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4-Year Nursing Program Admission Considerations

Admission

Consistent with BW's rolling admission approach, undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing students are directly admitted to Baldwin Wallace and to the BSN program as applications are received, completed and ready for review on a first-come, first-served basis.

To ensure student access to clinical rotations, BW's undergraduate BSN enrolls a maximum of 48 students for each incoming nursing cohort (the program is for fall entry only) to ensure space is available for all students who complete program prerequisite courses and requirements to begin clinical rotations and nursing courses during the spring semester of their sophomore year.

To be considered for admission to the BSN program, students must list nursing as their major of interest on their BW application. Admissible BSN applicants typically have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher.

In an effort to avoid over-enrolling the BSN program, the Admission Committee may utilize a waitlist. Students placed on the waitlist must be academically admissible to BW. The waitlist will be reviewed weekly beginning no later than February 1, 2024. Because waitlisted students are academically admissible to BW, they have the option to change to another health-related major such as public health, business of healthcare, communication sciences & disorders, pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy or a variety of other excellent programs at BW. Doing so would lead to an official acceptance notification from BW. Students who prefer to wait to see if a space opens in the BSN program will be notified of a final decision regarding their BSN status no later than June 1, 2024. Should a space in the BSN program not open by that time, they would again be offered the option of changing their major and being formally admitted to BW.

Transfer Students

BW welcomes a select number of transfer students each year on a space-available basis. Prospective transfer students should contact their BW admission counselor to evaluate the next transfer opportunity. Transfer students from community colleges and other four-year institutions are welcome. Students who complete an associate of nursing are advised to find an RN-to-BSN degree program, which BW does not currently offer. Students currently enrolled in a four-year BSN program are in the best position to transfer if they have not already started their nursing coursework.

Transfer students are required to have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher (required if the student has been out of high school for less than five years), a minimum GPA of 2.75 in college coursework, and a "C" grade or above in all prerequisite courses (listed below). Transfer students need to complete prerequisites by the end of the fall semester prior to entering the nursing sequence at BW, though transfer students are welcome to enroll and complete their prerequisites at BW.

Prerequisites

Students who are directly admitted to BW as a BSN student will take a series of prerequisite courses before beginning clinical rotations and coursework in the nursing major the second term of their sophomore year. Students need to earn a grade of C or higher in each of the prerequisite courses by the end of the fall semester of their sophomore year and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 in BW coursework.

In addition to meeting curricular and grade requirements, BSN students must maintain the following to stay in the BSN program: good academic standing (including no charges of academic dishonesty), good disciplinary standing through student affairs (maintaining compliance with the BW Student Code of Conduct, particularly as it pertains to drug or alcohol use), required vaccinations and successfully undergo an off-campus background check. Compliance with these requirements will be examined during an interview with members of the BSN faculty during the sophomore year and prior to beginning clinical placements.

Prerequisite courses include:

  • MTH 108 - Biostatistics
  • ENG 131 - Workshop in Exposition & Argument
  • PSY 100 - Principles of Psychological Science
  • PSY 205 - Developmental Psychology
  • SOC 100D - Principles of Sociology
  • CHM 151 - Chemistry for Nursing I (with lab)
  • CHM 152 - Chemistry for Nursing II (with lab)
  • BIO 121 - Principles of Biology (with lab)
  • BIO 212 - Microbiology (with lab)
  • BIO 203 - Human Anatomy & Physiology I (with lab)
  • BIO 204 - Human Anatomy & Physiology II (with lab)

To view all required courses for the BSN program, view the University catalog.

Retaking Prerequisites

Students may retake a course in which a satisfactory grade has not been achieved. If a student does not meet the required C or higher for each course or required GPA, a student will have to retake the course and earn the required grade in order to advance in the nursing program. In both instances, this can delay the start of nursing courses and graduation.

College Credit Plus and AP/IB Credits

Students who have earned college credit in high school for the prerequisite courses listed above may satisfy prerequisite requirements for the BSN program following a formal credit review by BSN faculty advisors. BSN students who satisfy prerequisite requirements using CCP/AP/IB course credit will still be part of the same first-year cohort and wait until spring of their sophomore year to begin clinical rotations and nursing coursework. In the interim, they may work toward other core education requirements or make progress toward their academic minor.

College Credit Plus Course Equivalencies

Other Requirements

Prior to beginning clinical placements during the sophomore year, a preliminary evaluation will be completed by the Department of Nursing to determine if a student is on track to advance in the BSN program. Students will be asked to meet with nursing faculty and participate in an information session to review remaining requirements that need to be fulfilled, such as:

  • Health documentation
  • Vaccination record
  • Criminal background check
  • Uniforms, stethoscope and other clinical needs

A student will begin clinicals and nursing major coursework in the spring semester of the sophomore year if all requirements have been satisfactorily met.

Student-Athletes and the Nursing Program

BW's bachelor of science in nursing program requires clinical placements at nationally ranked healthcare institutions in Northeast Ohio, including the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals. These clinical rotations may take place during a variety of days and times throughout the week, which will vary each semester. Consequently, it may be challenging for nursing students to participate in intercollegiate athletics due to practice and game schedules that may conflict with clinical rotations. The BSN program will do its absolute best to help identify clinical rotations that work for student-athletes, but cannot guarantee these required rotations will not conflict with athletic obligations.

Study Abroad

Due to the extensive time commitment required for clinical rotations, undergraduate nursing students will have limited opportunities for study abroad.

Recommended Coursework for High School Students

While not required for admission to BW, the following courses are strongly recommended in high school so a student may be better prepared for the nursing curriculum. These courses on a high school transcript will strengthen a candidate's application and support successful performance in the program:

  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Medical terminology
  • Math courses (ratios, proportions, fractions, decimals)