Questions to Ask Nursing School Admissions
These are the nursing school questions to ask an admissions office before you apply, whether you are coming from high school, transferring, or changing careers with a degree already in hand. They follow the order the decision takes: whether you are eligible, how applicants are chosen, what to ask an accelerated nursing program, and then the questions to ask about nursing programs you are choosing between: outcomes, clinicals, cost, and what to settle once an offer arrives. The exams and accrediting bodies named are those of the United States; elsewhere, ask what the local equivalents are.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Eligibility
Which nursing programs do you offer, and which one fits someone with my background?
Why ask it
A school may run an associate degree, a traditional BSN, an accelerated track for people who already hold a bachelor's, and a bridge for LPNs or paramedics, each with its own application. Say what you already have, whether that is a degree, some college credit or a license, and let the office point you to the right one before you read a single requirement.
Which prerequisite courses do you require, and do any of them expire after a certain number of years?
Why ask it
Many programs will not count science prerequisites taken more than five or seven years ago. If you have old anatomy or chemistry credit, the answer decides whether you spend a semester retaking it before you can apply at all.
Which entrance exam do you require, what score do I need, and how many attempts do you allow?
Why ask it
The TEAS and the HESI A2 are the common ones in the US, and many schools accept only one of them. Attempt limits, waiting periods between sittings and how long a score stays valid all differ, so check them before booking a test date close to the deadline.
Do you accept prerequisites from community colleges, and how do you evaluate transfer credit?
Why ask it
A published list matching each outside course to one of the school's own is safer than a general statement that credit transfers, and science labs taken online are the usual point of dispute. Get the answer for your own courses in writing before you enroll anywhere on the assumption that they count.
Can I apply while a prerequisite is still in progress, and how many can be outstanding?
Why ask it
Some programs want every course finished and graded on the transcript by the deadline; others allow one or two in progress and admit you conditionally. That rule decides whether you apply this cycle or next, so ask it with your own course list in front of you.
If I retake a prerequisite, which grade do you count?
Why ask it
Programs replace the old grade, average the two, or cap how many retakes they will look at, and a few count a withdrawal as an attempt. Find out before paying for the course again, because an averaged B and C moves a science GPA far less than a replaced one.
Do you require healthcare experience such as a CNA certificate, or give credit for it?
Why ask it
A nursing assistant certificate is an entry requirement at some programs, worth extra points at others and ignored at many. The class takes weeks and the certification exam runs on its own calendar, so this is one to learn about a semester ahead.
How do you count AP, CLEP or pass/fail credit toward prerequisites?
Why ask it
Science taken pass/fail, or credit earned by exam, often cannot be turned into the letter grade a points formula needs. If part of your transcript looks like that, ask whether it counts as met, is scored as a C, or has to be repeated for a grade.
How do you evaluate transcripts from another country, and do you require an English proficiency test?
Why ask it
Foreign coursework usually needs a course-by-course evaluation from an outside agency, which takes weeks and is paid for by the applicant. A report from an agency the school does not accept may have to be ordered again, and the licensing board where you hope to work can add rules of its own.
Is there an information session or advising appointment I have to attend before I can apply?
Why ask it
Some programs will not open an application until you have attended a session, and the sessions can fill up or stop running weeks before the deadline. Where attendance is optional, it is still the easiest room in which to ask everything else on this list.
Getting in
Which application system do you use, and what are the deadlines for the cohort I want to start with?
Why ask it
A centralized application, the university's own portal and a nursing supplemental form often have three different due dates. People lose a full year to the earliest one rather than to the one printed on the brochure.
How many times a year does a cohort start, and is the competition different for each start?
Why ask it
Spring and summer starts sometimes draw fewer applications than fall for the same number of seats. If you are flexible about when you begin, the less popular start can be the easier one to get. The admissions office knows which it is.
How do you weigh GPA, prerequisite grades and entrance exam scores against each other?
Why ask it
A points formula can make one prerequisite grade worth more than your whole GPA, while a holistic review reads the file as a piece. If nobody can describe how a file gets scored, you have no way to judge whether retaking one course is worth the tuition.
What was the GPA and entrance exam range of the students you admitted last cycle?
Why ask it
Published minimums usually sit well below what it actually takes to get a seat, and the gap tells you whether you are a candidate or paying an application fee for practice. A flat refusal to give any range is itself worth noting.
How many seats are in each cohort, and roughly how many applications do you get for them?
Why ask it
The ratio changes your whole strategy: at eight applicants per seat you apply to several programs, at two you can afford to wait a cycle and strengthen one file. The figure that counts is complete, qualified applications, since files that missed a requirement inflate the total.
