Admission Criteria

All prerequisite course work, including Bachelor degree earned, must be completed by the end of the Spring semester for Summer admission to the program.

Beginning spring 2018,  student selection will be based on prerequisite GPA, HESI A2 admission exam (Anatomy and Physiology, Reading Comprehension, Math,  Vocabulary) and interview with special consideration for those with Spanish proficiency and/or a degree in a clinical health care field.

• Earned Bachelors degree
• Cumulative GPA 3.0 or better and GPA of 3.0 or better in prerequisite courses.

Required Courses

The required courses that must be completed with a "C" or higher prior to the application deadline can be found in the most current Undergraduate Bulletin.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS

The College of Nursing and Health Professions requires a high level of proficiency in English so that all students will be able to fully meet academic and clinical objectives as well as meet criteria for professional licensure/certification.

International Students

Students from non-English speaking countries or for whom English is not a native language must take one of the following tests:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 83 on the preferred internet-based test (iBT), 570 on the paper-based test, or 213 on the computer-based test.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a score of at least 6.5 and a spoken band score of 7.
• Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) with a score of 56.

The term foreign born refers to people residing in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent immigrants, refugees and asylees, legal non-immigrants (including those on student, work, or other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization. In contrast, the term native born refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: 1) born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; 2) born in United States Insular areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; 3) born abroad to at least one U. S. citizen parent.

Exemption

You may be exempt for the English proficiency testing if you are foreign born but attended school in the United States since kindergarten. For the exemption you must provide official school records showing continuous enrollment in U. S. schools since kindergarten.

TOEFL Information

The TOEFL is available at the ASU Testing Center. When taking the exam off campus, the report code for ASU is 6011.

English as a Second Language Program

Students who do not meet the required English language proficiency may enroll in ASU’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program in the International Center for English. Potential students enrolled in the ESL program must maintain an average of 85 or higher in levels 0 through 4. In the final or 5th level of the ESL program an average of 90 or higher must be maintained. Upon completion of the ESL program, the potential student must take the internet based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Upon successfully meeting the proficiency requirement, potential students are eligible to apply to the BSN Program.

How to Apply

To apply for the 2nd Degree Accelerated track, candidates should follow the below steps:

1. Apply for admission to A-State as "undergraduate post-degree for Summer term. Contact the Office of Admissions at (800) 382-3030 or (870) 972-3024 for information or online at http://admissions.astate.edu
2. Apply for admission to the Second Degree Accelerated BSN program. Applications available starting January 15th of each year.
3. Submit the following by the March 15 deadline:

• APPLICATION: Complete Second Degree Accelerated BSN Application (Applications for 2019-20 now available)
• ADMISSION EXAM:  Take the HESI A2 Admission exam (consisting of Reading Comprehension, Anatomy & Physiology, Math and Vocabulary sections). Testing dates are posted on the School of Nursing webpage for 2019-20. For additional information, email Brenda Goodwin. Payment for admission exam is non-refundable. You are only allowed to take the admission exam once per academic year. Admission exam is a timed exam, with a 3-hour time limit. Admission exams not taken within the application year are not valid and you must retest. If you are not able to test on the A-State Jonesboro Campus - DO NOT PAY THE $50.00 FEE as this is only for those testing on campus. You may test off campus through Prometric Testing - Click here for directions to schedule through a Prometric Testing Center.
• TRANSCRIPTS:  Official (sealed) transcripts of ALL college work completed. These MUST be attached to the application.
• LETTER OF STANDING:  If you have previously attended a nursing program that you did not complete, you must have the program Dean/Director send a letter stating your standing when you left the program. This letter must be in the nursing office by the application deadline.
• ENGLISH PROFICIENCY:  Documentation of English Proficiency, if applicable.

4. INTERVIEW:  Applicants will be contacted regarding interview scheduling after the application deadline.

Submitting Your Application

Mail

Submit documents to: Arkansas State University, School of Nursing, Attn:  Robin Thompson,  2nd Degree Accelerated BSN Admissions Committee, PO Box 910, State University, AR 72467

Hand Deliver

Hand deliver to: College of Nursing Health Professions Building, Room 203 

Deadline

All application material must be postmarked by March 15 for Summer admission. INCOMPLETE OR LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Applications are reviewed after the application deadline and are NOT reviewed on a first come, first served basis.

Limited Availability

Class size is limited and all applicants may not be accepted into the program. Interested individuals are encouraged to seek an advisor early to ensure that all prerequisite courses are completed in a timely manner.

Student selection will be based on prerequisite GPA, HESI A2 admission exam (reading comprehension, math and vocabulary) and interview with special consideration for those with Spanish proficiency and/or a degree in a clinical health care field.

Based on recent legislation in Arkansas, students admitted to professional programs that lead to licensure upon graduation are required to have a successful background check to complete formal admission. 

Second Degree Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Applying for RN Licensure

Upon completion of the BSN program, the student is eligible to apply for licensure as a Registered Nurse. A first time applicant for any licensure by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing will have a state and national criminal background check. Any offense identified in section §17-87-312 of the Nurse Practice Act may prohibit a graduate from obtaining a license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Arkansas.

Although an appeal may be possible, there are offenses that permanently disqualify an applicant from a license. A complete list of criminal acts that prevent licensure as a registered nurse can be found at the Arkansas State Board of Nursing website (www.arsbn.org) and on the nursing website. If students have any reason to believe that they may be ineligible to write the NCLEX-RN, they should discuss this matter with someone knowledgeable about nursing laws and/or contact the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN).

First Time Pass Rate

NCLEX First-Time Pass Rate (2017): BSN 96.19%