General admissions
There is no fee to apply to the School of Nursing. However, there are fees to apply to the University of Washington as a transfer, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student.
No, there are no application requirements for pre-nursing status at the UW. If you begin as a first-year student at the UW, you can declare Pre-Nursing as your status at any time, which will give you priority for taking certain nursing prerequisite courses. You will not apply to the BSN program until winter quarter of your sophomore year.
No. However, both UW Bothell and UW Tacoma both offer RN-BSN completion programs.
No. LPN-RN programs are more commonly offered at community colleges.
No, the University of Washington nor School of Nursing accept credits from the CLEP. The UW does, however, grant credit for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
Visit https://admit.washington.edu/apply/transfer/exams-for-credit/ap/ for more information on the University’s guidelines for college-level work taken in high school.
A positive conviction on an applicant’s background check does not automatically result in denial of admission to our programs. Positive background checks are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Applicants are welcome to submit statements regarding prior conviction history to give context and/or explain how they overcame the issues that caused the conviction.
Our admissions review process is evaluative, not just quantitative. This means that we look beyond just grades when making our decisions.
We take a holistic approach, considering your academic background and other factors like your extracurricular interests, leadership experience, sense of direction, and life experiences.
While we don’t expect every student to excel in all areas, strong performance in relevant academic fields or evidence of overcoming challenges can make your application stand out.
Due to the highly competitive nature of our degree programs, the UW School of Nursing has very limited space available. If you’re a strong candidate but we don’t have enough room in a particular program or track, you may be placed on our waitlist.
It’s not uncommon for admitted students to change their plans or accept offers from other schools. When this happens, we reach out to the next person on the waitlist.
Since we can’t predict if or when a spot will become available, we can’t give you a timeline for when you might hear from us. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind:
- We continue to make offers from the waitlist up until the last possible date when you could reasonably meet the necessary compliance requirements to begin the program. In some cases, this might be just a week before the quarter starts.
- Our waitlist only includes as many people as we think might realistically have a chance of getting a spot. If you’re on the waitlist, it’s because we believe there’s a possibility you could be offered a place in the program.
- When the waitlist moves, your current place on the waitlist will be updated in the portal.
- If a space becomes available for you, we’ll email you immediately. If you don’t hear from us, it means no space has opened up. If your contact information changes, be sure to update it in the application portal.
There’s no consistent pattern to how the waitlist process unfolds. Some years, we go through the entire waitlist; other years, only a few spots open up. It’s rare for all admitted students to accept their offers, so there’s always a chance that a spot could become available for you.
Undergraduate applications
No, we do not require applicants to complete the TEAS exam.
You must have a minimum of 3 Natural Sciences courses completed with a satisfactory grade when you apply to the BSN or ABSN program (see the specific program prerequisites for minimum grades allowed). ALL Natural Sciences courses must be completed with a satisfactory grade of by the time you enroll in the program.
Accepted BSN applicant GPAs range from 2.4 to 4.0, but keep in mind that your GPA is only one of many factors in admissions decisions.
Within 12 months of applying to the ABSN or BSN programs, applicants must have a minimum of 100 hours of hands-on healthcare experience in a three-month period. We are interested in seeing a level of intensity of experience as well as a level of commitment on the part of the applicant. We want your experience to be concentrated enough so you really have a chance to observe the breadth of the nursing role and get a realistic view of it. While 100 hours is the minimum requirement, many applicants have well over that amount when they apply.
The minimum 100 hours hands-on healthcare experience is to ensure that you have been exposed to the nursing profession and that you understand the role of the nurse in providing patient care. After your experience, you must be able to articulate to the admissions committee why you are a good fit for the nursing profession.
The best hands-on healthcare experience is where you work with and are supervised by registered nurses and includes patient contact/hands-on experience. A significant number of applicants complete Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and get jobs as CNAs before applying, but this is not required. You should work as closely with nurses as possible so you can make an informed decision about becoming a nurse. This gives you the opportunity to have your letter of recommendation written by a nurse, which is a huge asset to your application.
Overall, you must be able to thoughtfully reflect on your hands-on healthcare experience and show why you are a good candidate for our nursing program.
Choosing between the Accelerated BSN program and regular BSN program is a personal decision. For eligible postbaccalaureate applicants, choosing between the Accelerated BSN program and regular BSN program is a personal decision. For some students, being able to earn their degree faster is worth the higher cost of the ABSN program. Other students prefer the pace and cost of the BSN program. There is no difference between the programs in terms of the courses you complete or the degree you earn.
Your first step is to check the University’s Course Equivalency Guide. You may take other courses besides the ones listed on the guide as long as they fulfill the requirement. The best way to determine if the course you want to take satisfies the requirement is to find the course description for that class and compare it to the description of the sample UW courses listed on the prerequisite worksheet. If the material covered and number of credit hours are roughly the same, the course should satisfy the requirement.