Do residents of this district or state, or students already enrolled at this college, get priority for seats?
Why ask it
Community colleges often rank in-district applicants first, and universities may hold places for their own pre-nursing students. If you fall outside the favored group, ask how many seats went to people in your position last cycle; sometimes the honest answer is none.
Is this a direct-admit program, or do students apply to the nursing major after a year or two of college?
Why ask it
Direct admission means the nursing seat is yours from the first day as long as you keep the required grades. The other model admits you to the university as pre-nursing and makes you compete again later, so ask how many pre-nursing students got into the major last year and what the rest did.
Does the application include an essay, references or an interview, and how much does each count?
Why ask it
In a strict points system an essay may be read only to break ties, while a holistic review can let it outweigh a tenth of a GPA point. The answer tells you whether your next free weekend belongs to the personal statement or to entrance exam practice.
What mistakes do you see most often in applications?
Why ask it
Admissions readers meet the same avoidable problems every cycle: a withdrawn prerequisite, a generic personal statement, a reference from someone who barely knows the applicant. Whatever this office names is probably what its own readers mark down, so write the answer down as it is said.
When do decisions go out, and how will I hear?
Why ask it
Programs release decisions on one set date, in rounds as files are reviewed, or only after interviews finish. The date lets you line this school up against other schools' reply deadlines, and tells you when silence means the alternate list and when it means nothing yet.
Is there a waitlist, is it ranked, and does it carry over to the next cycle?
Why ask it
An alternate list that dissolves on the first day of class means applying, and paying the fee, all over again. One that rolls forward can be worth staying on. How many alternates were offered a seat last year, and how late the calls came, shows what a place on it is worth.
If I am not admitted, can I find out where my file fell short, and how do you treat people who apply again?
Why ask it
Some offices will walk a rejected applicant through the scoring and some will say nothing at all. A second application does not always start from zero either: a few points formulas add something for having applied before.
Accelerated
Who can apply to the accelerated nursing program, and does my first degree have to be in a science?
Why ask it
Accelerated BSN tracks are built for people who already hold a bachelor's degree, usually in any subject. If you are in the final year of that degree, the detail to pin down is whether it has to be finished before you apply or only before the first day of class.
Does the accelerated track end in a BSN or a master's degree?
Why ask it
Second-degree routes come in two forms, an accelerated bachelor's and a direct-entry master's, and both prepare you for the same RN licensing exam. The master's route is often longer and billed at graduate rates, so ask what it adds that an employer or a later graduate program would recognize.
How long is the accelerated program from the first day to graduation, and where are the breaks?
Why ask it
Lengths run from about a year to a year and a half or more, and the shorter ones get there by teaching straight through the summer. The calendar says more about the pace than the number of months does: count the weeks off and see where they fall.
Do you look at the GPA from my first degree, my prerequisite GPA, or both?
Why ask it
A career changer with a middling degree from ten years ago and top grades in recent science courses can look strong or weak depending on which number leads. If the old GPA sits below the stated minimum, ask whether recent coursework can offset it or whether the file is screened out before anyone reads it.
Which science prerequisites does a second-degree applicant still need, and where do your students usually take them?
Why ask it
A degree in history or business rarely includes anatomy, physiology, microbiology or statistics, so many applicants have a year of part-time courses to finish first. Admissions staff tend to know which local colleges and online providers their admitted students used, and which lab formats the program has turned down.
Do accelerated students cover the same content and clinical hours as the traditional program?
Why ask it
The usual answer is yes, in fewer months, and it is worth hearing the school say so. Then ask where the time is saved: no general education courses, shorter terms, or more hours each week, because only the last of those lands on you.
Is it realistic to hold a job during the accelerated program?
Why ask it
Accelerated programs commonly tell students not to work, and the weekly timetable is the evidence for it. How many people in the current cohort work at all, and for how many hours, tells you more than the official advice does. Budget your living costs for the whole program either way.
If part of the accelerated program is online, who arranges my clinical placements and where are they?
Why ask it
Hybrid accelerated programs often teach theory online and send students to a skills site and partner hospitals in person. Some place students only in certain cities or states, so confirm there is a site within reach of your home, and that finding one is the school's job and not yours.
If I fall out of step with my accelerated cohort, do I wait for the next one or move to the traditional track?
Why ask it
A compressed sequence may run each course only once per cohort, so one failed or interrupted course can mean a long gap. Work out what that gap would cost in tuition and months, and whether a place in the next cohort is held for you or has to be won again.
What financial aid is open to someone who already has a bachelor's degree?
Why ask it
Grants meant for a first degree may not be available to you, and loans from the earlier degree can count toward borrowing limits. The rules depend on the country and on your own record, so ask the aid office to look at your situation before you rely on any figure in the brochure.
