Prelicensure BSN at Radford

Students must meet all first and second-year requirements to continue as a prelicensure BSN major and before taking upper division Nursing courses. Students who do not meet progression requirements will be changed to a Pre-Nursing major and are eligible to apply during the second semester of the sophomore year once the application requirements are met.

• Year 1. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above at the end of their 2^nd semester of freshman year to progress in the BSN program.
• Year 2.

1. Students must meet all of the following criteria to progress into upper-division (junior & senior years) nursing:
   • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
   • Grade of “C” or above on all prerequisite courses
     
   • No more than one (1) prerequisite course repeated due to unsuccessful completion (C-, D, F), not including withdrawals
     
   • Completion of prerequisites for nursing: NUTR 214, STAT 200 or 130, CHEM 120 or equivalent, SOC 110, PSYC 230, BIOL 310 & 311, BIOL 334, NURS 321
2. Students eligible for progression to upper-division nursing courses are required to complete a criminal background check and drug screening during the term prior to upper-division courses and every semester thereafter. If there are any areas of concern on the criminal background check or student conduct violations that would prohibit the student from attending clinical rotations, the student may not be able to continue in the Nursing program and would thus be dismissed from the program. Students with a positive drug screen will be dismissed from the program. If an offer of admission is revoked, the School of Nursing will notify the student by e-mail or by phone call.

• Years 3 & 4. Once in upper division nursing courses, two (2) NURS course failures and/or withdrawals will result in program dismissal

• Beginning Fall 2023, newly admitted freshmen can receive direct admission to the Nursing major on Main Campus if they meet both of the following criteria: 
  1. Have a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher, AND
  2. Have received high school/college credit for either a) Anatomy and Physiology or b) Biology and Chemistry

•  Nursing majors will not be required to apply to upper-division courses once admitted but are required to meet the progression requirements below.
  

PRE-NURSING PATHWAY

admitted UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Radford University students who wish to pursue Nursing who did not receive direct admission can enter the Pre-Nursing program and apply for admission into the prelicensure BSN program once application requirements have been met. Students considering changing their major to Pre-Nursing should meet with their advisor in the Highlander Success Center. See the application Eligibility Requirements below.

NURSING STUDENTS WHO ARE UNSUCCESSFUL MEETING PROGRESSION CRITERIA

Students who are directly admitted to the prelicensure BSN program but who are unsuccessful in meeting the progression criteria may 1) choose to pursue another major, or 2) pursue nursing through the Pre-Nursing pathway and apply for admission to the BSN program once application Eligibility Requirements have been met.

TRANSFER PATHWAY FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE

• Transfer students must be admitted to Radford University and submit official transcripts from all previous institutions to apply for the Nursing program. See Eligibility Requirements below.
• Students with a prior BA/BS degree may demonstrate meeting the REAL curriculum requirements by submitting an official transcript from the institution conferring the degree.
  
• Two semesters of Chemistry (CHEM 111 and 112) are required to receive credit for CHEM 120 at Radford University.

STUDENTS FROM OTHER NURSING PROGRAMS

• Students who have been unsuccessful in a previous nursing program may apply to the School of Nursing if it has been at least two years since the last enrollment in the program in which the student was unsuccessful. They must be admitted to Radford University and meet the Eligibility Requirements below.
  
• The student must not have had any conduct or honor code violations and must provide a letter of good standing from the previous nursing program director.
• The student should provide a letter with the application explaining the previous experience in the nursing program and how the student plans to be successful in the future.
• All transcripts from the previous nursing program must be supplied. If the student is accepted, the student will be required to take all nursing courses.
• The School of Nursing may request further documentation from previous nursing programs.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION TO THE PRELICENSURE BSN PROGRAM

Radford University students who apply for admission to the Prelicensure BSN program must meet the following eligibility requirements:  

• Cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale on all college-level courses.  
• The GPA required to be competitive for admission may be considerably higher than 2.8. 
• Students offered admission to the nursing program must maintain a cumulative GPA 2.8.  Admission to the major will be revoked for students who fail to maintain the required GPA or are unsuccessful in completion of pre-requisites.  
• All pre-requisite courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or above before students can start the nursing major.  
• All foundational education courses (Fundamental math and fundamental writing) must be completed before the student can start the nursing major.  
• The student must be within 6 credits of meeting additional general education/REAL requirements.  

The pre-requisite course are listed below:

• CHEM 120 - Chemistry of Life  
• PSYC 230 - Lifespan Developmental Psychology  
• SOC 110 - Introduction to Sociology  
• NUTR 214 - Introduction to Nutrition  
• STAT 130 - Understanding Statistics in Society or STAT 200 Intro to Statistics  
• BIOL 310 and 311 Human Structure and Function 1 & 2 (Anatomy & Physiology 1&2) 
• BIOL 334 - Microbiology  
• NURS 321 - Pathophysiology  

*at the time of the application deadline students may have no more than two (2) of the following science courses to complete: CHEM 120, BIOL 334, BIOL 310, BIOL 311.  

• Fall admission: January 1st - 20th
  
• Spring admission: August 12th-31st

The Nursing major fulfills the R, A, and L areas of the REAL curriculum. The Nursing R and A areas fulfill the pre-requisites for the foundational knowledge necessary for the nursing profession. These include a focus on the sciences and the understanding of human behavior. The Nursing L area demonstrates the applied learning and culmination of skills during the nursing program.