Initiative, students who enter the nursing program with RN licensure will receive 30 hours of nursing credits; LPN licensure will receive 15 hours of nursing credits.
• An updated evaluation of credit form must be submitted with the application packet.