Direct Enrollment Pathway | Admissions
The application deadline for College of Nursing Direct Enrollment Pathway is November 1. To apply for the Direct Enrollment Pathway, please complete and submit the Common Application by the Early Action deadline set by The Ohio State University, selecting nursing as your intended major.
You have aspirations to help people live healthier and happier lives, and we want to support you in pursuing those dreams. Our Direct Enrollment Pathway can provide you with a secured seat* in our Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program when you begin your first year at Ohio State.
To be considered for Direct Enrollment, please complete the Common Application by the early action deadline (November 1) and choose Nursing as your intended major. Direct Enrollment selection occurs one time per year with final decisions being released via email by the end of February. Our goal is to build a class that exemplifies the values of our college and the university. Students offered a place in the BSN program through Direct Enrollment will complete the required prerequisite courses during their first year at Ohio State and then will begin the BSN program in the Autumn semester of their second year, if they continue to meet the post-admission standards outlined below. This Direct Enrollment Admission Pre-Nursing Communication Timeline provides an overview of what nursing students following Direct Enrollment can expect in the first year.
With the limited number of seats available for this option, we may not be able to offer Direct Enrollment to nursing for all qualified applicants. Students who are not offered Direct Enrollment may still be considered for admission into Ohio State as a first year student and be considered for admission to the nursing major through the traditional admissions process. Please review our traditional admissions process here.
Minimum eligibility requirements | Application process | Admissions timeline for all applicants | Progression criteria
Minimum eligibility requirements
- Apply and complete your Common Application by the early action deadline to The Ohio State University Columbus campus as a "Nursing" applicant
- Must be in the top 5% of your high school class ranking*
- Demonstrated success in strong high school math curriculum as determined by University Undergraduate Admissions
- ACT Math score ≥ 26 (SAT Math ≥610); if you submit your application without test scores considered, additional emphasis will be placed on high school performance and strength of curriculum*
- Be admitted to Ohio State’s Columbus campus as a Pre-Nursing student
- Applicants must be 18 years of age by October 1 of the autumn semester of their first clinical course
*The submission of test scores is optional for applicants to the Columbus campus for the 2024 and 2025 spring, summer and autumn semesters. Applicants must let us know on the Common Application whether or not to consider their test scores. Link here for more information.
If you have questions about how class rank is calculated (especially if your high school does not track class rank), or what is considered a strong high school math curriculum, please contact University Undergraduate Admissions.
Application process
Only applicants who are admitted to Columbus campus as a Pre-Nursing student, will be considered for Direct Enrollment.
Admissions timeline for all applicants
A decision on your application will be sent via email in mid-February. If you are admitted to the pathway, you will receive additional information via email, including your Virtual Admissions Packet, which will guide you through the next steps, such as orientation related information and action items.
Once released, all admission decisions for Direct Enrollment are final. If you are not admitted through the Direct Enrollment process, you will still maintain your admission to the university as a pre-nursing student and will be able to submit an application through the traditional BSN program during your first year at Ohio State. For more details on the traditional BSN admissions process, please visit our webpage.
Progression criteria
In order to maintain Direct Enrollment to the BSN program, all of the progression criteria outlined below must be achieved by the end of Ohio State’s spring semester during your first year. A one-year extension to meet these requirements is permitted. Contact your advisor if the extension is needed.
- Complete 30 semester undergraduate credit hours: Applicants must complete at least 30 undergraduate college credit hours by the end of the Spring term during their first year at Ohio State. Any transferred college credit, credit earned during high school and credit earned through Advanced Placement testing will all be included in this total.
- Maintain an Ohio State cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher
- Complete the required seven BSN prerequisite courses with a grade of C+ or higher
Students who took or plan to take prerequisite courses at institutions that do not award grades on a +/- scale, need to earn a grade of B or higher in an equivalent course to fulfill that prerequisite requirement. AP credit may also be utilized to fulfill prerequisite requirements. Official transcripts and/or official AP scores must be sent to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions in order for this credit to count towards the prerequisite requirement.
Timeline for verifying progression criteria and admission into the nursing major
The Undergraduate Admissions Committee will verify the completion of progression standards once final grades are posted for spring semester. The university sets the deadline for grade submission. Please refer to the Important Dates section on the University Registrar webpage for specific deadlines.
The verification process as well as other support services the Office of Student Affairs and Success will provide to you as a pre-nursing student entering through the Direct Enrollment pathway are outlined on the Direct Enrollment Pre-Nursing Communication Timeline. This timeline is intended for currently enrolled pre-nursing students in Direct Enrollment, but highlights the services you can expect from the Office of Student Affairs and Success.