Nursing B.S.N. Frequently Asked Questions

No, SVSU does not have a wait list. SVSU has competitive admission to the nursing program.

SVSU is approved by the State of Michigan to accept up to 96 students each fall semester and up to 96 students each winter semester. The number of applicants varies each semester. Recently, 100-130 students have applied each semester.

It usually takes a student 4 to 4 ½ years. Students complete 1 1/2 to 2 years of prerequisite nursing courses and 2 1/2 years of professional nursing courses.

The nursing program at SVSU is selective. While the catalog states that an applicant must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the science/statistics nursing prerequisites and an overall GPA of 3.0 to apply, scores in that range may not be competitive depending on the applicant pool.  As stated in the SVSU catalog, the other factors in determining admission are written and oral communication course grades, social science course grades and number of credits completed at SVSU.

Students must apply by the third Monday in April for fall selection and the third Monday in October for winter selection.

No, nursing prerequisite courses must be completed by the time a student enters the nursing program and not by the deadline date. For example, if a student applies in April for fall admission, they may finish winter semester courses and take spring or summer courses if needed. If a student applies in October, they may finish fall semester courses. Applications are scored based on prerequisite nursing courses that are COMPLETED by the deadline date, and students are admitted provisionally while final prerequisite courses are in progress. The higher your overall GPA and your science/statistics GPA (anatomy and physiology I and II, human nutrition, microbiology, general chemistry with laboratory and statistics), the higher your nursing application score will be.

No, only nursing prerequisite courses must be completed which include specific courses in general education categories three, four, six, seven, nine and ten. The remaining general education requirements must be completed by graduation.

Yes, students may repeat three required prerequisite courses. No required prerequisite courses may be repeated more than once.  In computation of the GPA for nursing required prerequisite courses, up to three retake grades will be calculated.  We strongly suggest that you meet with the Health and Human Services Academic Advisor to discuss repeats prior to taking them.  You may schedule an appointment by emailing nursing@svsu.edu for more information.

All required nursing prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better except for anatomy and physiology courses which must each be completed with a grade of “B-” (2.7) or better.

Students are strongly encouraged to take both anatomy and phyisiology I and II at the same institution so they do not miss any course content. Grades in anatomy and physiology are the strongest predictor of success in a nursing program. Please consult with the Health and Human Services Academic Advisor at nursing@svsu.edu for more information about the course petition process.

Selection involves a two part process. First, students visit the SVSU nursing department web site at www.svsu.edu/nursing to access the nursing program application. Click on the blue "Apply to Nursing" button on the right side of the page.  Read all of the instructions on the page and when you are ready click on the link at the bottom of the page to start your online application. The application link is only visible during the nursing application period. Once you have submitted your application, you will be notified via your SVSU email account whether your application meets the nursing program requirements enabling you to move forward to the background check. 

References or volunteer experiences are not needed. Students do not receive “extra points” for their references or volunteer experiences; however, having volunteer experience may provide you with information to draw upon in clinical situations.

Students will be notified of nursing application decisions via their SVSU email account. 

Students may reapply the next semester for a total of three times.

All applicants, whether they are current SVSU students or transfer students, compete on the same level; however, current SVSU students are given extra points on their application based on the number of credits completed at SVSU.

Contact the pre-nursing advisor in the College of Health and Human Services for assistance by emailing nursing@svsu.edu or calling 989-964-4517. 

No, nursing courses are offered during the fall and winter semesters only, with the exception of the spring/summer prior to graduating.  An internship is required.

SVSU students who have declared a pre-nursing major will receive information about Student Nurses Association (SNA) events via their SVSU email accounts. Pre-nursing students are encouraged to join SNA and become involved in this organization.

You may email nursing@svsu.edu to schedule an appointment with the College of Health and Human Services advisor. 

They may also be reached by telephone at (989) 964-4517 if you have additional questions.

Yes, based on a competitive admission process, a limited number of first semester freshman students will be accepted into the nursing program. To be eligible for consideration as a freshman admit, students must have applied to SVSU with a declared pre-nursing major, have a minimum high school GPA of 3.5 or better and an ACT score of 26 or better or an SAT score of 1200 or better.

Qualified students will automatically begin professional nursing courses the semester after they complete their nursing prerequisite courses (no wait list), based on maintaining a cumulative college GPA of 3.3 or better. Direct admits must submit a nursing application during the semester they are completing their nursing prerequisites so that we know they are ready for their seat in the program the following semester. 

Qualified first semester freshman pre-nursing students will be sent an invitation via their SVSU email account from the Nursing Department Chair to participate in the Freshman Admission to Nursing Program. Students must accept their direct admission seat in the program by responding to the email invitation by the posted deadline date. 

We do not encourage students to work any more than sixteen hours (16) per week because of the academic and time demands of nursing school.