Traditional BSN Pathway | Admissions
Application Deadlines
This program admits students once-per-year for the Autumn semester.
- Autumn 2023
Opens: October 1, 2022
Deadline: January 15, 2023
Admission Requirements | Prerequisites | How to Apply
BSN Transfer Applicants | Admissions Timeline
Decisions are made after the application deadline, and applicants are notified through the Applicant Center and via email (sent by the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions) by mid-June. Some applicants may be placed on a waitlist and will receive an admission decision later in the summer.
For questions regarding our admissions process or requirements, please contact our Student Affairs team at nursing@osu.edu. For further assistance and information on applying, you may RSVP to attend one of our Overview Sessions here at the College of Nursing.
Ohio State students who follow the Traditional BSN Pathway will complete their first year at Ohio State as a Pre-Nursing student and apply to the BSN program in the autumn semester of their first year.
The application process for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing is highly selective and involves a comprehensive evaluation of all eligible and complete applications. Our goal is to build a class that exemplifies the values of our college and the university. We receive far more applicants than we can accommodate in our program and are in a position to deny qualified applicants.
- Autumn 2022 Admission Numbers
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The College of Nursing admits a new BSN class each autumn semester. For Autumn 2022, a total of 455 applications were received. Out of the total number of applications received, 276 applications were qualified for review and considered for admission. We admitted a class of 167 students.
Of the 276 applicants who were eligible for admission:
- 175 were from Ohio State’s pre-nursing major and 107 of these applicants were offered admission
- 101 were from other majors at Ohio State, regional Ohio State campuses, or transfer students from other colleges and universities and 51 of these applicants were offered admission
- The remaining seats (16) were filled by students offered admissions through the Early Admission pathway
Admission Requirements
In order to be eligible for consideration for the BSN program, applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements. For Autumn 2023 applicants, these requirements must be satisfied by May 22, 2023 or you will not be considered for admission. No exceptions can be made to this deadline.
- 3.2 cumulative college GPA
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This GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale by the University’s Graduate and Professional Admissions Office. It will include all graded undergraduate college coursework completed at all colleges and universities by the end of the Spring term during the school year of application. College credit earned while a student was enrolled in high school will also be included in this cumulative GPA. However, an applicant’s high school credits or SAT/ACT scores are not considered as part of this requirement.
If an applicant has completed any graduate-level coursework, it must also meet a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2.
- Completion of seven (7) prerequisite courses with a C+ or higher
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Applicants must complete a set of seven prerequisite courses by the end of the Spring term during the school year of application. Along with other college level courses, the grades earned in the seven prerequisite courses will be included in the cumulative GPA calculation. Applicants are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher in order to be considered for admission.
In addition to the cumulative GPA, the grades earned in the four science prerequisite course are factors considered in the application review process. Please see the Prerequisites section below for further details.For undergraduate students that have completed coursework in 2020 and in the Spring and Summer of 2021, please visit our pass/no pass policy page for more information on the Pass/No Pass and Emergency Pass policies.
- Completion of 30 credit hours
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Applicants must complete at least 30 undergraduate college credit hours by the end of the Spring term during the school year of application. Any transferred college credit, credit earned during high school and credit earned through Advanced Placement testing will all be included in this total.
- 18 years old by first clinical course
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Applicants must be 18 years of age by September 1 of the autumn semester of their first year in the BSN program due to requirements of the first clinical course (NURSING 2271).
Prerequisites
Applicants must complete seven (7) prerequisite courses. Each course must be completed with a C+ grade or higher and must be completed by the end of the Spring term during the school year of application. Courses completed outside of Ohio State must be deemed directly equivalent in transfer to one of the Ohio State courses listed below.
For Autumn 2023 applicants, these courses must be completed and official transcripts reflecting a final grade for these courses received by May 22, 2023 or you will not be considered for admission.
All applicants must complete one course in each of the following seven areas. Please refer to the course description in the course catalog to determine if you are eligible to enter the courses listed below. If you do not meet the requirements to enroll in the class, you will need to request permission of the instructor via email in order to enroll. Once permission is received, you must forward that to your academic advisor for enrollment. Click on each for further requirements and a list of satisfactory The Ohio State University courses:
- Biology*
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Must include a laboratory component.
- BIOLOGY 1101 Introductory Biology
- BIOLOGY 1110 Biology for the Health Sciences
- BIOLOGY 1113.01 Biological Sciences: Energy Transfer and Development
- BIOLOGY 1113.02 Biological Sciences: Energy Transfer and Development PLTL
- *1113 Biological Sciences: Energy Transfer and Development will fulfill this requirement
- Chemistry
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Must include a laboratory component.
- CHEM 1110 Elementary Chemistry*
- CHEM 1210 General Chemistry I**
*Students are eligible for CHEM 1110 when they:
- Submit an ACT math score of 22 or higher to the university at the time of initial application and/or;
- Submit an SAT math score of 530 or higher to the university at the time of initial application and/or;
- Receives a university math placement test score of L, M, N, or R
**Students are eligible for CHEM 1210 when they:
- Complete one unit of high school chemistry and;
- Receive a math placement test score of L or M
- Human Anatomy
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- ANATOMY 2300 Human Anatomy
- Only currently enrolled pre-nursing students may enroll in 2300.03. Permission to enroll in Anatomy 2300.03 is not provided to non-pre-nursing students.
