Nursing Pre-Licensure - Bachelor of Science

Admission Requirements into Nursing Coursework in the BSN Pre-Licensure Program of Study

Students interested in applying to the BSN Pre-licensure coursework and clinical experiences must complete a BSN Candidacy form in Semester III, if a current student, and meet the following admission requirements or transfer student guidelines by following the process below.

BSN Pre-licensure coursework and clinical experiences are sequential and begin in fall (August) and spring (January) semesters with NUR 251, NUR 252, and NUR 290. Candidates who apply after the priority application dates will be considered based on seat availability.

Admission Requirements

Candidates must be high school graduates with a GPA of at least 2.7 or GED recipients with a score of 570 (score of 57 prior to 2002).

Applicants must have completed and passed these high school courses, or their college equivalents:

• *Biology – one year
• *Chemistry with a lab – one year
• *Math – Algebra – one year

All courses should be completed with a grade of “C” or better; a grade of “B” or better is preferred.

*Courses must have been completed within the past seven (7) years with a grade of “C” or better.

Transfer Student Guidelines

Transfer students must be high school graduates or GED recipients and have earned a minimum of 15 credit hours of college coursework with a GPA of at least 2.7 and have completed all the necessary program prerequisite courses from an institution that is approved/accredited by a recognized accreditor and a regional accrediting organization recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). For applicants who have attended more than one college, the cumulative GPA from all colleges must equal at least 2.7. The Nursing Division BSN Program Admission Scoring Rubric will be used to objectively review a candidate’s educational records.

The BSN Pre-licensure Nursing Program Admissions Committee will not consider applicants for admission into the program if applicants have failed two or more nursing courses at another college or university or have been dismissed from another nursing program in the past five (5) years.

Students who do not meet the requirements or who need to complete the necessary program prerequisite courses should review General College Admission Requirements in the Enrollment Management section of the College Catalog.

Candidacy Review Process

All candidate information will be thoroughly evaluated by the BSN Pre-licensure Nursing Program Admissions Committee using the Nursing Division BSN Program Admission Scoring Rubric. The scored rubric provides an objective review of candidates’ educational records. Accepted students will receive a letter from the Dean of Nursing.

The Direct from High School Initiative - Edge

The College offers Direct Admission into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, called EDGE (Early Decision Guaranteed Enrollment), which guarantees a seat in the Nursing program after three semesters of specific coursework.

This option is specifically designed for high school seniors with:

• A minimum GPA of 3.3
• A minimum composite ACT score of 24 or SAT score of 1160-1190

A high school student who is accepted into the EDGE program must begin at Mercy College within one year of high school graduation.

EDGE is a full-time eight-semester program of study designed for highly qualified students pursuing a career in nursing. Students must:

• Maintain a GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in Mercy College coursework, with a 3.0 GPA in the science courses.
• Complete all prerequisite courses by the end of the third semester.

Students in the EDGE program do not have to complete the BSN Candidacy form.

Requirements for Clinicals

Criminal background checks, drug screens, health records, and titers/immunizations are required prior to the start of the clinical program. Program requirements and instructions are maintained on the College website at https://mercycollege.edu/background. The Policy can be found at https://mercycollege.edu/about/compliance-consumer-information.

Prerequisite Courses

Semester I

Semester II

Semester III

Degree Requirements

To earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree, students must complete all college requirements including:

General Education Requirements

Specific courses are required by the program.

Complete All of the Following Courses:

Oral and Written Communication (GCOM) - 6 minimum

Math, Statistics, and Logic (GMSL) - 3 minimum

Social and Behavioral Sciences (GSBS) - 6 minimum

Arts, Humanities, Culture, and Diversity (includes Religious Studies) (GAHD/GAHR) - 9 minimum

Natural Sciences, Technology, and Innovation (GNSI) - 6 minimum

Required Nursing Pre-Licensure Program Course Requirements

Complete All of the Following Program Courses:

Credit Hour Requirements

Students may be required to take additional free elective credits to reach the 120 credit hours required for graduation. Free elective credit may be satisfied through prior coursework and transfer credit. See academic advisor for more details.

To complete college requirements students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours of 300 to 400 level coursework.

Sample Program of Study

Semester I

Semester II

Semester III

Semester IV

Semester V

Semester VI

Semester VII

Semester VIII