No, we do not offer distance learning for our undergraduate programs.
No, there is no longer a proctored essay as part of the ABSN or BSN applications. Undergraduate program applications still include an essay/personal statement section with specific prompts you will respond to.
Several factors can influence why the admissions committee may have denied an application. Each applicant is evaluated and ranked in relation to the overall competitiveness of the applicant pool.
If you were not admitted to the BSN/ABSN program:
- Minimum requirements may not have been met. This could include not meeting the prerequisites, grade, GPA, or application completion criteria. Even if the minimum requirements were met, an applicant might be denied based on a lower ranking within the overall pool.
- Academic risk is a consideration. If an applicant has repeated or withdrawn from several Natural Sciences courses to meet the minimum GPA, they might be considered an academic risk. A pattern of repeated courses, withdrawals, or inconsistent performance can make an applicant less competitive compared to others in the pool.
- Healthcare experience relevance. An applicant may have expressed minimal or less relevant healthcare experience in relation to their stated goals or compared to other applicants. It’s crucial to clearly connect your experiences and goals with the nursing profession. You can learn more about the requirements for hands-on healthcare experience on our website.
- Articulation of background, experience, and goals. If an applicant does not clearly articulate how their background, experience, and goals have prepared them for success in the program and the profession, this could be a reason for denial. It’s essential for applicants to provide clear evidence that they are a strong fit for the program and the profession.
- Essay responses. Inconsistent or inappropriate essay responses, such as not addressing the essay prompts, lacking a clear line of reasoning, or failing to demonstrate critical thinking and self-reflection, can lead to a denial. The application essays are designed to assess whether an applicant possesses the “Essential Qualifications for BSN and ABSN Students.”
- Overall application presentation. If the application did not convey a level of maturity, self-awareness, and self-reflection necessary for success in the program, this could be a contributing factor. The program is academically and personally demanding, and these qualities are essential.
This list is not exhaustive but highlights the most common reasons for denial. If you’re considering reapplying or seeking more information about how your application was reviewed, we strongly recommend attending or listening to an ABSN/BSN information session.
We carefully review each application requirement to ensure transparency in how the admissions committee fairly evaluates applications within a highly competitive pool. We highly recommend watching or attending one of our information sessions to find ways to strengthen your application should you decide to reapply.
Graduate applications
No, we do not require the GRE for any of our graduate programs.
No.
No, our graduate programs are not distance programs. The DNP program is hybrid and typically requires one day per week on campus. The PhD program requires several days per week on campus.
ABSN with early DNP admissions
Application process
The Graduate School does not open the DNP application for the cohort you must apply to until close to the deadline. Therefore, you should apply to the same cohort year as the ABSN program (e.g., 2024) and, if you are admitted, your Graduate School application will be automatically deferred to the correct year.
Contact the Office of Student and Academic Affairs at 206.543.8736 or asknursing@uw.edu if you have any questions.
No. As long as you meet the contingencies to begin DNP study after successful completion of the ABSN program, you will begin DNP study in autumn quarter with the other DNP track cohorts.
Early DNP admissions decisions for ABSN applicants are only available for our Nurse-Midwifery DNP track. Current ABSN students can apply to other DNP tracks winter quarter of their program of study by the mid-January deadline.
You can use the same person to write one letter for each program, but not the same letter. Each program has a separate set of questions that need to be addressed.
Yes.
No. The ABSN and DNP applications have different review criteria that must be addressed, resulting in two different versions of your resume.
Yes. You can upload a digital copy of your transcripts to both the ABSN and DNP applications.
Admissions
BSN Admissions Committee and DNP Admissions Committee will review the ABSN and DNP applications, respectively, during autumn quarter.
No. An offer of admission to the DNP program is contingent on an offer of admission to the ABSN if you are applying to both programs concurrently.
No. You must reapply to the DNP program in the track of your choice by the posted deadline.
No. An offer of admission to the DNP program is contingent on an offer of admission to the ABSN if you are applying to both programs concurrently.
Program continuation
No. You would need to reapply to the DNP program the following January.
If you do not want to start the autumn quarter immediately following successful completion of the ABSN program, you would need to reapply to the DNP program the following January. We do not allow deferrals.
You must meet the following requirements in order to continue from ABSN study into DNP study:
- Good academic standing
- Earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree
- Active, unrestricted Washington state RN license
- Completion of a statistics course within five years of beginning the DNP program
- All School of Nursing compliance items are up to date
If these requirements are not met, your admissions offer to the DNP program is automatically forfeited. You will need to reapply to the DNP program the following January.