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Accelerated BSN Program Admission Requirements
Accelerated BSN Program Admission Requirements
Application and admission to the Accelerated BSN program is separate from application and admission to KSU. Admission is a competitive process and will be based on a combination of several factors such as number of required prerequisite courses completed at the time of nursing application deadline, grades received in these courses, grade point average (GPA), and score received on the ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) exam. Decisions regarding admission into the Nursing program are made by the Nursing Admissions, Progression, and Retention committee.
Students must meet program specific minimum requirements to be a qualified applicant and to be considered for admission into the Accelerated BSN program. Before applying to the program, students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor in the Wellstar College Advising Center to carefully review the admission criteria and to verify they have met all minimum requirements by the designated deadlines. Applicants who have not met all requirements will not be considered qualified or eligible for admission; no exceptions will be made.
Students who were previously enrolled in a nursing program and were dismissed from this program for any reason may not be eligible for admission into KSU’s Wellstar School of Nursing. To be considered for eligibility, these students must email a letter to Nursing Admissions at nu_admissions@kennesaw.edu that explains details of their previous dismissal. This letter will be reviewed by the Nursing Admissions, Progression, and Retention committee.
Specific Accelerated BSN program admission criteria and application instructions are outlined below:
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Students must first be admitted to KSU through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as a degree-seeking student or be a currently enrolled student. Previously admitted KSU students who have been inactive for 3 or more consecutive semesters must reapply to the university as a readmission.
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Due to regulations related to financial aid, KSU students are unable to declare Nursing as their major until they apply to and achieve acceptance into the Nursing program. Prior to this time, students interested in pursuing a BSN degree are encouraged to declare a major from one of the following Nursing-concentration (-N) pathways as identified by SCRAPPY (A System for Completion, Retention and Academic Professional Pathways): Human Services (HS-N), Integrated Health Science (IHS-N), or Public Health (PH-N). Each of these pathways incorporate the Nursing major prerequisite courses into the DegreeWorks plan. Note: Students interested in the Nursing program may select from other majors offered on campus besides these pathways, but they will not see the Nursing concentration on their DegreeWorks plan and thus will need to identify an alternate way to track their progress in meeting the Nursing program admission requirements.
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Students must already hold a bachelor's degree in another field of study (from an accredited U.S. institution, or equivalent international degree) when they apply to the Accelerated program, OR they must be currently enrolled in courses for their first baccalaureate degree and plan to be awarded the degree before starting the nursing program (if accepted).
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Once admitted to KSU, and after verifying they meet minimum admission requirements for the Accelerated program, students must then access the BSN program application from the link posted
on the WSON website and electronically complete and submit the application by the
designated admission cycle deadline.
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- Note: Students may only submit one nursing application per admission cycle and can only
apply to one BSN program (traditional or accelerated).
- Students who already have a bachelor's degree in another field should select “Accelerated Program” on the nursing application and indicate they already hold a degree.
- Students who do not yet hold a bachelor's degree but will be awarded the degree before the semester they plan to start the Accelerated BSN program (if accepted) will select “Accelerated Program” on the nursing application and indicate they will complete their first degree before the start of the program.
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Note: Students who are accepted into the Accelerated BSN program but have not been awarded their first degree by their designated start date in the program will have their admission cancelled, and they will not be considered for admission into the Traditional BSN program; no exceptions will be made. Students whose admission is cancelled may apply to the BSN program again during a future application cycle, but acceptance is not guaranteed.
In addition to the requirement to hold a prior bachelor’s degree, applicants to the Accelerated BSN program must meet the following minimum requirements by the designated deadlines to be a qualified applicant and to be considered for admission: (1) successful completion of 11 prerequisite courses; (2) a GPA of at least 3.0; and (3) completion of the ATI TEAS exam. More details about each of these requirements are provided below.
