BSN Admission, Application and Fees

Eligibility Requirements

The BSN program at ECU is not a direct admit program. All students enter ECU and remain an Intended Nursing major until they have met all eligibility criteria and are ready to apply to the clinical portion of the program. As the largest BSN program in the state of North Carolina, the College of Nursing has up to 130 clinical seats every fall and spring semester to offer students for a maximum of 260 students admitted every year. To apply to the BSN program students must meet the eligibility criteria below. Students can apply to the traditional BSN program a maximum of three times.

• • A minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.75
    • The College of Nursing includes all college grades from all colleges attended when calculating GPA for admission.
    • While a 2.75 GPA is the minimum required, it is not typically competitive for admission to the program. The average cumulative GPA of admitted students is consistently 3.4 or higher.
  • A final grade of C or higher in the following prerequisite courses:
    • MATH 1065, CHEM 1120, CHEM 1130, BIOL 2140 & 2141, BIOL 2150 & 2151, and BIOL 2110 & 2111
    • Pass/fail grades are not accepted for these courses.
  • Complete all, or be enrolled in, final set of general education and prerequisite courses at the time of application
    • Students are responsible for confirming they have completed, or are enrolled in, the correct equivalent courses to meet BSN general education and prerequisite requirements before submitting their application.
    • Applicants failing to meet this requirement at the time of application submission will not be considered and will receive an ineligibility letter from the Office of Student Services.
    • Ineligible and incomplete applications may count toward a student’s three max attempts for applying so it is critical students confirm eligibility before submitting their application.
    • Prospective applicants who are not currently enrolled at ECU should utilize the Eligibility Worksheet for Prospective Transfer Students (PDF) as a guide for determining applicability of transfer coursework. ECU requires a C- or higher to officially transfer credit into the university.
  • Complete at least one attempt on the HESI A2 pre-nursing entrance exam
    • Applicants can take the HESI exam for ECU BSN admission a maximum of two times; a mandatory three month waiting period is required between attempts.
  • Submit a complete online application with all required documents by the application deadline noted below
    • Incomplete BSN applications that are missing information will not be considered.
    • Once a BSN application is submitted, it cannot be modified or updated.
    • Questions regarding the online BSN application should be directed to the applicant’s assigned academic advisor. Applicants without an ECU advisor should contact CONAdvising@ecu.edu.

Important Notes:

• Students can have their application to the BSN program considered a maximum of three times. If not admitted, they must pursue nursing on an alternative path or change majors at ECU.
• Students not currently enrolled at ECU must also apply to the university by their BSN application deadline to be eligible to have their application reviewed for admission. Additionally, these students must be fully admitted to ECU by their notification date to remain eligible for program admission (see chart above).
• Admitted students must successfully complete any required general education and prerequisite courses in progress at the time of application or their seat in the program will be rescinded.
• Admitted students must successfully pass a criminal background check and drug test or their seat in the program will be rescinded. Criminal convictions and pending criminal charges can impact a student’s ability to begin nursing school. Questions regarding the BSN criminal background check and drug test requirements should be emailed to CONAdvising@ecu.edu.

Admission to the program is competitive and based on:

1. Total points earned in the College of Nursing ranking formula
2. Overall cumulative GPA which includes all college grades from all colleges attended.

No additional criteria are reviewed or can influence admission to the BSN program. The admission process and criteria are subject to change at any time with faculty approval.

Prior Nursing School Admission

Applicants who have been previously admitted to the clinical portion of an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at a community college or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at another university must have left that program in good standing to be eligible to apply to the BSN program at ECU. Applicants who have failed out of an ADN or BSN program at another institution are not eligible to pursue the traditional BSN program at ECU. These students are required to submit a letter from the Dean or Director of their former program with their application. (This does not include students who were pre-nursing or working on program prerequisites for nursing at another institution).

Application Instructions

Step 1: Apply for admission or readmission to East Carolina University

BSN applicants who are not currently enrolled at ECU must also apply for admission or readmission to ECU by their intended BSN application deadline. Additionally, these students must be fully admitted to ECU by their notification date to remain eligible for program admission (see chart above)

All non-ECU students must meet minimum requirements as specified in the current undergraduate catalog. Admission to the university is a separate process from admission to the clinical nursing major at ECU and not determined by the College of Nursing.

Visit the ECU Office of Undergraduate Admissions website to apply and for more information. Any questions about applying and being admitted to ECU should be directed to:

East Carolina University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Mailstop 517
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
252-328-6640 | admissions@ecu.edu

Step 2: Apply for admission to the BSN Program

Intended Nursing students currently enrolled at ECU will receive an email from their academic advisor with instructions and a link to the online application when it becomes available for their admission cycle.

Students not currently enrolled at ECU who wish to apply directly to the BSN program should apply for admission to ECU (see Step 1 above) and complete the following steps to request access to the BSN online application:

1. Review and complete the BSN Eligibility Application Worksheet for Prospective Transfer Students (PDF) to confirm your eligibility to apply.
2. Email CONAdvising@ecu.edu to request a link to the online BSN application along with your completed eligibility application worksheet. Please include a copy of an unofficial transcript from every college attended for verification.

The online application asks for the following documents (not all may be applicable):

• Current or former ECU students are required to upload an unofficial copy of their ECU transcript with their application.
• Students who have completed college courses at one or more institutions outside ECU must upload transcript(s) from those institutions with their application.
  • Unofficial transcripts are acceptable
  • Transfer credit noted on another school’s transcript is not acceptable. An unofficial transcript from each individual school is required
• Students who are currently enrolled in required prerequisite or general education courses at an institution outside ECU at the time of application, must upload an unofficial transcript or current schedule from that institution with their application.
• Students with an active LPN license must upload license documentation with their application to receive the LPN bonus point in the ranking formula.
• Students who are veterans, active duty, or in the reserves must upload a DD-214 or military transcript with their application to receive the veteran bonus point in the ranking formula.
• Military students planning to pursue a commissioning program should email CONAdvising@ecu.edu for more information and further instructions regarding the application process.
• Applicants who have been previously admitted to an ADN or BSN program at a community college or university are required to submit a letter from the Dean or Director of their former program with their application verifying they left the program in good standing. Applicants who have failed out of an ADN or BSN program at another institution are not eligible to pursue the traditional BSN program at ECU.

Once your BSN online application is submitted it cannot be amended or changed. Incomplete applications will not be considered and may count toward max attempts for applying. Current ECU students should reach out to their academic advisor with questions about the application. Students not enrolled at ECU should email CONAdvising@ecu.edu with questions about the application.

Tuition and Fees

A schedule of university fees is available in the university’s Cashier’s Office.

There are additional costs for nursing students once admitted to nursing school for items such as uniforms, books, background checks, drug screening, clinical testing and supplies, and liability insurance. Currently, there is a one-time fee of $35 for liability insurance coverage while enrolled in the program. Students must also have current CPR certification. Costs for these programs vary from $25 to $40. For information on available programs contact the College of Nursing Student Services Office at CONAdvising@ecu.edu or 252-744-6477