- All other students must enroll in 2300.01.
- ANATOMY 3300 Advanced Human Anatomy
- EEOB 2510 Human Anatomy
- ANATOMY 2300 Human Anatomy
- Human Physiology
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- EEOB 2520 Human Physiology
- PHR 3100 Human Physiology and Disease
- PHYSIO 3200 Human Physiology
- English Composition
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- ENGLISH 1110 First-Year English Composition
- Psychology
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- PSYCH 1100 Introduction to Psychology
- Sociology
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- RURLSOC 1500 Introduction to Rural Sociology
- SOCIOL 1101 Introductory Sociology
A score of 3 or higher on the corresponding AP test is required to satisfy a prerequisite requirement. For Autumn 2023 applicants, scores must be received by May 22, 2023.
Current Ohio State students should run a Degree Audit Report (DARs) through Buckeyelink to verify the completion of their prerequisite courses. This includes applicants who recently transferred to Ohio State and students with Advanced Placement or Post Secondary/College Credit Plus coursework. If scores or transfer coursework do not appear on your DARs, you will need to submit official scores and official transcripts to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions.
- Prerequisites taken at another institution
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Prerequisite courses taken at other institutions must be considered direct equivalents to the Ohio State courses listed above in order to meet corresponding prerequisite requirements. To determine if a course completed at another institution will transfer as a direct equivalent, you can refer to Transferology, a web resource containing transfer information for courses offered at colleges or universities. You can also review the transfer credit charts created by the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions. If you are unable to locate your courses through these two resources, please email the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions at gpadmissions@osu.edu to request assistance with evaluating your courses. All prerequisite courses completed outside of Ohio State are reviewed by the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions. The College of Nursing is not involved in these determinations.
You are responsible for verifying that all the prerequisite courses taken (or planned) satisfy prerequisite requirements.
The following are other important aspects of completing prerequisite courses outside of Ohio State:
- Students taking prerequisite courses at institutions that do not award grades on a +/- scale must earn a grade of B or higher in each of the prerequisite courses in order to be eligible for admission.
- General (GEN), special (SPL), or technical (TECH) credit will not satisfy prerequisite requirements.
- If a transfer course is not considered a direct equivalent or you have other deficiencies related to your prerequisites, this information will be provided through the “To-Do List” in the Applicant Center, which is accessible once you have applied. The “To-Do List” will provide detailed instructions for you to follow. The College of Nursing will not inform you of any unfulfilled prerequisite courses or incomplete requirements.
- It is important to include all current and planned transfer coursework in the prerequisite summary on the BSN application.
- If you are required to have any of your prerequisite courses reevaluated, you will need to contact the corresponding Transfer Credit Coordinator. It is critical that you communicate the results of the reevaluation to the College of Nursing prior to the May admission requirements deadline. Results of the reevaluation should be emailed to nursing@osu.edu.
- You will not be considered for admission if coursework does not meet the required direct equivalencies or if you do not meet all other admissions requirements.
Questions or concerns regarding your transfer prerequisite coursework should be directed to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions at 614-292-9444 or gpadmissions@osu.edu.
How to Apply
To apply for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, you must complete the following steps:
- 1. Submit the online application.
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You can complete and submit the online BSN application through the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions. A $60 fee is required at the time of submission of the application.
- 2. Complete the personal statement and two essay questions embedded in the online application
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The personal statement and essay questions provide an opportunity for you to share attributes and experiences that will make you a successful student in the BSN program. See the Who We are Looking For section above for further details.
The personal statement and essay questions are included in the online application and must be completed before you submit that application by the application deadline. The statement prompt and essay questions will be available once the application is live in early October. We recommend that you begin the application to find the prompt and questions, work on your statement and essays in a separate word processing software, and then copy and paste them into the application when you are ready to submit your application.
Employees of the College of Nursing cannot review or edit your personal statement or essay responses, however, resources are available across campus to Ohio State community members such as The Writing Center. Students that are not currently attending Ohio State should inquire about writing assistance resources available to them at their current institution.
- 3. Complete the recorded online video interview
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The recorded online video interview must be completed by January 15 for your application to be considered for admission.
Click here to access the recorded online video interview and instructions.
Currently enrolled Ohio State students may reach out to Career Counseling for support in preparation for the interview process.
- 4. Submit official transcripts and test scores for all college coursework.
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All up-to-date transcripts and test scores (including those demonstrating completion of prerequisite courses) must be received by May 22, 2023 for your application to be considered for admission. No exceptions will be made for this deadline.
You must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities that you have previously attended or currently attend. This includes transcripts for any college credit earned through post-secondary education programs, regardless of whether the credit appears on your high school transcript.
Applicants do not need to submit transcripts for coursework completed at Ohio State.
Official transcripts are submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions. Please refer to their website for instructions on how to submit your transcripts.