Outcomes
Which body accredits the program, and when is its next review?
Why ask it
In the US, accreditation by a national body such as ACEN, CCNE or CNEA is separate from approval by the state board of nursing, and a program should be able to tell you where it stands on both. Accreditation can matter for graduate school, credit transfer and some employers. A review due soon or a probationary status is something to hear about before you commit.
Is this a new program or campus, and has it graduated a class yet?
Why ask it
A program with no graduates has no pass rate to show and may hold only initial or candidate status with its accreditor. That is not a reason to rule it out, but ask what happens to your class if full status has not arrived by the time you finish.
What has your first-time NCLEX pass rate been for each of the last three years?
Why ask it
One good year can hide a slide, and many state boards of nursing publish these figures by school, so the answer you are given can be checked. A rate that moved several points in a year has a cause the program should be able to name, such as a new curriculum, staff turnover or an exit exam that decides who sits the test.
Of the students who start the program, what share finish it on time?
Why ask it
A strong exam pass rate can simply mean weaker students were dropped along the way, which is why completion is the number programs volunteer least. If what comes back is a pass rate, ask again, and if you are applying to an accelerated track, ask for that track's own figure and not the traditional program's.
What happens if I fail a nursing course, and can I repeat it?
Why ask it
Policies range from repeating the course next term to dismissal after one or two failures, and the passing mark in nursing courses is often set higher than in the rest of the college. Together those two rules are your margin in the hardest semester.
Will this degree let me apply for a license in another state or country?
Why ask it
Each licensing board sets its own education requirements, and a program that enrolls students from several states should be able to say which boards its curriculum satisfies. If you plan to move after graduating, or would study online from somewhere else, get that answer from the school and then confirm it with the board where you want to work.
Which employers hire your graduates, and do any of them recruit on campus?
Why ask it
Named hospitals and units can be checked in a way a placement percentage cannot. If the school does quote a percentage, ask whether it covers everyone who graduated or only the people who answered a survey.
If I earn an associate degree here, which universities take it toward a BSN, and can I start those courses early?
Why ask it
Some employers prefer a bachelor's degree or expect one within a few years of hiring, so an associate degree is often the first half of a longer plan. A signed agreement with a named university is worth more than a general assurance that credits transfer. Starting the bachelor's courses alongside the associate degree, where that is allowed, can shorten the whole route.
Can you put me in touch with current students or recent graduates?
Why ask it
How readily the office says yes tells you something, and students will describe the workload, the placement scramble and faculty turnover in terms admissions staff will not. Someone in the final year is a better source than an ambassador chosen to meet visitors.
Clinicals
How are clinical placements assigned, and how far might I have to travel?
Why ask it
Assigned rotations, lotteries and placements you have to arrange yourself are very different burdens. The farthest site the last cohort was sent to is the distance to plan around, since an hour each way changes childcare and fuel costs.
Which hospitals and clinics do students rotate through, and does everyone get a pediatric and a maternity placement?
Why ask it
The mix of sites decides what you see before you graduate: a large teaching hospital, a small community one, long-term care, a school or a clinic. Pediatric and maternity units can be short of student places, and a program may cover part of those rotations in simulation, so find out how the last class got theirs.
What do clinical and class hours look like week to week, including nights and weekends?
Why ask it
Twelve-hour shifts announced two weeks ahead make most jobs and childcare arrangements unworkable, so when the schedule comes out matters as much as what is on it.
Is there a part-time, evening or weekend option, and how much longer does it take?
Why ask it
Evening and weekend cohorts exist mainly for people with jobs, but their clinical shifts can still fall on weekdays when the hospital has room. The slower route can add several terms, and it may not admit a new cohort every year, which matters if you miss this one.
How much simulation lab time do students get, and how many students does one clinical instructor supervise?
Why ask it
Eight or ten students to one instructor means far less time at a bedside with a teacher next to you than four does, however new the equipment is. Simulation can also stand in for some required clinical hours where the nursing regulator allows it, so find out how much of the total it makes up here.
Can I tour the skills lab and simulation rooms before I decide where to apply?
Why ask it
A tour shows whether the lab is in daily use or kept tidy for visitors: supplies out on the counters, a posted practice schedule, students in the room. While you are there, ask how many hours a week it is open for practice without a booking.
What health, immunization and background screening requirements do I have to clear before clinicals?
Why ask it
Clinical sites set most of these rules and the school passes them on, so a missing immunization record or a screening you cannot clear can stall you after tuition is already paid. Get the list, the due dates and who pays for each item before the first term starts.
How does a past criminal charge or conviction affect clinical placement and licensure here?
