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Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Traditional BSN Program

The pre-licensure track BSN program is built on a strong foundation of general studies that includes mathematics, sciences, language arts, social sciences, as well as current nursing practice. Nursing students train in a wide variety of clinical settings-including hospitals, outpatient and community clinics, treatment centers and long-term care facilities- and work with patient populations diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, health status, socioeconomic background, and geographic distribution. Graduates of the program will be prepared to practice in a wide variety of health care settings.

The Nursing program has full approval of the Georgia Board of Nursing.

Upon acceptance to GSW, students are first enrolled as Pre-Nursing students. This allows the student to satisfy the core curriculum requirements in the first two years of study. Application to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Traditional program should occur during the last semester of the second year of full-time study at the University. Pre-Nursing students are advised by a professional nursing advisor.

BSN Application Deadlines

  • Fall Admission: February 15th
  • Spring Admission: October 15th

 

Apply to GSW Apply to the School of Nursing

Undergraduate Major

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Health & Human Science Complex
800 GSW State University Dr. Americus, GA 31709

229-931-2275
229-931-2288 fax
nursing@gsw.edu

Faculty & Staff

BSN Program Admission

All application materials should be received by the application deadline and include:

  • Online BSN Application
  • Two BSN Reference Forms
  • HESI score/transcript

Admissions Review

Review of applications by the Admission Committee will take place shortly after the application deadline. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status approximately one month from the application deadline. If all application documents are not turned in by the published deadline, the application will not be reviewed. Please contact the office at 229-931-2286 if you have not been notified.

Requirements

Eligibility Requirements

  1. Attain admission in good standing to the University.
  2. Submit the completed BSN application and required supporting documents to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences by the published deadlines.
  3. Complete all general education/ core curriculum courses prior to entering the nursing program. 
  4. Must lack no more than one three hour elective course in Area F.
  5. Must have a grade of C or higher in Area A, Area C English Literature course, Area D, and Area F.  
  6. Area F courses (excluding the elective and Human Growth & Development) must be completed within 5 years of projected admission.
  7. Earned a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.80/4.0. Calculation of GPA is based on grades in Area A, Area C English Literature course,  Area D, and Area F (excluding the Area F elective). If any of the applicable courses have been repeated, all attempts within 5 years are included in this calculation.
  8. Must have completed 3 science courses toward the degree major, Area A, and English literature course before applying. 
  9. The School of Nursing will allow one science forgiveness in Area D for the first course in a science sequence (BIOL 1107 or 2107, CHEM 1151 or 1211; PHYS 1111 or 2211) and lab since this course is usually taken in the first year and often the first semester.   Upon retake of the first course in a science sequence in Area D and lab at GSW, we will accept the passing grade and not count the first fail in the nursing GPA.
  10. Must take HESI A2--two attempts within two years. If you do not take your HESI at GSW,  please note that different schools offer different parts of the HESI and you must have all the parts we require.
  11. Must not have been excluded from this or any other nursing program for any reason, including but not limited to, academic misconduct, disruptive behavior, or program failure within 5 years prior to the application date to the program. A nursing course failure in another institution counts as a course failure at this institution.

Admission is competitive. It may not be possible to admit all students who meet the minimum requirements for admission. If there are more qualified applicants than positions available in a nursing class, selection for admission will be based upon the following:

  • Grade Point Average - greater than the minimum of 2.80 [using Area A, Area C English Literature course, Area D, and Area F (excluding elective in Area F) to determine GPA]
  • Grades in Science courses - minimum of B is preferred
  • HESI Admission Assessment A2 - minimum score of 75% ---two attempts within two years.
  • Patterns of withdrawal from courses/schools
  • Grades of Ds and/or Fs
  • Written communication ability
  • Availability of space in clinical sites
  • Availability of faculty resources

Transfer Students

  • Upon applicant’s acceptance to GSW, a letter of acceptance and transcript evaluation will be available to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.  These documents must be on file in GSW office of admissions and are required before the Admission & Progression Committee can review the College of Nursing and Health Sciences application.
  • If applicant is taking or in progression of courses at other institutions during the admission process, applicants must make note of what courses they are taking on their nursing application.
  • Applicant must submit an official transcript verifying final course grades to Registrars office and an unofficial transcript verifying final course grades to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Student Services Coordinators office ASAP after completion.

Transfer applications will require a transcript evaluation so be sure to apply early so this document can be completed before the deadline.

Entrance Exams

HESI Admission Assessment

The HESI (Health Education Systems, Inc.) Admission Assessment (A2) is a computerized exam designed to assess prospective students entering the health science fields. The HESI A2 consists of eight different exams, seven of which are required by the Nursing program at Georgia Southwestern State University.

Students must receive a 75 total composite score as a requirement and the HESi exam can only be taken 2 times within two years.

 

TOEFL

The official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test scores are required for applicants whose first language is not English.  Exemption from the TOEFL requirement is allowed for undergraduate students who complete courses equivalent to English Composition I and II at a regionally accredited United States college or university and earn at least a “C” on the courses.

Forms & Additional Resources

Application Deadlines

The College of Nursing and Health Sciences application form and the required support documents must be received by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences by the published application deadline at nursing@gsw.edu, mail or personal delivery to:

College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Student Services Coordinator
Georgia Southwestern State University
800 Georgia Southwestern State University Drive
Americus, GA 31709
Fax: 229-931-2288

Deadlines
Fall Admission:
February 15th
Spring Admission: October 15th

The school offered high quality courses while the scale provided personable relationships with your professors that other universities don’t offer. Looking back at my decision, I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities and development that Georgia Southwestern has brought me.

Tyler Cobb Nursing Major
Fitzgerald, Georgia