Failure to complete steps 1, 2, and 3 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on January 15, 2023 and to complete step 4 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on May 22, 2023 will result in your application not being considered for admission, with no exceptions. The College of Nursing will not contact applicants who are deficient for admission requirements.
- For international applicants
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Additional information for international applicants applying to the BSN program, including English proficiency testing requirements, may be found by visiting the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions website. For applicants that may need to start at the university as a pre-nursing student to complete prerequisite requirements to apply to the BSN program should consult the Office of Undergraduate Admissions here.
BSN Transfer Applicants
Students who have completed any bachelor’s-level nursing coursework at an ACEN, CCNE, or CNEA accredited BSN program are eligible to apply to Ohio State’s BSN program as a transfer student. Transfer students apply during the regular application period detailed in the section above and will follow the same admission decision timeline provided in the section below.
Students enrolled in pre-nursing programs at other institutions are not eligible to apply through the transfer BSN process, but can apply through the Traditional BSN process or can apply to the university as a transfer student to enter the College of Nursing’s Pre-Nursing program.
BSN transfer application process
- BSN transfer applicants must meet the Ohio State traditional BSN program’s admission requirements to be considered for admission. To apply to the BSN program as a BSN transfer applicant, you must complete all steps of the traditional BSN program’s application process detailed in the “How to Apply” section of this webpage. All application requirements must be completed by the corresponding deadlines.
- Answer the BSN transfer applicant questions located within the application. These questions include identifying as a BSN transfer applicant, listing all current, previously completed, and planned nursing coursework, as well as grades earned in those courses.
- If you do not complete the BSN transfer applicant questions in the application, nursing course work completed at another institution will not be evaluated for transfer credit. Non-nursing specific coursework can still be considered for transfer to meet university and General Education requirements.
Applying and being admitted to the BSN program also counts as applying and being admitted to The Ohio State University as a general undergraduate student for the Autumn semester. Likewise, not being admitted to the BSN program will also result in not being admitted as a student to Ohio State. If a transfer student wishes to attend Ohio State regardless of their admission to the BSN program or they wish to complete non-nursing coursework at Ohio State prior to the Autumn semester, they should also complete the University’s transfer student application process in addition to the BSN application process.
Nursing coursework evaluation
Review of previously completed nursing coursework will occur only after a transfer applicant has been offered admission to the BSN program. Nursing transfer credit will only be evaluated after an offer of admission has been made.
The evaluation process is outlined below so you may begin preparing the required materials in advance:
- Transfer applicants will be contacted by the College of Nursing via email after they have been notified of their offer of admission. This email will contain instructions on how to submit their specific nursing coursework documentation and will be sent to the email address the student included on their BSN application.
- Admitted BSN transfer applicants will be required to provide a course syllabus for each nursing-specific course they are requesting to have transferred.
- A syllabus is a document that outlines the expectations for the course, along with the topics that will be taught, grading scale, and expected outcomes from the course. Please reach out to the Registrar of the university you attended to request a copy of course syllabi.
- Only nursing courses completed at the bachelor’s level with a C+ or greater can be considered for transfer into the BSN program.
- Applicants will have until July 1 to submit this documentation. We recommend collecting all course syllabi in advance.
- Failure to submit the required documentation or meet the deadlines associated with the nursing coursework evaluation process means that any previously completed nursing coursework cannot be considered for transfer. The student will retain their offer of admission and be required to complete all nursing-specific courses to earn a BSN degree from Ohio State.
- Non-nursing specific coursework can still be considered for transfer to meet university and General Education requirements through the university level transfer process.
- By mid-July, the results of the nursing coursework transfer credit evaluation will be shared with BSN transfer students via email. These results will be sent to the email address the student included on their BSN application.
- Once the results of the nursing coursework evaluation have been shared, BSN transfer students will have 1 week to accept the offer of admission.
Admission Timeline
All required application materials must be submitted by their published deadlines in order for your application to be considered. Please check your Application Status page to review your status and ensure all required materials are submitted by the deadline. If you have questions about your application checklist, please contact the Office of Graduation & Professional Admissions at gpadmissions@osu.edu.
If you applied for Autumn 2023, you can view the admissions timeline here. This admissions timeline covers what you can expect throughout the application process, including an anticipated timeline for when admissions decisions will be released and next steps if you are offered admission.
Once released, all admission decisions for the BSN program are final.
Although the College of Nursing cannot provide individualized feedback on your admissions decision or materials including the essay responses, personal statement, or recorded online video interview, we will support denied applicants by offering guidance on the steps applicants can pursue following the release of decisions. Our Office of Student Affairs and Success can help applicants explore new majors and alternate pathways to a profession in nursing. We encourage parents/guardians to have their student reach out to our office for help when assistance is needed or when they have a question.
Applicants to the BSN program who are interested in alternative pathways, such as HW or Path2BSN should contact nursing@osu.edu to schedule an advising appointment.
In accordance with the non-discrimination policy of The Ohio State University and the College of Nursing, we strictly prohibit any discrimination based upon age, color, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, religion, pregnancy, or veteran status in its application, admission, or enrollment practices.
Ohio State is committed to treating applicants fairly and with dignity and respect. Please review Ohio State’s post-admissions policy.