Traditional BSN

For more information about the admission process, please call (309) 438-7400 or send an email to mcninfo@ilstu.edu.

Admission Requirements

Students are accepted into the nursing major as a freshman or as a transfer student attending another institution:

Incoming Freshman

Getting Admitted

• Students must apply to Illinois State as a freshman for direct admission into the major by designating: "Nursing – Prelicensure" as their major choice on the Illinois State admission application. The majority of the nursing class will be admitted via this option.
• Admission to this academic program is limited and is based on space availability and competitiveness of the applicant pool. Factors that may be considered include, but are not limited to: high school courses completed, cumulative GPA and ACT or SAT score.
• Students are encouraged to apply early, as enrollment targets are typically met early on during the application period. Applications to Illinois State are accepted beginning August 1 of the year that precedes anticipated enrollment at the university (i.e. August 1 of senior year in high school). The preferred filing period deadline is November 1. There is only one admission application to complete.
• Prior to enrolling in Nursing courses, students must meet health and safety compliance requirements, which include a background check, drug screen, physical examination, and several immunizations and vaccinations. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in dismissal from the major.
• International applicants must comply with the International Applicant Requirements as directed by the Illinois State University Office of Admissions. Please apply early in the application time frame to ensure adequate time to review transcripts.

Retention in the Major

Those students directly admitted to the major as a freshman must:

• Earn an overall Illinois State University GPA of 2.50 or higher on at least 24 attempted hours. Also, earn a grade of C or higher in the following courses in order to remain in the Nursing Major: BSC 160, BSC 181 or KNR 181 & 183; BSC 182 or KNR 182 & 184; CHE 110 and 112, or 140; FCS 102; HSC 105; PSY 110, 213; and one of the following: ECO 138; POL 138; NUR 138; PSY 138; MGT 100; MAT 150. Dismissal from the major will result when a student receives an overall Illinois State University GPA of less than 2.50 on at least 24 attempted hours, or a grade of less than "C" in any two prerequisite nursing courses listed above or twice for the same prerequisite course.
• Maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA after completing NUR 224 and 237 to remain in the major.
• Maintain consecutive fall – spring enrollment at the university. Any student who has not been enrolled in ISU coursework for more than one fall or spring semester or who has been academically dismissed from the major must reapply to the major. Readmission will be granted on a selective basis, depending on seat availability.
• Obtain a C or better in all nursing courses; dismissal from the major will result when a student receives a grade of less than C in any two nursing courses or twice for the same course.
• Those students who are dismissed from the major will be changed to "Undeclared" major status.

Incoming Transfer Students

Please note, the Nursing – Prelicensure program is a fall-start program only.

Getting Admitted

• Students who wish to transfer to Illinois State from another collegiate institution must designate: "Nursing – Prelicensure" as their major of choice on the Illinois State admission application. A portion of the nursing class will be admitted via this option.
• Applicants should indicate learning location preference on the application. Please note that preference may be considered but is not guaranteed. Admission to this program can be at one of our two locations, either Normal or Springfield. If admitted to the program, the locaton assigned at time of admission is the location the student will learn and complete their BSN degree. For both Normal and Springfield learning locations, clinical experiences occur at various healtcare sites generally within a 75 minute radius of the learning location.
• Admission to this academic program is limited and is based on space availability and the competitiveness of the applicant pool. Factors that may be considered include, but are not limited to: college courses completed, hours completed, grades in prerequisite courses, cumulative GPA, quality of essay, healthcare experience and C.N.A. certification. C.N.A. certification is not required, but it may enable an applicant to be more competitive in the applicant pool.
• There is only one admission application to complete. All supporting materials must be received by February 1 in order to be considered for admission. Official transcripts verifying completion of Human Physiology and Anatomy I (BSC 181 or KNR 181/183) OR Microbiology (BSC 160) displaying a grade of C or better must be received by the supporting material deadline of February 1 by the ISU Office of Admissions, Campus Box 2200, Normal, IL 61790-2200. Admission decisions will be communicated in March.
• Transfer students begin taking nursing courses during their first fall semester and maintain full-time enrollment in nursing courses for two consecutive fall/spring semesters.
• International applicants must comply with the International Applicant Requirements as directed by the Illinois State University Office of Admissions. Please apply early in the application time frame to ensure adequate time to review transcripts.
• Health compliance:

Prior to enrolling in Nursing courses, students must meet health compliance requirements. These requirements include background checks, drug screen, physical examination, several immunizations with titers demonstrating immunity, other vaccinations, and signed documents. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in dismissal from the major/program.

For students preparing to apply to this program, we strongly encourage you to get the following titers drawn so in the case you do not demonstrate immunity, you can complete the required follow-up vaccination series to meet compliance requirements for your first clinical course semester. Please pay special attention to the three immunizations noted below. If follow-up immunization is necessary due to lack of immunity, they take several months to complete.

• • Hepatitis B – medical documentation showing evidence of a 3-dose Hepatitis B vaccination followed by a positive titer (indicating immunity). If follow up vaccination series is required because you do not show immunity, plan for a 2-dose Heplisav-B series followed by a 2 nd
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella - medical documentation showing evidence of a 2-dose MMR vaccination followed by a positive titer for Rubella, indicating immunity.
  • Varicella – medical documentation showing evidence of immunity to Varicella. If not immune, must complete a follow-up 2-dose vaccination.

  Students not compliant with health requirements are not permitted to participate in clinical and therefore will not be able to begin the Nursing program.

  Required Transfer Coursework

  IAI General Education Requirements: A minimum of 55 credit hours (of which 37 credit hours must be IAI) should be complete prior to Fall enrollment.

  Prerequisites: The following courses or equivalents must be completed with a grade of C or better prior to the start of advanced nursing courses (and not at the time of application):

  • Fundamentals of Chemistry – CHE 110/112 or 140
  • Statistics – ECO/GEO/POL/PSY 138, MGT 100 or MAT 150
  • Fundamentals of Psychology – PSY 110
  • Lifespan Development Psychology – PSY 213
  • Microbiology and Society – BSC 160 (this course OR BSC 181 must be completed with transcripts received by the supporting material deadline of February 1)
  • Human Physiology and Anatomy I – BSC 181 or KNR 181/183 (this course OR BSC 160 must be completed with transcripts received by the supporting material deadline of February 1)
  • Human Physiology and Anatomy II – BSC 182 or KNR 182/184
  • Fundamentals of Human Nutrition – FCS 102
  • Medical Terminology – HSC 105

  Official transcripts verifying completion of Human Physiology and Anatomy I (BSC 181 or KNR 181/183) OR Microbiology (BSC 160) displaying a grade of C or better must be received by the supporting material deadline of February 1 by the ISU Office of Admissions, Campus Box 2200, Normal, Illinois 61790-2200.

  Retention in the Major

  Transfer students admitted to the major as a junior must:

  • Maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA to remain in the major.
  • Obtain a C or better in all nursing courses; dismissal from the major will result when a student receives a grade of less than C in any two nursing courses or twice for the same course.
  • Maintain consecutive Fall-Spring enrollment at the university. Any student who has not been enrolled in ISU coursework for more than one Fall or Spring semester or who has been academically dismissed from the major must reapply to the major. Readmission will be granted on a selective basis, depending on seat availability.
  • Those students who are dismissed from the major will be changed to "Undeclared" major status.

  Contact Information

  For more information about the admission process, please call (309) 438-7400 or send an email to mcninfo@ilstu.edu.

  mcninfo@ilstu.edu
  Mennonite College of Nursing
  Campus Box 5810
  Normal, Il 61790-5810
  Phone: (309) 438-7400
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