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Prerequisite Courses:
Students must successfully complete 11 prerequisite courses (or approved KSU equivalents) as listed below, with a minimum grade of "C" or higher in each course, prior to beginning the Nursing program. Courses listed with a lab component are counted together as one prerequisite course.
- Core IMPACTS Area Communication in Writing (2 courses);
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Core IMPACTS Area Mathematics & Quantitative Skills (1 course);
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Core IMPACTS Area Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences (2 Natural Science Courses
with labs): Students must choose one of the following sequences below, consisting of two courses and their associated labs. Mixing and matching between sequences is not allowed by the Nursing program.
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CHEM 1151/1151L and CHEM 1152/1152L; OR
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CHEM 1211/1211L and CHEM 1212/1212L; OR
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PHYS 1111/111L and PHYS 1112/1112L; OR
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BIOL 1107/1107L and BIOL 1108/1108L.
- PSYC 1101;
- STAT 1401;
- BIOL 2251 and BIOL 2251L;
- BIOL 2252 and BIOL 2252L; and
- BIOL 2260 and BIOL 2260L.
The WSON will only accept the first two graded attempts for STAT 1401 and for the science prerequisite courses (i.e., those with BIOL, CHEM and PHYS prefixes); however, a third attempt may be considered but must be at least five years after the first attempt was completed.
Science courses older than ten years at the time of the nursing application deadline will not be accepted by the Nursing program. The only exception that may be considered for this requirement is if a student successfully completes a KSU approved Prior Learning Assessment (if offered and available) that demonstrates relevant and adequate knowledge in the course taken over 10 years ago; no other exceptions will be made, including certifications or prior work experience.
Applicants to the BSN program must complete a minimum of 7 of the above 11 prerequisite courses before the nursing application deadline (for the semester in which applicant is applying to), to be considered for admission. Of these 7 courses, at least 5 must be from the math and science requirements. Students invited for admission into the BSN program must successfully complete all 11 prerequisite courses before starting the program.
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Note: If an applicant is invited for admission but does not successfully complete all 11 prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher prior to starting the Nursing program, their admission will be canceled, they will not be eligible to enroll in nursing courses, and they will have to reapply for a future application cycle if they wish to continue pursuing a BSN degree. No exceptions will be made to this requirement.
Some of the 11 prerequisite courses may be taken within KSU’s General Education Core IMPACTS Curriculum, while others are taken within the Core Field of Study. Refer to the KSU Undergraduate Catalog for more details about Core IMPACTS, available options, and important consequences each option may have on student progression. Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor in the Wellstar College Advising Center to assist them in selecting a choice that best aligns with their academic goals.
- Transfer and Exam Credit for Prerequisite and Nursing Courses:
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For transfer and exam credits for prerequisite courses to be considered for admission
to the Nursing program, they must be transferred to and verified by the KSU Registrar's
Office, as well as entered in DegreeWorks, by the nursing application deadline. (See
above for more details).
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Note: Transfer credit for nursing program courses are rarely awarded toward a BSN
degree in the KSU WSON. For any nursing course taken in another program to even be
considered for transfer credit, it must be from an accredited nursing program and
evaluated and approved by the WSON Associate Dean/Director (or designee). The course
must also have been completed within the past two years and a grade of "B" or better
received in the course.
- Grade Point Average:
- Applicants must have at least a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) at the time of the
applicable nursing application deadline. For students who have completed less than
18 credit hours at KSU by the nursing application deadline, their transfer GPA will
be reviewed. For students who have completed 18 or more credit hours at KSU by the
nursing application deadline, their KSU cumulative GPA will be reviewed.
- ATI TEAS Exam:
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Applicants must take the ATI TEAS exam within 5 years prior to the nursing application deadline and ensure their score is submitted to KSU. The exam can be taken remotely online or in-person. Cost is incurred by the student. A TEAS score of 78 or higher is STRONGLY recommended to be considered for admission. Historically, students accepted for admission have consistently scored at least a 78, with an average score usually ranging between 84 and 86.
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