<p>Hi all,
The Capstone School of Nursing at UA admits 192 new students to the program each year. Could anyone speak to what percentage of applicants this represents? We really like UA but will be paying out of state tuition and just want to make sure the odds of getting into the nursing program are not super low. Thanks!!</p>
<p>Anything in health care is very competitive. I’m guessing 1/3 to 1/4.</p>
<p>Sent from my SCH-R760 using CC</p>
<p>you need to have a very high gpa to get in to the nursing school. i have heard it is around a 3.9. i don’t know if that is accurate, but that is the word on the street.</p>
<p>About a 3.6 GPA is the minimum at the public schools in my state. It’s probably slightly less competitive at private schools. There is one private school that has a direct entry nursing program. At all others, you need to apply after taking two years of core courses. </p>
<p>Since there are hardly any jobs outside of health care, students are flooding health related degree programs.</p>
<p>riprorin - are you referring to Samford? Also admitted there and trying to decide between the two. Obviously huge differences but have to admit Samford’s direct admit is inticing.</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with Samford; I’m not in AL. If you can find a school that has a direct entry program, and you can afford it, that would be the preferred path, unless you are a very strong student.</p>
<p>Frankly, the “odds” are irrelevant. It’s not a crapshoot. It’s not as if everyone presents with similar stats and then a few lucky ones are chosen. It’s all about grades. If you have top grades, then your own odds are high.</p>
<p>Rip refers to applying to healthcare. Well, we’re in the midst of the med school app cycle. Son has one acceptance so far - and hoping for one or two more. The fact that only 50% of med school applicants end up with one MD acceptance didn’t mean anything to us. We knew that with his stats, his chances were high that he’d have at least one MD acceptance.</p>
<p>The OP asked what what percentage of applicants were admitted into the nursing program and I suggested that it was probably around 25% - 33%.</p>
<p>I also suggested that unless she had a 3.6 or above, it would likely be very difficult to get admitted.</p>
<p>However, I’m not an expert on the nursing at UA so maybe others who are more familiar with their program can chime in.</p>
<p>Im hitting the “like” button! I agree with everything M2CK just posted!</p>
<p>Luck has nothing to do with promotion into upper division at the UA. The Capstone College of Nursing is a well-respected program with state of the art facilities. Promotion to upper division is based solely on a student’s academic performance, so it’s well within reach for truly dedicated and academically successful students. Promotion is granted twice a year with 96 students promoted based on a prescribed formula which considers only the required coursework and the number of credits completed at the UA. Science counts twice.</p>
<p>When my daughter made her college decision she was undaunted by the competitive process for promotion because she knew she would control her own destiny by the dedication she had for her own academic success. Rarely does anything good come easy.:)</p>
<p>Of the two promotion cycles, summer is the most competitive with an average GPA of 3.98. The application process is currently underway for summer promotion to upper division.:)</p>
<p>At Bama, if you’re not a special circumstance, then often you need nearly a 4.0 to get admitted into its nursing program. I think last year’s GPA avg was about a 3.99. </p>
<p>But, again, “averages” and percentages don’t matter in this case. If you have a 3.5, then your chances are very low. If you have a 4.0, then you’re golden.</p>
<p>There is absolutely no “luck” involved. The better your GPA is, plus what other factors they look at for admissions, the better your chances are.</p>
<p>Not all students have the wherewithal to be 4.0. The risk to students that are less than 4.0 students is that if they don’t make it after two years, they have to continue to try by re-taking courses and re-applying, or to regroup and try something else. That’s a big risk in terms of time, money, and energy.</p>
<p>Students that are less that stellar students may want to consider other options.</p>
<p>My daughter is a 3.2 after her first semester and we’ve come to the conclusion that it’s unlikely she’s going to get into a nursing program, so we are looking at other options.</p>
<p>There are “weeder” classes, so some students do find themselves changing their majors to something else at some point. If a student retakes a course in lower division the lower grade is not dropped, so it is important to guard the GPA from the beginning.</p>
<p>Right about the weeder courses. After the first semester or two, students often realize that they don’t have the A’s to continue in that career goal. That doesn’t mean that a career in healthcare won’t happen…it may just be in some other area…OT, PT, RD, etc.</p>
<p>Bamagirls…do you know if AP science credits are accepted for the nursing program?</p>
<p>My D brought in several AP credits, but none in science. While I cannot answer this definitively, I can say this. Nursing has pretty specific science requirements, but I’ve heard others ask this question. Since the required science GPA counts twice in the calculations, it might not be the wisest choice if it is allowed. The Nursing advisors are very helpful, and I’d want to carefully follow their advice. Although AP classes provide credit, they don’t provide GPA. If a student was allowed to bring in AP credit for a science, that student stands a good chance of having it backfire if performance in the remaining science classes are not absolutely perfect. There is very little wiggle room now, but that would allow for none. It simply makes the rest of the classes more heavily weighted. Dual enrollment, however, allows the student to bring forth a GPA. What a student has to be careful about is whether that course is accepted by the UA and the School of Nursing, and whether the GPA is solid. Though it isn’t easy, having the opportunity to earn an A+ in some science classes provides an edge to those who are willing and able to do so. It provides a bit of wiggle room in an otherwise tight situation. I’m not sure how this would impact preference, but it likely wouldn’t be favorable. Part of the calculation includes classes successfully completed at the UA. I would say it is similar to deciding whether to apply AP science credit as an undergrad if a student will later seek admission to med school. In that case, a student bringing forth the credit wouldn’t likely receive credit for admission to med school and would need to take a higher science at the UA. Not quite the same situation, but similar. I wouldn’t recommend it. Sorry for the long winded response.:)</p>
<p>Bringing in AP credits to fulfill requirements in areas other than science isn’t nearly as dicey.:)</p>
<p>We’re looking at OT as it’s a better fit for my daughter than nursing, and it’s just as competitive as getting into a nursing program.</p>
<p>That’s a nice choice, riprorin.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input!</p>
<p>*My D brought in several AP credits, but none in science. While I cannot answer this definitively, I can say this. Nursing has pretty specific science requirements, but I’ve heard others ask this question. Since the required science GPA counts twice in the calculations, it might not be the wisest choice if it is allowed. *</p>
<p>If AP science credits are allowed, I don’t know if the “twice calculation” would hurt. AP credits are Cr/Nc. They wouldn’t get included in a student’s GPA. Just like AP credits for pre-med don’t hurt a student’s GPA. Only the classes with actual grades were included in GPA calculation.</p>
<p>Yikes! 3.98 average GPA for those who were accepted. I thought DS was doing well with his 3.931 (he had all As for Fall 2012 semester…yay!). </p>
<p>No, he’s not planning to apply to the nursing school. 
But, obviously, if he were, he’d have trouble making it.</p>
<p>Those science-y majors sure are competitive. Kudos to all the kids who go into those fields!</p>
<p>(DS is in the humanities…a/k/a No Job Unless You First Go On To Law / Business / Grad School.)</p>