PRE-PROFESSIONAL CURRICULUM

Required Courses

The courses required prior to acceptance into the AASN degree program can be found in the most current Undergraduate Bulletin.

How to Apply

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

Applicants for admission will be ranked according to application completeness, the GPA of the 10 hours of prerequisites and admission test score. Consideration will be given to students completing prerequisite courses by the end of the Fall semester.

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. 

Online applications will be available August 31st - October 1st.

Applicants Must Complete

1. Admission to Arkansas State University
2. Online application for Admission to the School of Nursing available August 31st.  (Application checklist) 
3. Take the HESI A2 admission exam - test dates for Spring 2021 to be announced.  Payment for admission exam is non-refundable. You are only allowed to take admission exam once per academic year. Admission exam is a timed exam, with a 3-hour time limit and will cover three sections - Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension and Anatomy & Physiology.
4. Official Transcripts: Submit official transcripts showing all college work completed, including grades on courses taken in the last semester of enrollment to the Office of Admissions.  
5. Submit with application a list of currently enrolled prerequisite coursework.
6. Certification of CNA from the Office of Long Term Care by October 1st.
7. Documentation of English proficiency, if applicable.

Questions?

For questions or for more information, contact the campus you are applying to:

* All documentation required by the School of Nursing must be kept current at all times during the course of the program. Students admitted will be required to supply additional documentation including current CPR certification, Hepatitis B immunizations, TB skin test or chest x-ray and proof of professional liability insurance (minimum $1,000,000/$3,000,000). Criminal background check may be required.

Admission Exam

Admission testing will be required for the traditional AASN Program. Test dates and times are listed below. Testing will have a 3 hour time limit. Please DO NOT pay for the exam unless you are making application to the traditional AASN Program. The payment is non-refundable. Due to limited testing space, you may only test once per admission cycle. 

Exam Dates

Dates for Spring 2021 to be determined and will be posted in Summer 2020. 

Study Guide

A study guide is available from Elsevier for the HESI A2 exam. 

Note: Effective Spring 2019, the following exams will be administered for the traditional AASN program, Critical Thinking,  Reading Comprehension and Anatomy & Physiology.  

Program Application

Program applications for the Traditional AASN program will be available August 31st - October 1st.

AASN Pass Rates

• 2017 - 81.9%
• 2018- 81.1%
• 2019 - 91.4%

For students seeking readmission to an ASU Nursing program or you would like to transfer to ASU from another School of Nursing:

Testing

Students seeking readmission or transferring from another school to the AASN or BSN nursing programs are required to pass a standardized test created from the objectives of the courses successfully completed in previous semesters.

Criteria for readmission to the undergraduate nursing programs includes:

• Complete readmission packet;
• Recommendation of faculty;
• Passing score (75%) on the standardized assessment test(s) of courses previously passed;
• Cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0; and
• Space availability in the class

Readmission applications and information on scheduling a testing date are located on the School of Nursing website each semester.

The cost of the readmission test is $50.00 and will be the responsibility of the student.

2020 Testing Dates

Test Dates for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 Readmission are listed below.  Please select one test date.  Reminder, if you are unsuccessful on your first attempt, you will have one more attempt.

Test dates for Fall 2020.  Test times are 9:00-1:00 pm and will be held on the Jonesboro Campus for Jonesboro and West Memphis applicants:

• Friday, April 3, 2020 (deadline to pay is NOON on Friday, March 20, 2020)
• Friday, May 1, 2020 (deadline to pay is NOON on Friday, April 17, 2020)
• Friday, May 29, 2020 (deadline to pay is Noon on Friday, May 15, 2020 - DO NOT schedule as your 1st attempt - this is the final date for readmission testing 

Test dates for Mountain Home Applicants only:

• Thursday, May 14, 2020 (deadline to pay is NOON on Thursday, April 30, 2020)
• Thursday, May 28, 2020 (deadline to pay is 5 PM on Thursday, May 14, 2020 - DO NOT schedule as your 1st attempt - this is the final date for readmission on the Mountain Home Campus)

Test dates for Spring 2021 Readmission.  Test times are 9:00-1:00 pm and will be held on the JONESBORO Campus for Jonesboro and West Memphis Applicants:

• Friday, August 14, 2020 (deadline to pay is NOON on Friday, July 31, 2020)
• Friday, September 4, 2020 (deadline to pay is NOON on Friday, August 21, 2020)
• Friday, September 25, 2020 (deadline to pay is NOON on Friday, September 11, 2020 - DO NOT schedule as your 1st attempt - this is the final date for readmission testing)

Test dates for Mountain Home Applicants only:

• Friday, September 11, 2020 (deadline to pay is NOON on Friday, August 28, 2020)
• Thursday, September 24, 2020 (deadline to pay is 5 PM on Friday, September 11, 2020)

Payment of exam must be made before exam will be ordered! The registration/payment deadline is approximately two weeks before test date.  Link for online payment/registration for readmission exam is  https://secure.touchnet.net/C20019_ustores/web/store_cat.jsp?STOREID=6&CATID=31

Program Application

Program applications for transfers and readmission will be available (Fall) April 30th - June 7th and (Spring) August 31st - October 1st.

RN Licensure

Upon completion of this program, the student is eligible to apply for licensure as a Registered Nurse.

A first-time applicant for any license with the Arkansas State Board of Nursing will be required to have a state and national background check. Any offenses 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 licensure.

The Nurse Practice Act may be viewed on the Arkansas State Board of Nursing website www.arsbn.org or on the nursing website.