Students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and we welcome the benefits that a diverse student body brings not only to the college but ultimately to the profession of nursing. That's why we look at each individual applicant as just that an individual.

Holistic admission is a competitive and thorough process that considers not only a critical evaluation of grade point averages and test scores, if applicable, but also includes healthcare related service and a completed essay form submitted by the applicant describing personal attributes and experiences that they feel would support their admission. This entire package is what the Undergraduate Admission Committee uses to determine which students will best fit the program. The best place to begin learning more about the college and its programs is to attend one of our monthly Information Meetings for the Traditional BSN pathway, which cover prerequisites, admission requirements and program curriculum in detail and provide the opportunity to ask questions.

Prerequisite courses

Make sure you have reviewed the prerequisite courses that must be completed before you apply.

• BIO 1510/1511 Basic Life Mechanisms
• BIO 2870 Anatomy & Physiology
• CHM 1060 - General, Organic and Biochemistry
• ENG 1020 Introductory College Writing
• PSY 1020 Elements of Psychology or PSY 1010 Introductory Psychology*
• PSY 2410 Health Psychology or PSY 2400 Developmental Psychology*
• NFS 2030 Nutrition and Health
• Quantitative Experience (QE)
  • Quantitative Experience Completion Methods
  • QE is not factored into your prerequisite GPA
  • Students who have been admitted to Wayne State may take the Math Placement Assessment and place into Level 3 (ALEKS score 61-75) or higher to satisfy the QE requirement.

*You may choose either course. However, if a grade below "C" is earned in one course and you take the other in order to meet the requirement, it will count as a repeat.

Prerequisite transfer guide

The College of Nursing evaluates courses from other institutions based on guidelines and requirements established by the College. These evaluations take precedence over evaluations by other departments or the university transfer credit department. Please note: prerequisites taken at another institution must transfer to WSU exactly as the courses listed above.

• College of Nursing Prerequisite Transfer Guide - BSN
• Transfer Credit Evaluation

Steps to apply to the College of Nursing

• Step 1: Apply to WSU and the College of Nursing
• Step 2: Submit supplemental materials
• Step 3: Academic requirements
• Step 4: Submit official transcripts
• Additional Information and Important Dates

Step 1: Apply to WSU and the College of Nursing

Applying to the College of Nursing is a two-step process. You must first apply and gain admission to Wayne State by April 1. Following admission to Wayne State, you must then apply directly to the College of Nursing via the online secondary application, which opens in September. The deadline to apply to the Traditional BSN pathway and submit all required documents is May 1.

Step 2: Submit Supplemental Materials

When completing the College of Nursing Secondary Application, you must also include supplemental materials, which you may upload to your AppStatus page. Failure to submit all supplemental materials by the May 1 deadline will result in your application not being reviewed. These materials include: 

• Application Fee: A $50 College of Nursing application fee (nonrefundable) must be paid in order for applications to be processed. 
• Essay Questions: Applicants must submit answers to the following four questions. Each response is not to exceed 250 words. Upload a completed College of Nursing Application BSN Essay Form to your application.
  1. Describe a leadership experience that you have had (i.e., work, school, team) and/or led an initiative/campaign to generate change and/or interest and discuss what you learned from this experience. Personal attributes of a leader include inquisitiveness, ambition, empathy and problem-solving abilities. Include a description of the leadership qualities that you possess and how they will assist you with success in the nursing program.
  2. The College of Nursing's mission statement states, "We create and translate knowledge and educate a diverse student body prepared to excel as clinicians, scholars and leaders who improve health in local and global communities." How does your passion for nursing align with the mission of the CON?  Describe any experiences that you have had with diverse groups of people (or people who are different from you in some way). What did you learn from this experience?
  3. Courage, resiliency, and an ability to overcome adversity are important characteristics for success in the College of Nursing. Describe a time when you were faced with a difficult situation. How did these traits contribute to successfully achieving your goals?
  4. Describe how your Healthcare Related Service Experience(s) have contributed to your desire to become a nurse.
• Prerequisite Course Verification: Applicants must provide information detailing earned grades, term taken, and additional information. Please upload a completed Traditional BSN Prerequisite Verification Form to your application. If you do not have final grades in certain prerequisite courses at the time of submitting the Prerequisite Verification Form, please indicate the term in which you will complete the course and input "INPR" to indicate that the course is in progress. If you satisfied any prerequisite course with a test score (AP/IB/SAT/ACT/CLEP), please indicate this on the form by writing AP/IB/SAT/ACT/CLEP in the grade earned field. See Step 3 below for prerequisite requirement details.
• Healthcare Related Service Experience: You are required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of healthcare related service. Provide a completed Healthcare Related Service Experience Form for each experience, if multiple, and upload to your Nursing Secondary Application. Examples of healthcare-related service include, but are not limited to, volunteering (unpaid) at health fairs; with senior citizens or those in Assisted Care facilities; with support groups or programs for children/adults with special needs; as a non-clerical volunteer in a hospital or community health organizations; soup kitchens and homeless shelters.
• • Service must be completed within one year of the application deadline.
  • Shadowing of a professional nurse is acceptable.
  • Volunteer experiences must be clearly distinct from any paid positions or required school-based internship or work hours.
  • Volunteer experiences may not include caring for a friend/family member.

Step 3: Academic requirements

Applicants to the College of Nursing Traditional BSN pathway must have a minimum 3.0 GPA (based on prerequisite courses only), and a minimum grade of "C" or higher in all prerequisite courses. Pass/No Pass (P/N) and Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grades are not accepted by the College of Nursing. All prerequisites must be completed by June 1. Prerequisite courses may not be older than 7 years by the application deadline. For 2023 cohorts, courses taken prior to June 2016 will not be accepted. ENG 1020, PSY 1010/1020, and QE requirements will not expire. Only one prerequisite course may be repeated within a 7-year period; original courses with a grade of "C" or higher that were repeated for a better grade will not count as a repeat. Preference is given to science prerequisite courses taken at WSU.

CLEP exams taken to replace an existing grade (grade less than C) will count as a repeat. A maximum of one CLEP exam may be used to substitute a prerequisite. Any AP credits or official scores for the ACT/SAT or CLEP exam must be sent to and received by the College no later than June 1. AP, ACT/SAT, and CLEP scores older than 7 years at time of application deadline will not be accepted.

If the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required, the minimum accepted scores for the college are: 101 total score with a minimum of 25 in Listening, 25 in Reading, 25 in Writing and 26 in Speaking.

Step 4: Submit official transcripts 

Applicants who are transferring courses from another institution and have not yet had official transcripts sent should request official transcripts be sent to admissions@wayne.edu or have them mailed to:

Wayne State University
Transfer Credit Evaluation
P.O. Box 02759
Detroit, MI 48202-0759

If you are taking courses during the winter semester (January-May) of the application year, all final transcripts with posted grades must be sent directly to the College of Nursing. Transcripts must be received by the College of Nursing by June 1. Official transcripts may be emailed to nursinginfo@wayne.edu (preferred method) or mailed to:

ATTN: Office of Student Affairs
5557 Cass Avenue, Suite 10
Detroit, MI 48202

Additional information and important dates for the 2023 cohort

All updates and communications from the College of Nursing will be sent to your Wayne State University email account. It is important to check this account regularly for updates regarding registration and other information. After applying, applications can be monitored by checking the AppStatus page. Contact us at  nursinginfo@wayne.edu if there are any discrepancies. Prerequisite courses are manually entered on the AppStatus page, however it is the responsibility of the applicant to verify the AppStatus page accurately reflects their academic history.

Important dates