Why ask it
Schools can admit a student the state board will later refuse to license, and hospitals can bar a placement independently. Better to hear the honest answer now, and to be pointed to the board's own review process, than in your final year.
Can the program accommodate a disability or health condition in labs and clinicals, and who do I talk to?
Why ask it
Nursing programs usually publish technical standards, the physical and sensory tasks a student must manage with or without accommodation. Read them before applying, take specific questions to the disability services office, and ask whether that conversation is kept apart from the admissions decision.
Do students need their own car, laptop or particular software for classes and clinicals?
Why ask it
Clinical sites are often beyond public transport and a shift can start before the first bus runs, while a required laptop specification or exam software is a cost that tends to arrive in the first week.
Cost and offers
Beyond tuition, what will I spend on fees, uniforms, testing, insurance and immunizations?
Why ask it
Standardized testing packages, malpractice insurance, background checks, a stethoscope and licensure application fees add up to a sum that never appears in the per-credit figure. An itemized cost sheet for the whole program, not for one term, is the document to request.
Is tuition charged per credit or as a flat rate per term, and what would repeating a course cost?
Why ask it
A flat-rate program may bill a whole term for one repeated course, and a per-credit program may add fees to lab and clinical credits. The figure that includes everything is what a student who finished on schedule last year paid in total, so ask for that.
What financial aid, scholarships or service-commitment programs are specific to nursing students here?
Why ask it
Hospital tuition sponsorship and rural or underserved service programs are often administered outside the main financial aid office, so nobody mentions them unless asked. Some carry a multi-year work obligation worth reading closely.
Is tutoring and licensure exam preparation included in tuition, or billed separately?
Why ask it
A commercial test-prep product bundled into fees is often counted as support, which is different from faculty office hours and a tutor who knows the course. What current students say they actually used tells you which of the two this program has.
What is the refund policy if I withdraw during the first term?
Why ask it
Refund schedules typically shrink week by week and run out early in the term, and money spent on testing packages or uniforms may not come back at all. Read the schedule before the first payment, while the answer can still change what you do.
If I am admitted, how long do I have to accept, and is the seat deposit refundable?
Why ask it
Offers from different schools rarely arrive in the same week, and a deposit paid to hold one seat may be lost when a better offer comes. Get the reply date and the refund terms in writing so you can plan the order of your decisions.
Can I defer my seat for a year if something changes after I am admitted?
Why ask it
Plenty of nursing programs do not defer and expect you to apply again, with no credit for having been admitted once. If a move, a pregnancy or a military deployment is possible, ask now what the policy is and who can approve an exception.
Making the Admissions Conversation Useful
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Ask the Right Person
Admissions Staff Know Process
Deadlines, transcript evaluation, transfer credit, application scoring and fee waivers are theirs. They will rarely have honest numbers on attrition or faculty turnover, so do not read a vague answer there as evasion.
Faculty and the Program Director Know the Curriculum
Course sequencing, repeat policies, clinical instructor ratios and what a failing grade means are answered properly only by someone who teaches. Ask admissions to forward those questions rather than guessing on your behalf.
Current Students Know the Cost of Living It
Students in their final year will tell you plainly how far the placement travel really is, how much notice you get before a shift, whether holding a job is realistic and which semester tends to break people. Ask two of them rather than one, since any single account can be unusually good or unusually bad.
What to Check Yourself Rather Than Take on Trust
- Accreditation status and any probationary flags, on the accreditor's own website (ACEN, CCNE or CNEA in the US) rather than the program's page
- First-time NCLEX pass rates, which many state boards of nursing publish by school and year
- Whether the board of nursing where you plan to work accepts this program's graduates, asked of that board and not only of the school
- Prerequisite equivalency in writing from the office that evaluates transcripts, not verbally from an advisor
- The itemized fee schedule for the current year, since costs beyond tuition change annually
Where Applicants Go Wrong
Treating the Minimum as the Target
A stated 2.8 GPA minimum in a program admitting at 3.6 is not useful information. Always ask what admitted students looked like, then decide where to apply.
Asking Only About Getting In
The harder questions are about finishing: repeat policy, completion rate, clinical placement burden and total cost. Those decide whether the seat is worth taking.
Waiting Until You Are Admitted to Ask About Money
Scholarships with service commitments and hospital sponsorship often have their own earlier deadlines. By acceptance letter season, several are closed.
Reading an Accelerated Program as the Short, Cheap Version
An accelerated nursing program has fewer months but not less content or fewer clinical hours, and most students cannot hold a job through it. Add up living costs for the whole length and find out what aid a second degree qualifies for before deciding that the faster route is the cheaper one.