What are my chances for SDSU and CSUF? Is CSUF direct entry? Campus life at SDSU?

College Majors Nursing Major
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(Sorry for this long wall of text; if anyone could help me with any of the basic questions of this discussion title, I would already be so grateful!)

Hello I’m a senior in high school and I applied to the Fall 2016 semester for nursing to SDSU and CSUF as well as CSULB and CSUSB. Please chance me for the above schools, notably SDSU and CSUF.

My CSU Eligibility Index is 4528, specifically the following:
CSU GPA: 3.91
SAT MATH: 690
SAT C.R.: 710
SAT WRITING: 740 (doesn’t count?)

My top choices are SDSU and CSUF, both for direct? entry. My understanding is that SDSU has larger cohorts, is more of a hands-on experience, and is more competitive. If anyone goes to or knows someone who does go to SDSU/CSUF for nursing, could you please tell me your/their experience? This is important to me because while SDSU is more appealing, should I be so fortunate as to be given a choice, CSUF is close enough for me to commute to from my parents home and thus will be much cheaper. But SDSU does seem like the better nursing school, has the appeal of a new (and quite beautiful) city, and of living away from my parents (just for the experience of course, I love them dearly).

Another thing that has come up while I scoured college confidential for info. was that apparently UCLA, UCI, and SDSU are the only direct entry schools in california? I find this strange considering that CSUF’s nursing website states that they admit ~35 high school seniors for their traditional BSN program every fall semester and that undeclared/other major CSUF students may apply to the school of nursing albeit through the traditional BSN (CSUF student pathway) and that “it has its own specific requirements needed to apply to the program.” It even says quote “An applicant accepted into the traditional BSN (entry-level freshmen program) is considered a nursing student at CSF… (and) does not need to apply (to the nursing program) once the nursing prerequisite programs are complete.” My understanding of a direct entry program is that once admitted as a college freshman, one does not need to worry about a second application from pre-nursing major to nursing major and is pretty much guaranteed a BSN degree (not really but is much more forgiving in GPA than pre-nursing majors). If anyone can explain any misconceptions I have, I would be much, much more than grateful.

P.S. @Gumbymom I noticed that you are very knowledgeable and have been incredibly helpful in the nursing forums - Thank you so much for this wealth of information. If I could receive your advice for my individual case, I don’t know, words can’t really explain how much more help you could possibly be to an anxious hopeful. If you see this, thank you so, so much for all you have already done.

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SDSU just changed their nursing program curriculum starting this past fall, so there are only 2 ways for admission:

  1. Direct Entry as a Freshman, where you are admitted as a Pre-Nursing major until you complete all the Pre-req’s

Students admitted to SDSU and the nursing program are not coded as Nursing Majors until they successfully complete BIO 211 & 211L, BIO212, BIO 261, CHEM 102, Statistics 250, COMM 103, RWS 100, and RWS 200 with the required grades (B- or above for all Biology courses, C or above for all others).
A minimum EI of approximately 4400 is needed to be a competitive applicant, but it will depend upon the strength of the in-coming applicants each year.

**You can no longer apply to the program unless you are admitted directly as a Freshman.

Or

  1. Transfer from a CC or another 4 year college with an average 3.7 GPA.

CSUF has 2 options for incoming Freshman:

  1. Direct Entry if you are selected based on EI: Minimum 4200 SAT/1010 ACT. Again it will depend upon the competitiveness of the in-coming Freshman class and your chances.

  2. A CSUF student non-nursing major can take Nursing Pre-req and major courses and must maintain a 3.0. And a 3.25 GPA in other pre req’s, they are then eligible to apply to the nursing program. (Non-direct admit).

Or

  1. Transfer from a CC or another 4 year college.

You look like a competitive applicant, just difficult to say how hard the direct admit programs will be each year. If you do not get into SDSU’s program as a Freshman, your only other option is to try to transfer. With CSUF, you still have a chance as a non direct admit and apply after finishing your pre-req’s.

You have a good chance at CSULB and CSUSB, but again you will have to apply after finishing your pre-req’s to the programs with no guarantees. I would definitely go for the direct admit program if accepted.

Good Luck.

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Thank you so much for clarifying! To double-check, do both SDSU and CSUF have direct entry programs where I don’t need to reapply to be a nursing major, only finish my pre-requisites?

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Hi! I was wondering if you got accepted into Fullerton or SDSU for nursing yet? I also applied to both schools for nursing!