Pre-Nursing Admissions

Any student that meets admission requirements and completes the application process by the listed deadline will be admitted to the Pre-Nursing major.

First-Year Pre-Nursing

Applicants who select nursing as their major of interest, when applying to the university, may be offered Pre-Nursing if criteria below is met. Depending on space availability, not all who qualify may be offered Pre-Nursing as a major.

Admission requirements

Admission to the Pre-Nursing program as an incoming first-time college student: 

• Admitted to The Ohio State University 
• One of the following criteria:  
  • Composite ACT score of 25 or higher 
  • Composite SAT Score of 1200 or higher 
  • Be in the top 10-percent of your high school class 

Questions regarding qualifications for admission to The Ohio State University, how test scores are determined, how class rank is determined and about your own scores or rank, contact the University’s Undergraduate Admissions Office. 

Application process

To apply to the Pre-Nursing major, a prospective first-time college student should complete the University’s application process for first-year applicants and designate Nursing as the intended major. No additional steps or separate applications are necessary. 

If you have already applied or been admitted to the University under a different major and wish to switch to the Pre-Nursing major, you will need contact the University’s Undergraduate Admissions Office for assistance, prior to the start of classes.

Current Ohio State Students

If you are a current Ohio State student and wish to pursue a degree in nursing, you must change your major to Pre-Nursing by the first Friday of Spring semester to be given priority consideration for admissions to the BSN program. To ensure your major is changed by the deadline, you must complete the application process by January 2, 2026, to allow for two weeks processing time prior to the deadline of the first Friday of Spring semester.

Admission requirements

To qualify for admission to the Pre-Nursing major as a current student you must meet the following requirements: 

• 12 completed college credit hours 
• An Ohio State GPA of 3.2 or higher 

Application process

Columbus Campus Students: To apply to the Pre-Nursing major complete this form.

Regional Campus Students: Contact your advisor to discuss the process to change your major to Pre-Nursing.

After you have submitted the major change, if you require assistance with the BSN application process or would like to schedule an appointment with a Pre-Nursing peer advisor, email con-advising@osu.edu.

Major change deadline

Students can change their major at any time. Your major must be listed as Pre-Nursing major by the first Friday of Spring semester to be given priority consideration for admissions to the BSN program. To allow for processing time, you must complete the required process two weeks prior to the deadline of January 2, 2026.

Transfer Students

Schedule a time with one of our academic advisors for a personal 1:1 meeting to review your transfer credits and answer your questions.

Columbus campus admission requirements

To qualify for admission to the Pre-Nursing major as a transfer student you must meet the following requirements: 

• Be admitted to The Ohio State University.
• If a student has completed 30 or more semester credit hours (or 45 quarter credit hours), a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher on all college coursework is required.
• If a student has completed less than 30 semester credit hours (or 45 quarter credit hours), a Composite ACT score of 25 or higher, a Composite SAT Score of 1200 or higher or have graduated in the top 10-percent of their high school class is required.

Application process

To apply to the Pre-Nursing major, a prospective transfer student should complete the University’s application process for transfer students and designate Nursing as the intended major. No additional steps or separate applications are necessary. 

If you have already applied or been admitted to the University under a different major and wish to switch to the Pre-Nursing major, you will need contact the University’s Undergraduate Admissions Office for assistance, prior to the start of classes.

Application deadlines

Application deadlines for admission to The Ohio State University as a transfer student.

Regional campus admission

Contact the regional campus for more information on the application process. You must meet the major change requirement of 12 credit hours of college level work and Ohio State's GPA of 3.2 to qualify for the Pre-Nursing major priority consideration for admissions to the BSN program.

AP, CCP and Transfer Credit

If applying to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), consider the following when completing coursework through AP, College Credit Plus (CCP) or transfer credit from another institution:  

• Must receive a score of a 3 or higher on an AP test to fulfill BSN prerequisite course requirements. No grade is assigned to an AP score, and so it will not factor into GPA calculations. 
• CCP course or transferred course must be considered directly equivalent to one of the Ohio State courses identified to fulfill a BSN prerequisite requirement.
  • Transfer courses listed as general credit requires the courses to be evaluated by the appropriate Ohio State department. This evaluation requires the student to produce a syllabus from the term of the course to be evaluated.
  • Transfer courses listed as "special credit" do not have a direct equivalency at Ohio State. You may request a re-evaluation of the course by the appropriate Ohio State department.
• To determine how CCP and credit completed at another institution will transfer, refer to Transferology, which contains transfer information for courses offered at colleges or universities. 
• Transfer credit and CCP credit is considered college coursework and is calculated into GPA for determining admission eligibility to the BSN program, even if it does not apply to prerequisite requirements. 

For general information on transfer credit and College Credit Plus:

• University Registrar: Transfer Credit
• Prior Learning Assessment for College Credit Plus
• Autumn First-Year Students: Transfer Credit  
• Transfer Students: Transfer Credit

Requirements to remain in Pre-Nursing

Students with a Pre-Nursing major must maintain a 3.2 cumulative Ohio State GPA or higher. Students who do not maintain a minimum cumulative Ohio State GPA of 3.2 at the end of the Spring semester will be required to change their major. The cumulative Ohio State GPA does not include grades from coursework completed at other institutions.