Admission Criteria

All prerequisite course work, including Bachelor degree earned, must be completed by the end of the Spring semester for Summer admission to the program.

Beginning fall 2021, student selection will be based on competitive scores in regards to cumulative GPA, prerequisite GPA, and interview. Special consideration will be made for those with Spanish proficiency and/or a degree in a clinical health care field.

• Earned Bachelors degree
• Cumulative GPA 2.5 or better AND GPA of 3.0 or better in prerequisite courses.

Required Courses*

The required courses that must be completed with a "C" or higher by the end of the Spring semester for Summer admission to the program.  These courses are listed below, and can be found in the most recent Undergraduate Bulletin.

• BIO 2103 AND 2101, Microbiology for Nursing and Allied Health and Laboratory 
• BIO 2203 AND 2201, Human Anatomy/Physiology I and Laboratory 
• BIO 2223 AND 2221, Human Anatomy/Physiology II and Laboratory 
• CHEM 1043 AND 1041, Fundamental Concepts of Chemistry I and Laboratory OR CHEM 1013 AND 1011, General Chemistry I and Laboratory 
• ENG 1003, Composition I 
• ENG 1013, Composition II 
• PSY 2013, Introduction to Psychology 
• SOC 2213, Introduction to Sociology
• Statistics elective - 3 credit hours 
• HIST 2763, The United States to 1876 OR HIST 2773, The United States Since 1876 OR POSC 2103, Introduction to United States Government 
• MATH 1023, College Algebra MATH course that requires MATH 1023 as a prerequisite

*All course attempts will be considered in the calculation of prerequisite GPA.*

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS

The College of Nursing and Health Professions requires a high level of proficiency in English so that all students will be able to fully meet academic and clinical objectives as well as meet criteria for professional licensure/certification.

International Students

Students from non-English speaking countries or for whom English is not a native language must take one of the following tests:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 83 on the preferred internet-based test (iBT), 570 on the paper-based test, or 213 on the computer-based test.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a score of at least 6.5 and a spoken band score of 7.
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) with a score of 56.

The term foreign born refers to people residing in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent immigrants, refugees and asylees, legal non-immigrants (including those on student, work, or other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization. In contrast, the term native born refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: 1) born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; 2) born in United States Insular areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; 3) born abroad to at least one U. S. citizen parent.

Exemption

You may be exempt for the English proficiency testing if you are foreign born but attended school in the United States since kindergarten. For the exemption you must provide official school records showing continuous enrollment in U. S. schools since kindergarten.

TOEFL Information

The TOEFL is available at the A-State Testing Center. When taking the exam off campus, the report code for A-State is 6011.

English as a Second Language Program

Students who do not meet the required English language proficiency may enroll in A-State’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program in the English Language Academy. Potential students enrolled in the ESL program must maintain an average of 85 or higher in levels 0 through 4. In the final or 5th level of the ESL program an average of 90 or higher must be maintained. Upon completion of the ESL program, the potential student must take the internet based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Upon successfully meeting the proficiency requirement, potential students are eligible to apply to the BSN Program.

How to Apply

To apply for the 2nd Degree Accelerated option, candidates should follow the below steps:

1. Apply for admission to A-State as a 100% online student (domestic US students apply here and international students apply here). For assistance with the application, please contact A-State Online Admissions at (866) 621-8096 or (870) 972-2920.
2. Apply for admission to the Second Degree Accelerated BSN program. Admission to the 2nd Degree Accelerated option is available in Spring 2 (March) and Fall 2 (October) each year. Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as there is a limited class size in each admitted cohort.
3. Submit the following prior to the application deadline:

• APPLICATION: Submit the Second Degree Accelerated BSN Application as referenced above.
• TRANSCRIPTS: Submit official (sealed) transcripts from ALL institutions you have attended since High School (except A-State transcripts) to A-State Online (PO Box 2520, State University, AR 72467 or astateonline@astate.edu). 
• LETTER OF STANDING:  If you have previously attended a nursing or any professional program that you did not complete, you must have the program Dean/Director send a letter stating your standing when you left the program. This letter must be sent to astateonline@astate.edu for processing.
• ENGLISH PROFICIENCY:  Documentation of English Proficiency, if applicable.  

Deadline

INCOMPLETE OR LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Applications are reviewed after the application deadline and are NOT reviewed on a first come, first served basis with the exception of those qualifying for early admission.

Limited Availability

Class size is limited and all applicants may not be accepted into the program. Interested individuals are encouraged to seek an advisor early to ensure that all prerequisite courses are completed in a timely manner.

Student selection will be based on prerequisite GPA, and cumulative GPA, with special consideration for those with Spanish proficiency and/or a degree in a clinical health care field.

Based on recent legislation in Arkansas, students admitted to professional programs that lead to licensure upon graduation are required to have a successful background check to complete formal admission. 

To be considered for admission, the following prerequisite courses must be completed with a “C” or better before the start of your first class in the program:

BIO 2103 AND 2101, Microbiology for Nursing and Allied Health and Laboratory

BIO 2203 AND 2201, Human Anatomy/Physiology I and Laboratory

BIO 2223 AND 2221, Human Anatomy/Physiology II and Laboratory

CHEM 1043 AND 1041, Fundamental Concepts of Chemistry and Laboratory OR CHEM 1013 AND 1011, General Chemistry I and Laboratory

ENG 1003, Composition I

ENG 1013, Composition II

PSY 2013, Introduction to Psychology

SOC 2213, Introduction to Sociology

Statistics elective - 3 credit hours

HIST 2763, The United States to 1876 OR HIST 2773, The United States Since 1876 OR POSC 2103, Introduction to United States Government

MATH 1023, College Algebra, MATH course that requires MATH 1023 as a prerequisite

Second Degree Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing

BSN Pass Rates

• 2023- 100% (2nd Degree ABSN Only) 
• 2022- 93%
• 2021- 91.2%
• 2020- 95.1%
• 2019- 94%
• 2018- 95.7%

Applying for RN Licensure

Upon completion of the BSN program, the student is eligible to apply for licensure as a Registered Nurse. A first time applicant for any licensure by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing will have a state and national criminal background check. Any offense identified in section §17-87-312 of the Nurse Practice Act may prohibit a graduate from obtaining a license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Arkansas.

Although an appeal may be possible, there are offenses that permanently disqualify an applicant from a license. A complete list of criminal acts that prevent licensure as a registered nurse can be found at the Arkansas State Board of Nursing website (www.arsbn.org) and on the nursing website. If students have any reason to believe that they may be ineligible to write the NCLEX-RN, they should discuss this matter with someone knowledgeable about nursing laws and/or contact the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN).