I keep on reading everywhere that for universities that offer pre-nursing programs, you have to keep a high GPA and have hospital volunteer experience or something fort the first 1-2 years to make yourselves competitive to actually become an actual nursing major, and you only have one shot at it to apply. So if you don’t get into the Nursing Major, you just have to pick another major?
And why would some people decide to go to a college with Pre-nursing program as opposed to a direct-entry nursing program? I hear that pre-nursing is very compeitive, something like 10% acceptance rate from pre-nursing applicants… Wouldn’t it be much easier and wiser to just go to a direct-entry so you wouldn’t have to stress to keep a perfect GPA and not have a chance of not even getting a BSN in the end?
One school she really liked but it fell off the list because she would have to apply to nursing at the end of her freshman year (and she would have another chance sophomore year). The problem with that particular one, and maybe others, is admission is a moving target. It depended on the stats of the class and how many open spots there were, not just a clear benchmark she had to meet.
She feels the same way you do - why “waste” one or two years at a university just to be denied entrance to her major? Direct admits often have higher admission criteria at the start but reasonable requirements to stay.
You really have to parse the college’s language … sometimes “direct admit” doesn’t mean what you think it might mean. And sometimes “pre-nursing” means all nursing students who have not taken the licensing exams taken before graduation (ie, all of them). It’s important to ask exactly what they mean with the terms. Most colleges will have a “direct admit from high school” section or language n their website if they accept students right from high school.
My daughter and I had that question when she started looking at schools and we first became aware of direct entry vs. pre-nursing. Her number one choice fell out of favor when she learned she would be admitted as a pre-nursing major and would have to apply to the nursing school during second semester of her freshman year. At a Nursing Open House the dean told the group that they had 600 pre-nursing students competing for 60 spots in 2015, and that the minimum GPA of those admitted was 3.85 – this was the GPA for students taking all nursing courses in their first semester freshman year in college. Good for them, but that is a ridiculously low acceptance rate. When asked what students do who don’t make it, the dean said the majority transfer. Seems like a crazy system. My daughter actually discussed this concern with admissions counselor at a school with a directly-entry nursing program, and he told her many kids enroll at schools as pre-nursing majors and have no idea they will have to apply again. I find that quite believable. I pity the kids who don’t ask the right questions.
Nursing is really competitive and not everyone gets into a direct entry program. If that were so, the non-direct entry programs would go out of business.
Not everyone who winds up in nursing starts there. Just like any other major, people decide to pursue it (or not!) after getting to college.
In California, there are very few direct-entry nursing schools, and many of them have acceptances below 5%, so many students opt for the less competitive prenursing route.
The majority of direct entry programs are concentrated in states in the northeast quadrant of the US Gradually, colleges in other parts of the country have been shifting over to direct entry.
Here is a list of direct entry nursing programs. But, I’ve noticed that even though is not on this list, they might still admit freshmen with very good stats. I’m from Michigan and have noticed a few schools around here like that. You just Google the school name and then “nursing direct admit” or look in their admissions requirements.
After spending a lot of time visiting schools my daughter came away not only wanting direct entry but also a 4 year program. These limited her choices even further but still there was a nice list. She ended up choosing between Michigan and Pitt and choosing Michigan.
Great choice! Your D will not regret her choice. Michigan has a new nursing building and loads of money to give to the deserving students. The hospital has so much to offer. She will graduate with 1000 clinical hours under her belt. Finding a desired job anywhere is a piece of cake.
go to local directional State U for 2 years and apply to their BSN Nursing program for year 3 -- keeping in mind that 650-700 freshmen enroll each year with Nursing as intended major, but the College of Nursing only accepts 130 students each semester
get direct-admitted from high school into community college Nursing program, get ADN/RN at end of year 3, and do 1-year BSN program at local State U, getting the exact same degree in 4 years as option 1.
We went the direct entry route but didn’t realize there was still a GPA requirement for freshman year to keep that direct entry status. DD is just a little shy of the required GPA and now we’re sweating it waiting for the letter to come next week to tell us if she’s accepted or not. She thinks it will all be ok that they just say that to scare people, but I’m really ticked that we weren’t given “all” the information when we made our choice to go to this school!
I guess it’s my fault for believing the Dean of Nursing and other faculty I spoke with and not researching everything myself!!
Most direct entry colleges have a minimum GPA requirement to stay in the nursing program. It would be useful to check to see how high that requirement is. Also, if a student receives merit aid, there is typically a minimum GPA to keep receiving it.
If you get into a direct nursing program go for it as you have a guaranteed spot if you keep a minimum GPA. Pre-nursing does not guarantee you a spot. I applied only to direct entry nursing programs here in California. If I did not get accepted to any direct freshman entry nursing programs, I would have gone the ADN route at Community College and transferred to a BSN program. Fortunately I will be attending SDSU direct entry nursing this fall.
I’m so happy to have found a Nursing thread. Daughter # 5 heading to Pace Lienhard School of nursing in September. I was so confused with this application cycle since D 1-4 all went the liberal Arts and Sciences route declaring a major in their junior year. I found it strange that here in New York there aren’t many Direct programs. NYU where D2 attended has one but they rejected her even though D5 has better stats and GPA go figure. Georgetown was always a reach but said no as well. She was accepted to a few CUNYs including Hunter but she would have to maintain a 3.6 GPA plus take some test and after all that they only admit 100. She was also accepted to Quinnipiac, Mercy College and Concordia all with direct Nursing. Thank goodness we had a few choices.