BSN Admission, Application and Fees

The traditional BSN pathway at ECU is not a direct-admit program. All students begin as Intended Nursing majors and apply to the clinical portion of the degree (nursing school) once eligibility requirements are met.

The ECU College of Nursing offers the largest traditional BSN program in North Carolina, admitting up to 130 students each fall and spring (a max of 260 students per year).

Application Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply to the traditional BSN program, students must have:

  • 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 or their approved equivalent: 
    • MATH 1065, CHEM 1120, CHEM 1130, BIOL 2140 & 2141, BIOL 2150 & 2151, and BIOL 2110 & 2111
    • Pass/fail grades are not acceptable for these specific BSN courses. At the university level, a student may receive transfer credit for pass/fail coursework, but those credits will not meet minimum letter grade requirements for these courses in the BSN program.
  • Completed all required prerequisite and intended nursing courses, or be enrolled in the final courses at the time of application
    • A BSN course requirement tracking worksheet can be downloaded HERE.
    • Required courses may not be completed in the summer or winter break term following the conclusion of an admission cycle.
    • Currently enrolled Intended Nursing students are responsible for reviewing their Degree Works to confirm progress in intended nursing coursework and can reach out to their academic advisor to confirm when they are on track to apply to the program.
    • Prospective students are encouraged to use the online transfer resources available HERE to determine intended nursing course equivalencies.
  • Completed at least one attempt on the HESI A2 pre-nursing entrance exam
    • Students may take the HESI A2 a maximum of two times with a mandatory three-month waiting period between attempts.
  • Submitted a complete BSN online application with all required documents by the intended BSN application deadline noted in the chart below
    • Only students confirmed as meeting all eligibility requirements are given access to the online application.
    • Every online application link is unique. Students should not use a link obtained from a past admission cycle to apply or reapply to the program.
    • Currently enrolled students receive the application from their academic advisor or the Office of Student Services. Prospective students should review and follow the steps outlined below under the Application Instructions section.
    • Students eligible to apply will be provided with an application checklist outlining what documentation will be needed for their nursing application.

Admission CycleApplication OpensApplication DeadlineNotification Date
Fall admissionEarly DecemberFebruary 1Mid-March
Spring admissionEarly July September 1 Mid-October

Admission to the program is competitive and based on:

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

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

Important Notes:

  • Students can have their application to the traditional BSN pathway considered a maximum of three times. If not admitted, students can change majors at ECU or are highly encouraged to consider one of our alternate BSN pathways (Accelerated BSN, RN to BSN, or aRIBN).
  • Admitted students must successfully complete intended nursing courses which were in progress at the time of submitting their application. Withdrawing from or failing to complete any of these courses will result in their seat in the program being rescinded. Required intended nursing courses cannot be pushed to the summer or winter break term following the application deadline. Students who fail to meet this requirement will need to reapply for admission.
  • 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 or pursue nursing school. Questions regarding the BSN criminal background check and drug test requirements should be emailed to CONAdvising@ecu.edu.

Students with Transfer Credits

ECU requires a C- or higher to officially transfer credit into the university. As noted above, a C or higher is required by the College of Nursing for specific BSN courses.

Prospective students should review the transfer credit and course equivalency resources linked HERE to understand how previous or planned coursework may apply to the BSN course requirements.

Prior Nursing School Admission

Prospective applicants who have been previously admitted to but did not finish 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 will be required to submit a formal letter from the Dean or Director of their former nursing program with their BSN application. The letter must be on program letterhead, include the contact information for the Dean or Director, and outline the specific reason(s) the applicant is no longer in the program.

If this applies to you, you are strongly advised to send your letter to the College of Nursing at CONAdvising@ecu.edu for review to ensure you are eligible to pursue the BSN program at ECU.

Application Instructions

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

Students who are not currently enrolled at ECU must also apply for admission or readmission to ECU for the same term they are applying for nursing school admission 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). The College of Nursing cannot offer program admission to any applicant who has not been admitted to the university for the same term they have applied to the BSN program.

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 or reapply to the university and for more information. Any questions about applying for and being admitted to ECU should be directed to:

East Carolina University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
252-328-6640 | admissions@ecu.edu

Prospective international students should visit the Office of Global Affairs website to learn more about applying to the university. Any questions about international admission should be directed to:

East Carolina University
Office of Global Affairs
252-328-1935 | globalaffairs@ecu.edu

Step 2: Apply for admission to the BSN Program

The online application link is unique for every admission cycle to the BSN program. Students should not use an application link from a past cycle to apply or reapply to the 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.

Prospective 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. Download and complete the BSN Application Request Form (PDF).
  2. Gather an unofficial transcript for every college you have attended. Transfer credit listed on another institution’s transcript is not acceptable.
  3. If coursework and/or degree was earned outside the U.S., a NACES course-by-course evaluation should be submitted.
  4. Email your completed worksheet and transcripts to CONAdvising@ecu.edu to request access to the online BSN application a minimum of three business days prior to the application deadline to allow ample time for review. Requests submitted less than three business days ahead of the application deadline will not be guaranteed time for review.

Program Cost

As a clinical degree, the BSN program does have additional costs to students for nursing uniforms, books and electronic academic resources, background checks, drug screening, clinical supplies, and liability insurance. Students must also obtain current CPR certification.

Prospective students are encouraged to review information found on the following university websites for updated information relating to university tuition, fees, and financial aid opportunities:

Questions?